Putting the ‘special’ back in specials
Thanks to technology, there’s this thing we have now called “instant gratification,” which can be great and also not so great.
Like those times when you can’t think of the name of that guy from that movie who was in that show you just watched … you know the one. No longer do you have to let it bother you for hours until you wake up in the middle of the night shouting “Richard Jenkins!” Nowadays, you just look it up on IMDB and and instantly gratify your need to know.
Oh, and by the way, it’s always Richard Jenkins. That guy is in everything.
However, when it comes to the approaching holiday season, instant gratification has caused a rift in our household. Because, I am a gigantic kid at heart and would love to spend three full months of the year watching every Christmas movie and special over and over again. Hubby Dave, on the other hand, is a staunch supporter of making those specials “special” for the kids, like they were for us.
I have to admit, though, Hubby Dave is onto something (don’t tell him I said that). See, way back when the internet wasn’t a thing and TV had 13 channels if you were lucky, we couldn’t just dial up “The Grinch” whenever we wanted to see him carve the roast beast. No, we had to grab the TV guide from the paper, find that one and only instance our favourite holiday villain was going to be on screen, and plan our lives around those 60 minutes of classic Christmas storytelling or risk missing it for another year. It wasn’t instant, and yet, it was so completely gratifying.
Which is why, this year, I’m taking an old fashioned approach to our holiday viewing practices. No more will I act like the kid with a candy bar I don’t want to share, sneaking in snippets of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Carol of the Bells” when the kids are out of earshot, or watching “Elf” for the umpteenth time after they’ve gone to bed. This year, I’m going to limit such treats to the seven weeks of Christmas (post-Remembrance Day to New Year’s for those who don’t know) and make all of those special things special again… at least, I’m going to try! Speaking of specials, as the Grinch put it, “For 53 years I’ve put up with it now…,”but while he’s talking about Christmas in Whoville, I’m talking Rudolph. At 53 years old, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” is the longest running animated Christmas special in history, and just one of the ‘must-sees’ for our family each season. Here are a few others you might want to add to your list if they aren’t already there:
“The Muppet Christmas Carol” – our favourite retelling of the Dickens Christmas classic
“Die Hard” – yes, it is a Christmas movie!
“It’s a Wonderful Life” – so many feels in this one.
“A Christmas Story” – I have a leg lamp and it is glorious!
So, whether you start your personal holiday traditions now, or save them to enjoy later, here’s to making this season special for your own family, in your own – dare I say it again? — special way.
Chrissy Cruickshank is a creative writer at 105.3 ROCK. You may hear her from time to time with comments on Poncho and Cassie's morning show. Listen at 105.3 FM and 1053rock.ca.