Yep. When I was a kid I trick-or-treated after dark. Trick-or-treat while it’s still light? Perish the thought! And walking 1.2 miles to school in my costume for the (after dark, of course) Halloween carnival. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was, for me, the kick-off to the Holiday Season.
Thanksgiving. I was getting a little old for holiday specials when A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving came out. I do remember, very vaguely, The Mouse On The Mayflower. Seems to me that Winnie The Pooh And The Blustery Day was shown around that time.
Christmas. That was the Holiday Special Bonanza. How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without Santa Claus, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town… And they all seemed to be sponsored by Burlington. I still remember the animated ‘weaving’ (blue and red on a white background, IIRC) and the percussion-heavy music that went with it. I couldn’t really relate to those, as San Diego isn’t known for its snow. But I watched them every year. Even The Little Drummer Boy, whose bizarre lower lip I always found disturbing.
The Holidays have little meaning for me now. But I’ll probably watch these fondly-remembered touchstones if I know when they’re on.
I am a huge fan and both watch them when they are on and post here to let others know (I’ve caught crap about that few times, but I’m still going to do it. )
We used to trick-or-treat two nights, the 30th and the 31st. And of course, after dark, with costumes and no parents. We lived in a new suburb with a lot of parallel streets, and we went up and down all the streets, to every single house, both nights. Wound up with four huge shopping bags full of candy every year.
This was before all the holiday specials. All I remember was Amahl and the Night Visitors.
I take perverse enjoyment of the Star Wars Holiday Special, but mostly because it is one of the few things that clearly causes great pain to George Lucas.
Thanks for that. I always conflate that commercial with the Bank Americard one, which I think aired around the same time. I don’t remember the words (same music), but it went something like this:
Shirtss and socks
Toys and blocks
Bank Americard!
(The first two lines I made up, but ISTR a mention of socks.)
I loved those holiday specials as a kid. In addition to the Norelco Santa, the Peanuts gang was always selling the Dolly Madison treats.
“Zap my Zinger and I’ll punch your lights out!”
It seemed to me about a decade or so ago, the networks quit showing the specials, but as of the last few years they’re showing them again.
New ones are being made as well, there was the Shrek special last year and last night I just saw an ad for Aliens Vs. Monsters Halloween special. Heck yeah, I’m going to see that one.
