Another nostalgic post. Respect your elders.
We got the Deseret News every evening. Sure, the Tribune was delivered in the morning, but it was clear in my home that there was something suspect about the Tribune. I was always a newspaper reader when I was kid. For the most part, I would look through the whole thing, finishing with the comics. (delayed gratification) But, for one month out of the year, the newspaper had a very specific purpose – and it was serious business to us.
As soon as December rolled around, we would grab the newspaper with a sense of urgency, and open it directly to the TV listings to search for the signs of their coming. Who, you may ask? The Big Five of Christmas. Specifically:
 |
| Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer |
 |
| Santa Claus is Coming to Town! |
 |
| Frosty the Snowman! |
 |
| How the Grinch Stole Christmas |
 |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas |
These were THE Christmas shows. Sure, there were some others, but these were the five that mattered. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone born in the 60’s and 70’s.
Why the newspaper, why the panic? Let me explain to my dear, spoiled, younger readers.
Once upon a time…back before you were born, we lived in a land devoid of DVRs, DVDs, Netflix, Redbox, VCRs, straming internet viewing, the iStore and cable TV. Yes, it was a different world back then. A world that required constant attention to what was going on around us.
Why? Because you only got one shot, Charlie Brown. If you wanted to watch the Grinch, Linus, or even Hermie the Dentist, you only got one chance to see it. If you missed it, you missed it. And it would not be broadcast again until the next year. We couldn’t throw in the DVD and watch Charlie Brown as many times as we wanted. We could watch it ONCE. And only if we were on our toes.
There was nothing, and I mean nothing, worse than opening the newspaper late in the evening, only to find that you had missed it. Santa Claus we not be coming to town that year – or Rudolph either. We were careful, and were able to see the shows most every year, but I remember missing Charlie Brown on some years because they showed it at some ridiculous time – like 6:30pm – and we would turn on the TV and catch the closing credits. Drat!
Sure, there were plenty of other Christmas shows – Andy Williams and every other singer of the day who was still breathing seemed to have his/her own Christmas special, but my parents always seemed to know when those shows would be on. Perhaps they had a secret TV Guide that they kept in their room.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I learned Luke 2 from Linus – and to this day I still hear his voice in my head when I read it. It is remarkable to me how ingrained these shows from my childhood are, when you consider the fact that we only could watch them once a year. Unlike the movie Elf, which was on a loop for several years at out house. For better or worse. Mostly worse.
It wasn’t only the Christmas shows that were “one shot” deals. Most of the important movies were the same way. If you wanted to see The Wizard of Oz, you had one crack at it. The Ten Commandments? Once a year. The Sound of Music? Same thing. It was so different than today’s culture of instant gratification.
I am glad that my kids could watch Olive, the Other Reindeer whenever the mood struck, but I wax a bit nostalgic about the old way. When a movie or program was broadcast only once a year, it was not just a movie – it was an event. We would usually watch these thing together, as a family.
In theory, having a DVD of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in the drawer should make it easier to gather the family together and share the experience. Right? But in MY reality it doesn’t seem to work that way. The very fact that it is available all of the time, makes it a little less special – certainly not something important enough to schedule. Also, knowing that my kids have seen it a billion times makes it less of a special event as well.
A few years back, you couldn’t pick up your remote without running into It’s a Wonderful Life on cable. (A movie that I love and wrote about here.) It was on constantly, to the point of over-exposure. Thankfully, Turner Classic Movies realized what was happening to this gem and pulled it out of syndication to protect this classic, and how we feel about it.
Perhaps as a father I should try this. Maybe I should put away some of the favorite Christmas DVDs, and only bring them out for a planned family activity once a year. I know that I would be more interested. Simple economics: Supply and demand. When supply goes down – demand goes up.
But once a year? I don’t think that will happen again in our home – at least not without a fight.
Discover more from Thus We See...
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
We didn’t have a TV growing up… well, we owned one and my dad kept it in his trunk and took it to work. He’d bring it in for General Conference, and … “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I absolutely love that show. Viki and I could tell some stories about no TV, and what shows we finally convinced our parents to let us watch… it would surprise you!
Hey, coincidentally last night my EC turned on the TV and saw that the Charlie Brown Christmas special was on. We all ran downstairs and watched it. I had to explain to the kids that I couldn’t fast forward through the commercials, because it was live TV. We felt a little of that old Christmas magic.
This is how I felt about the Big Money Movie (daily during the summer) and the Sunday Night Movie. I felt like they were important, newsworthy events and was surprised when some kid at school didn’t know that Gone With the Wind was on the night before.
Jenny in NC
THIS is the problem! I was wondering why no one except myself gets excited to watch a Christmas movie…you explained it perfectly!
Yes, and we didn’t have a cartoon channel. You could watch cartoons on Saturday morning, not 24 hours a day. We did have some shows that we saw every week day such as Captain Kangaroo. But I don’t know if kids these days would really appreciate it. 🙂
Amen, brother. I’m thinking tonight might be a good night to dust off the DVDs for a once-in-the-year showing…
Those shows are still only on once a year, and since we have no DVR, we always miss them. Without fail Charlie Brown (my favorite) is always on the night we have tithing settlement. I did buy that one on DVD a few years ago, for that very reason too. I also remember The Sound of Music being on, on New Years Eve, it was a big deal for us, as we got to stay up late to watch it on TV. This was a great post!
Swap out Twas the Night Before Christmas for Santa Claus is Coming to Town and you’d have my top 5 growing up. My parents didn’t get a paper regularly, so we’d flip through the TV Guide in the check out line and memorize it. Being a kid of the late 70’s, I was still a kid when we got our first VCR. Even though we could then record our favorites, my Dad wouldn’t let us watch them unless it was Dec and a babysitter was there. I thought is was a bit “scroogish” then, but now that I have kids I’m starting to see his point.
I was just thinking about how much I miss watching The Sound of Music & The Wizard of Oz every year. Is anything special anymore?
We box up all the Christmas DVD’s and Christmas books with the holiday decorations. Each year, I take them out, wrap each one, and we open 1 a night. That night is our “one shot” and they aren’t repeated until the following year. This makes them all very special and entices everyone to watch/listen each evening.
I agree….but I am posting to say:
LOVE the Gandalf hat! 🙂
Swap out Twas the Night Before Christmas for Santa Claus is Coming to Town and you have my top 5. Even after my parents bought a VCR and we could record or specials, my Dad wouldn’t let us watch them except during Dec, and usually when there was a babysitter there. I always thought he was being scroogish, now I’m starting to see the wisdom in that.
I miss the once a year movies though. We never missed The Sound of Music or The Wizard of Oz. Is anything special now?
Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang are becoming a lost thing. Whenever we do happen to have a chance to watch Charlie Brown something, my kids either don’t want to watch it, or if they do, they don’t get it. I want to shout: “IT’S CHARLIE BROWN!!” Those are such good memories!
Drat was perfect.
Gosh-no DVR? I remember when we bought our first television. I was 5 years old and it was a BIG deal. All the neighbors came over to see it! Watching those Christmas specials was a real event in our home. We also watched Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. 🙂 I do put away all the Christmas movies after the holidays and I don’t pull them out until Thanksgiving. Nice wizard hat, Gandolf!
I so agree with this! There was a time when my husband and I only had the TV on, on Fridays. Those days had a magic in them! The kids were more productive developing talents, and Friday night movie night with the family was something of a novelty! 🙂 How I MISS That! We are too spoiled. And with having so much is feeling the joy of it all so much less! Perhaps it is because we appreciate it that much less because it is so easy to come by…
…that’s why you read the scriptures once a month; LOL! 😀 I’m sure the lord is having a nice laugh over this one as well, and sending you a hearty, “NICE TRY, son… ;)”
I try, in my own way, to replicate the “specialness” of these videos. We only get these DVDs out at Christmas-time. Of course they can watch the shows repeatedly through the month, but that is the only time. After Christmas, the DVDs go into the box with all of the other Christmas decor…
Oh…and I can’t imagine watching Elf less than a dozen times each Christmas…
That’s exactly what I am trying to avoid. We box them up and only have them out from after Thanksgiving to Christmas, but that is enough time to beat them to death, and wreck any chance of everyone wanting to watch them together.
My children are always amazed when I talk about how we could only watch the specials and movies once a year. I was just talking with them about waiting to watch the Wizard of Oz and the Sound of Music.
I put our Christmas movies away after Christmas every year. This year I decided to have a some control over when they are watched so I have doled them out. I did this because there are certain Christmas movies my husband and I like to watch with the family, but in years past the kids have already watched them several times by the time we have a chance to sit down together. Saving certain family favorites for when we can all watch has been really nice.
We watched all those shows every year as well. I’m quite a big younger than you, but I must be an Old Soul TV Viewer. I remember cutting the Holiday Viewing Schedule out of the paper to keep track of all the Christmas shows. We also used to watch A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation edited on cable. (I watched them again recently and there was a lot more swearing and adult content than I remember). Rankin-Bass Still holds up, though.
Praise the TV Pantheon, you called the elf “Hermie.” I’ve heard too many people refer to him as Herbie, and I want to run them over with “the little car”(#53) shouting, “THIS is Herbie!”
I will add my “Amen” to this post, since we suffered the same anxieties over the same Christmas shows.
What’s a VCR?
I was a late 70s kid and those old claymation movies were scary. We didn’t get a newspaper either, so when we were able to catch the Grinch or Charlie Brown’s Christmas it was even more special. My mom packed up all of the Christmas movies every year and wouldn’t let us touch them until after Thanksgiving. Supply and Demand lived on in our house and continues to live on in my house now.
I remember being so sad one year at Christmas because my Dad’s work party was the same night as Rudolph and so we were going to miss seeing it that year. We didn’t want to go to the party! We wanted to see Rudolph! Luckily, the host of the party turned on the show for us so while the adults mingled and socialized (where were their priorities?), we watched our beloved show and Christmas was saved!
So true.
That’s why I read my scriptures only once a month – much more impact.
Loved those shows, and I agree with the economics analogy. I worry about my kids getting what they want all too easily.
BTW – nice hobbit hat.
BTW – it’s not a nice hobbit hat. It’s a nice WIZARD hat.
I looked forward to those shows too! I also remember discovering that we had missed the end of Rudolf. I was sooo sad, because that was my favorite!
My generation doesn’t know how to go without more than one viewing of Elf this time of year. 🙂 I love all those classics and actually when I was younger my parents wouldn’t buy them, they also didn’t buy the newspaper or TV guide so if we were able to watch them it was nothing short of the planet aligning.
Loved those shows. Especially Charlie Brown and Rudolf.