Rudolph and I Grew Up Together

I was born in 1963. Rudolph aired for the first time on December 4, 1964. We grew up together. I can't even count the times I have watched Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

Sometimes I think Rudolph may have been on Monday night. If so, my Dad would have got to hog the T.V. and watch Monday Night Football. So there were years I couldn't watch it. It isn't like now, when it comes on three or four times during the Christmas season. You had one chance, and if you missed it, you missed it.

But one year was different. I have this memory, probably when I was about five or six years old, of going to one of our family friend's, the Waltman's, and watching Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer with Matthew, who was my age. I'm not sure why this was such a big deal, and why I remember it so vividly, but I did. But it seems to me that it was on a Monday night, because Dad was home watching football. (No wonderful I am so ambivalent to football, even today. It goes all the way back to missing important Christmas specials like Rudolph.)

Now we own the DVD, and can watch it every holiday season. I love the songs, and Rudolph and Clarice, and Hermie, who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, and the Abominable Snow Monster. I can sing along to each song,

Here is one of the great songs from the show, Holly, Jolly Christmas.