Christmas season hits the small screen
Once upon a time
– back in the Dark Ages, when I was a tot – there were a handful
of Christmas television specials that you could always count on
viewing.
Since this was in an era unimaginable to anyone born after 1980,
things were a lot different then when it came to TV watching.
First of all, no one got more than four channels, and the fourth
was one that would fade in and out, depending on the weather.
Christmas season hits the small screen
Once upon a time – back in the Dark Ages, when I was a tot – there were a handful of Christmas television specials that you could always count on viewing.
Since this was in an era unimaginable to anyone born after 1980, things were a lot different then when it came to TV watching.
First of all, no one got more than four channels, and the fourth was one that would fade in and out, depending on the weather.
Secondly, you must remember that there were no big-screen, high-def TVs – at my house, when my parents bought a 20-inch color TV in 1969, it was a huge deal. Most of my friends were stuck with black-and-white sets.
And of course, there were no VCRs or DVD players, with those inventions being years away, and certainly no cable movies on demand. So kids in those days were less likely to take certain Christmas specials for granted.
We would wait breathlessly for the annual showings of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and other stop-animation wonders. And then there was “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” with its familiar characters and the little tree that needed some love. Another eagerly anticipated event was the airing of “The Wizard of Oz,” which also usually came around the holidays.
Gathering around the bluish glow of the boob tube, it was also about the only time of the year that we could stay up late to watch such things, which made the whole experience extra-special. I’m sure it was a time of brief peace for my mother as she madly wrapped gifts for the four of us and my dad without kid interference.
I loved “Rudolph” the most out of all the holiday offerings, because I identified so strongly with his nose problem. I could see myself living happily on the Island of Misfit Toys, seeing as I considered myself one of the outcasts. Also, I loved Burl Ives singing the title song.
“The Wizard of Oz” was also a big event for me, even though the flying monkeys creeped me out (and still do).
Fast forward to the holidays 2010, and how things have changed.
There is little sense of anticipation any more for Christmas specials, seeing as you can watch them at any time you please, year-round if you want to. They are no longer the huge shared experience for kids that they once were.
Also, since there are about 60 trillion holiday specials on TV, it’s hard to even decide what to watch. I looked recently online at a list of holiday specials and movies that is pages and pages long, with such fare as “Shrek the Halls” and “A Dennis the Menace Christmas.”
There are made-for-TV movies like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Christmas Cupid” and “Holiday in Handcuffs,” as well as showings of every Christmas movie made in the past six decades: “Scrooged,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Santa Clause,” just to name a very few.
There’s so much that it’s overwhelming. And most of the time, none of it sounds very appealing. Even if it is Christmas time.
I was thinking, though, for old time’s sake, maybe I should tune in to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It’s still my favorite, and I still know the words to all of the songs. In my book, it remains the ultimate Christmas TV experience.
If I look around, I’m sure it’s on pay-per-view somewhere. Or maybe I can Tivo it. It’s got to be out there somewhere.
