Deep Holiday Thoughts by J.R. Fickle

I am afraid to make more predictions now after inadvertently willing Beckett’s “big 2026” into existence. So instead you’re getting a smorgasbord of thoughts as we roll into the holidays. 

Jump on board!

1. Burger King was a major disappointment this holiday season after being a revelation in 2024. After putting out a new collectible seemingly every week in December last year — a serving tray, tree skirt, mittens, Christmas village —  Burger King dropped their Advent calendar…and then disappeared. Sure, there was some free food, but the weird joy of Burger King-and-Christmas-themed paraphernalia was missed this season. Is it okay to complain? Maybe. I think so. Yes. Totally fin

2. I might be the world’s foremost Alysa Liu collector. A couple weeks ago I made a prediction that Liu and Amber Glenn could see their card prices skyrocket. If you ever wondered if I just write stuff and then abandon it… I don’t. I go the opposite way. And so now, if you’re bidding on a Liu card and someone bumps you up in a stubbornly furious series of bids three days before the auction ends… that’s me. Hello friend. I have a LOT of her cards. And side note: Liu won the Grand Prix just days after she was featured in Mail Day. All aboard!!

3. I bought two rolls of wheat pennies. Again. I know they won’t be worth a ton, even with penny production ending — but they’re cool and nostalgic and I like knowing I have that fun little period of history in my tubs. 

4. I’m heading home for the holidays and preparing to find weird stuff. I can tell you right now I know exactly where my Garbage Pail Kids are. And while I won’t find any worth re-selling (I jammed every card into top loaders without care for the corners), it’s always a fun trip down memory lane. Just flipping through the cards brings me back to Kay-Bee toy stores, and I think, if challenged, I could replicate that entire store from memory alone. Right down to the Top Gun Nintendo game placement behind the counter. 

   1. Mantel should buy and bring back Kay-Bee. Remember when we wanted to buy Panini?

5. It’s time we expand our holiday movie and music horizons. Here’s a holiday movie suggestion: a newsletter I sub to called Hannah’s Weekly featured a classic called “The Bishop’s Wife” last year. It deserves more love. 10/10 holiday fare!

   1. While we’re on holiday fare, might I suggest the seasonal experience of listening to the Sarah McLachlan version of “Song For A Winter’s Night” followed by the Gordon Lightfoot version — and then deciding which you like better.

   2. Neither Gordon Lightfoot nor Sarah McLachlan have their own trading card. 

   3. Admittedly, I know very little about Gordon Lightfoot, but he seemed like a slam dunk to have done a Playboy interview as a 70s folk singer. No dice. Sarah McLachlan, founder of Lilith Fair, also never did one. 

   4. Anyway, Song For a Winter’s Night. Check it out!  

6. I don’t know how many of you are football fans but there is a unique feeling having a stack of Malik Willis cards and watching him carve up the Bears for 90 minutes… and then learning he has a bad shoulder after. Roller coaster of emotions!

7. Wait one more thing about The Bishop’s Wife, because I find it crazy. Elsa Lanchester, better known as the iconic Bride of Frankenstein, has a supporting role as one of the bishop’s housekeepers. 

8. I watched the Jake Paul fight! I believe the broken jaw is a lie and the x-ray is a fake. But the point here is I bet the Jake Paul memorabilia market nosedives. And the Anthony Joshua one rises. Joshua is a folk hero right now. And it’s a bummer this is the general public’s introduction to him, but ride the wave! He could fight Tyson Fury next, which would be fairly high profile. There may be some room to grow. Paul, meanwhile — I think his act may be a little tired. He’s savvy, I’m sure he’ll be back in a different capacity. But I will not be buying the dip. 

Alright, I have to go be merry and joyful! Have a lovely Christmas everyone!!