Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass

The cake is a lie ... although hopefully the promise of trifle and mince pies tomorrow won't be. Here we are, having opened the final "door" on our special online Advent Calendar. The Portal Christmas Tree image (and its variation ) is an oldie but a goodie, so it absolutely deserves pride of place as the ultimate geeky Christmas pic this year. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you have a much-deserved, restful break, surrounded by everyone and everything that gives you pleasure in life. See you in the New Year. Peace out.

Oh you knew I just had to find a way to squeeze Tomb Raider into this list somehow. So here are some Lara Croft Christmas card greetings ( here , here and here ). The lady looks really great in red; what can I say? As an addition gift, here's the amazing trailer for fan film Croft - which will be debuting online in full on Christmas Day. I can't wait to watch this one - my digital pressie for the 25th. Finally, here's my not-nearly-as-badass Tomb Raider delivering this year's festive season greetings. Enjoy.

The most important thing in life is to always be yourself. Unless you can be Bat-Santa . Always by Bat-Santa.... Certainly this festive hat will help jazz up photos at the dinner table this Christmas.

Wrapped all you Christmas presents yet? Sorted for gift tags? If not, you can always swap out "Ho Ho Ho" for a a little more " Hoth Hoth Hoth " with these downloadable labels.

I'm going to be taking a bit of a break from regular blogging between Christmas and 6 January, but here are the movies hitting South African cinemas over the next three Fridays. Whatever you're in the mood for, you got it! Today, 20 December: Frozen : Screening in 2D and 3D is the latest animated family film from Disney . In the Tangled mould, Frozen is a musical comedy adventure loosely based on the Snow Queen fairy tale . With the voices of Kristen Bell , Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff . Trailer Tuesday profile . Frozen has been a smash hit, commercially and critically. Energetic, emotionally resonant, with stunning visuals and great songs, it's been called the best animated Disney flick since the studio's The Little Mermaid - Beauty and The Beast renaissance. 89% Fresh . The Counselor : This thriller  - based on an original screenplay by Cormac McCarthy - is a change of pace for director Ridley Scott . Michael Fassbender is the title character, a la...

We're slap-bang in the middle of end of year function / Christmas party season, so the shooters are sure to be liberally spread around by this point. Take the celebrations to Westeros with these guys, which you can  buy here . P.S. On the subject of parties, please be sensible and don't drink and drive this festive season. P.P.S. Please also don't drink and dine at a wedding staged by someone who has a massive grudge against you. That is likely to be massively beneficial to your health.

Less than a week to go now. And it's almost time to hang out the Christmas stockings. Certainly there are enough pop culture options out there to hold your "naughty or nice" loot... Some quite classy actually.

Throwing a big gathering these holidays? Wine charms are a handy way to prevent glasses from being mixed up. I love both of these geeky options... plus those Pac-Man cherries can pretty much pass for holly.

Lego may not have much to do with Christmas apart from making one of the best possible gifts a kid (or adult) could receive. But did you know there are full-on proper Christmas / Winter Village seasonal sets ? These make perfect household ornaments for the holidays. Especially this guy .

A scan over reviews for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug reveals for the most part the “Much better than its predecessor” view that accompanies the release of so many high profile sequels (think Harry Potter ; James Bond ). It’s easy to get swept up in this mindset. Personally though, I found this middle installment in this epic fantasy trilogy to be more of the same – duplicating pretty much all the flaws present in Part One, AKA An Unexpected Journey . When director Peter Jackson sticks closely to JRR Tolkien ’s novel (I admit, I’m a fan) the results are far more successful than when he attempts to depict all the “behind the scenes” action that bridges this prequel and Tolkien’s follow-up, The Lord of the Rings . As a result, highly engaging action set pieces alternate with unnecessary scenes that grind the 2-and-a-half hour movie to a halt, and the overall experience tends to be narratively flabby and frustrating – if always technically superb. Kicking off at the exac...

Christmas is all about time with family and friends, plus welcoming into your home people who would otherwise have no one to celebrate the day with. In this spirit of sharing the feasting and festivities, check out these fantastic geek-inspired doormats .

Just think about this one for a second... It will come to you . Although, ***SPOILER*** after this year I think I would prefer a Christmas wreath with Benedict Cumberbatch all over it. Made by Annie Shapiro

Although I love this little fella too, if you're going to have a snow globe on display this holiday season, I do think this limited edition The Nightmare Before Christmas one is quite spectacular.

Five new films open in South Africa today, although it's obvious who the box office champion of the new releases is going to be. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug : Screening in 2D, 3D, HFR 3D and 3D IMAX is this second film in the Hobbit trilogy, based on  J. R. R. Tolkien 's precursor to The Lord of the Rings . In this chapter of the epic fantasy adventure, Bilbo Baggins ( Martin Freeman ), wizard Gandalf the Grey ( Ian McKellen ) and the Company of Dwarves have run-ins with orcs, shape-shifters, spiders, snooty elves, greedy townsfolk, necromancers and a bigass dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch ). Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Orlando Bloom and Stephen Fry all join the cast. The Desolation of Smaug is currently sitting with an aggregated review score of 74% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes . International critics have praised the film as far superior to first installment The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - calling it swift and satisfying. Personally tho...

Micro breweries. Craft beers. I'm not even a beer drinker and I admit I'm a fan. I'm also easily swayed by a cool label, which makes the Wychwood Breweries series  in the UK especially appealing to me. Their iconic Hobgoblin , Ginger Beard , and even their seasonal Bah Humbug! ale. Consider these guys for your festive season tipple.

Some people like to make their Christmas gifts. For those crafty types, here's something to crochet that is festive, as well as gloriously geeky... oh, and suitably Festive Season Cynical .

If you're going to be spending time in the kitchen or tending a barbecue this Christmas, an apron is a worthwhile investment. There are a few hundred geeky spins on this item of neat and tidy domesticity, as this link , oh, and this one , prove. P.S. I'm not a Whovian, but I thought I better slot the Doctor into this calendar somewhere.

Some people still dress up for Christmas lunch/dinner. As it turns out there are dozens upon dozens of designs that let you show your "tie" to the geek lifestyle... from the totally kitsch to the classy to the  unbelievably cool .

I could easily have made this entire Advent Calendar about Pop Culture-themed Christmas tree decorations (Hmmm, maybe next year...?). However, these baubles are too awesome not to share. Have a Cowabunga Christmas , everyone, perhaps with a nice big slice of gnarly trifle pizza.

In all honesty, you could stage a Geekmas that was entirely Star Wars themed. Take these lightsaber candlestick holders for your dining table, for example. They're  available to purchase here .

Stringing outdoor lights isn't a common South African Christmas tradition. Still, why bother with illuminated angels when you go with "illuminated" Jedi Masters ?

Six new movies open in South Africa today, with a bias towards coming of age tales, where young people are forced to navigate the complexities of an unforgiving adult world as they shape their own identities. Ender's Game : The best-selling sci-fi novel comes to the big screen, and is also showing at IMAX. Asa Butterfield is a gifted young military cadet destined to play an instrumental role in defending the Earth from alien attack. Also with Harrison Ford , Abigail Breslin , Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis . South African Gavin Hood directs, and has written the screenplay. Ender's Game hasn't exactly blown away critics but it isn't a disaster either. TheMovies '  Kervyn enjoyed the spectacle and action scenes but found it all rather shallow . Internationally, critics have also found it flawed - particularly too grim-faced and numb for its own good - but complimented its attempts at thematic complexity, strong performances and polished visuals.  62% Fresh on r...

I have a horribly kitsch pair of Santa Claus earrings that I don every Christmas. These though, are pure class - not only do they have geek cred; they're also reminiscent of baubles, making them perfect for holiday wear.

You could put an angel at the top of your Christmas tree, I suppose. But why not seize the opportunity to show your right and proper devotion to the Elder Gods ? All hail, Almighty Cthulhu! See also here and here .