When you're a kid, you think the way things are is always the way they're going to be.
This is a very frivolous post but...I miss the way we used to overdose on Christmas TV specials, and Christmas sitcom episodes, and Christmas everything as far as our then-limited "multi-media" went. Not to say that I enjoy being bombarded by Christmas carols at Thing-Mart weeks and weeks before Christmas. But I sort of miss Christmas TV in the '70's: lining up in front of the TV at exactly 7 or 7:30 to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas complete with all its commercials for Dolley Madison Cakes (something completely foreign to us--around here it was Vachon all the way). No time-shifting, no videos and DVDs, no downloading from You-Tube; but if you missed it, there was always next year. Like Santa Claus, Rankin-Bass and Bill Melendez always came through...except on Christmas Eve at dinner time when we WANTED to eat from TV trays (don't ask) but were always reduced to watching Bonanza.
Even in later years--much later--there was a fairly predictable CBC Christmas lineup of reruns: Mole's Christmas, Mr. Bean, and Frosty. You almost knew which night of which week they were going to show what.
The last few years, things have changed a lot. In spite of the fact that Christmas, at least in its commercial persona, is probably bigger than ever, I think there are fewer of what used to be the staple programs...I mean, the age of Andy Williams and John-Denver-and-the-Muppets-Christmas is long over. (You can watch the John Denver clips on You-Tube, though.) Maybe it's because everybody has their own video/DVD versions of the movies and shows they like; maybe it's because of our more diverse culture, and less assumption that everybody even WANTS to watch Christmas TV.
It's kind of interesting...my kids watch less TV at Christmas than we did, videos included. Overall, that's probably a good thing...I mean, it's no big deal to them if they miss The Grinch. Actually they haven't even seen it this year; that would have been close to heresy back in the '70's...
but there's still something I miss about the Way Things Were.
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My husband and I were talking about this same subject recently. It is amazing just how much things have changed.
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