Well, well, well, well, well. WELL. Look at that! It's holiday times again! One little short year ago, I wrote my very first Concessions column about my very first Northwest Film Forum Holiday Party. Standing on the sidewalk, I was intimidated by the fancy film people within: "I didn't know what I would talk to them about—unless the fancy film people want to talk about that part in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry when Larry drops the soap in the firehouse shower. Or in Alvin and the Chipmunks when Simon eats a piece of Theodore's poop. Or John Goodman (OMG, heart!)." Oh, me-one-year-ago. So young and so intimidated. Things are different now (although I am still obsessed with that thing about Theodore's poop—that really happens!). But anyway, last week I attended this year's NWFF Holiday Party. And guess what? I OWNED THAT SHIT.

Literally. Because Christmas is the property of Santa (tra la la, baby Jesus!), and this year, Film Forum Santa was ME. Lindy "Drunk Lady Santa" West. I wore the suit. I scratched my fiberglass beard. I judged the nog. I bounced Seattle's film community upon my knee and found out what it wanted for Christmas (a job! peace and goodwill! "I don't know!") and only got groped like two times. After 400 cups of nog, I was deeply into this Santa thing. I texted "HO HO HO" to everyone I have ever met. I never wanted to take that suit off. Because here's the thing about being Santa: Everyone pays attention to you. The whole world wants to talk to Santa and hug Santa and tell Santa their secrets (and only like two of them turn out to have a creepy sexual thing about Santa!)! THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE.

Speaking of dreams and excitement and people paying attention to other people, there's some big local film news this week! Three Northwest films have been accepted into Sundance 2009: The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle (recipient of NWFF's Start-to-Finish grant), World's Greatest Dad (remember when Robin Williams was filming here?), and Lynn Shelton's Humpday.

Humpday is about a pair of straight dudes (Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard) trying to make a movie together (like, together together) for HUMP!, this paper's annual amateur-porn contest. "It's about a lot of things," says Shelton, "but mostly it's about the limitations and occasional absurdity of straightness, specifically male straightness. I mean, these two guys try to 'outdude' each other by trying to 'do' each other, which is kind of ironic when you think about it. Okay, it's completely ironic. We're billing it as 'A Bromantic Comedy.'" Congratulations to all! And HO HO HO!