So as I sat wondering what I was going to write this week, one of the greatest Christmas shows came on TV, and, I like I do every year, I dropped everything to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Yeah, I’m funny that way.

Now the thing that I love about this little piece of my childhood is, well, it’s a piece of my childhood. I think anyone would agree it’s an all time favorite.

Except my son.

He just didn’t seem to enjoy it. I was starting to wonder at this point if he was secretly switched at birth or even mine at all. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE this show? Then it hit me. Cartoons today are nothing like when I was a kid. You know, Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Rocky and Bullwinkle and the like. Today it’s all this wacky twisted nonsensical crap with a lot of kung-fu and Jibba Jabba. I don’t like no Jibba Jabba fool. (Heh, I worked a Mr. T quote into a Christmas story, I am the king of awesome) I pity the fool that digresses.

Christmas specials are one of the more tolerable things about the holiday season. They remind us of what was fun about being a kid. Nowadays it seems their sole purpose is to sell toys and make kids think that the more stuff you have the happier you will be. Meh, I disagree totally with this nonsense.

So, in the spirit of the holidays, I offer up some of my personal favorites, and likely the staples of the holidays for most of us who woke up one day to find we are now grown-ups. I mean some of these go back to the freakin early 60’s. Far out huh?

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Who doesn’t love it when Schroeder gets frustrated with Lucy’s inane yammering about playing Jingle bells and after play a series of beautiful melodies cracks into a single key version of Jingle Bells? Or the very sweet rendition of Linus’s meaning of Christmas, and of course, the music. The music is a big part of this show. The one thing I think everyone will agree upon is the tree. The little tiny sickly tree that Charlie Brown gets. Yeah, that tree. I know a few years I always got that tree on purpose. The little one that nobody else wanted. Yeah, I liked it. Anyways, this little show from the 60’s is still a favorite and worth seeing again and again. Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

2. The Year without a Santa Claus

I love this show for one reason. Heat Miser. Yup, Mr. 101 himself. I mean who doesn’t love this song?

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Yeah, this is the one, not the crap they made with Jim Carrey. The one narrated by Ol’ Boris Karloff himself. “You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel. You're as cuddly as a cactus, You're as charming as an eel. Mr. Grinch”.


4. Moonlighting-Twas the Episode Before Christmas

I loved this show, and I mean loved it. However, the one thing I liked most was how sometimes they would do an episode totally out of context ( Atomic Shakespeare anyone? Otherwise known as The Taming of the Shrew Episode) Every TV show seems to do an Christmas Episode, but this one is clever and funny and its freakin Moonlighting. If I remember right, they ran outta script and the cast improvised the last few minutes of the show. Wow, it’s been awhile, but I think I gotta ask Santa for the entire DVD collection. They also have the other one, “It’s a Wonderful Job” based on, duh, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and this holiday episode makes Maddie see what life would be like if she closed the agency in the first episode. All the expected stuff happens, but if I remember it was David and Maddie's first kiss in that one. Moonlighting was great. One of TV better accomplishments. Instead of Die Hard IV, they should be making a Moonlighting feature. Ok, I, once again digress. Anyone remember this little gem from Moonlighting?

Security Officer: I'm sorry, but you're not on the guest list.
David Addison: That's because we're not guests. We're looking for a man with a mole on his nose.
Security Officer: A mole on his nose?
Maddie Hayes: A mole on his nose.
Security Officer: [to Maddie] What kind of clothes?
Maddie Hayes: [to David] What kind of clothes?
David Addison: What kind of clothes do you suppose?
Security Officer: What kind of clothes do I suppose would be worn by a man with a mole on his nose? Who knows?
David Addison: Did I happen to mention, did I bother to disclose, that this man that we're seeking with the mole on his nose? I'm not sure of his clothes or anything else, except he's Chinese, a big clue by itself.
Maddie Hayes: How do you do that?
David Addison: Gotta read a lot of Dr. Seuss.
Security Officer: I'm sorry to say, I'm sad to report, I haven't seen anyone at all of that sort. Not a man who's Chinese with a mole on his nose with some kind of clothes that you can't suppose. So get away from this door and get out of this place, or I'll have to hurt you - put my foot in your face.

Heh. So that’s what I got for this week. Christmas memories. They differ for all of us, but some things we share as a common denominator, and that’s Christmas Episodes and Specials. Growing up is one thing, growing up without these seems just wrong.

So I leave you with this.

“Twas the night before Chirstmas on FTTW, when all through the net, not a comment was posted, at least none yet.”

Produced By owns the Care Bears Holiday Collection on DVD, VHS and LaserDisc

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