HOLIDAY SPECIALS




yeah, admittedly, i'm a dork. i LOVE to collect cartoons and movies that i loved and adored as a child. shows that evoked excitement in an upcoming holiday event. it usually started with HALLOWEEN...

does anyone else remember GARFIELD's halloween special? gimme, gimme, gimme! yeah... that rocks. what about those of you who had the disney channel... every year they played this halloween show with a man dressed up as the mirror from snow white and he lead us through some of disney's scariest and funniest halloween cartoons. my favorite was the one with donald duck and the witch and she puts a spell on his feet to get at his candy. please tell me there is someone else out there that remembers that one! and who could possibly forget CHARLIE BROWN's great pumpkin... every year i had hopes that linus would stop being dumb by waiting in the pumpkin patch for the great pumpkin and actually go out trick or treating... but he never did (sigh) and it always broke my heart that charlie brown always got rocks in his bag... it was so unjust. a little later in my childhood the SIMPSON's came a rollin' around and introduced some of the best halloween episodes EVER. some of my favorites include: the monkey's paw, the shining and the alien invasion. no beer and no t.v. make homer go something, something.

moving along: THANKSGIVING. to be honest with you, i don't remember specific shows that came from this holiday... but i do have very fond memories of watching the MACY's parade and ooohhhing and awwwing over the large balloons and the cool floats (i went in live person a few years back... pretty awesome). plus there always seemed to be a good college football game on and it was fun to sit with my dad and brother to yell at the tv when a bad play was called. COME ON REF... GET SOME GLASSES... THAT WAS TOTALLY HOLDING!!! also, in my family my mom always made us watch PLANES, TRAINS and AUTOMOBILES, which isn't totally thanksgiving-ish... but since he's trying to make it home for said holiday, we bought into it. and EVERY YEAR... we'd sit back and wait as the soft music would chime in and neil page and his wife were finally reunited and without question, my mom would be tearing up and we'd all laugh at her... aww she is so cute.

YAY for CHRISTMAS... chalk full of FANTASTIC holiday movies, music and television cheer. i'd be here all night if i listed off ALL of the memories and favorites... instead i will just give y'all a list and let you walk down memory lane yourself. but first, i have to share with you one of the best holiday songs and why... MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING by the carpenters.

picture with me... i'm all bundled up in my lavender snow suit stuffed into the back of the magenta station wagon. there's frost on the window and i can smell the mint from the candy cane that amy jo is eating and that musty smell that comes from wet boots on polyester flooring. every year the family at the end of our street ties a huge plastic santa clause and his reindeer up so it looks like they are flying up to the roof and it seemed like every time we passed the lit up figures my stomach would churn with excitement. as we're pulling into the parking lot of the southtowne mall i can hear... "merry christmas darling... happy new year too... i've just one wish on this holiday... i'm christmasing with you..." karen's smooth alto voice is dancing around my ears and i look up at the big brown building of ZCMI and see the large christmas wreath with the huge red bow attached, stationed just above the doors to the entrance. i'm about to go see santa clause at the mall... and i'm excited and nervous... but this song will forever imprint these feelings on my heart. yay christmas... yay carpenters.

okay so finally to my list. i must say... there are some on the list you may not know... somehow my family is really into obscure movies and things... but no matter... it's my childhood and this is my blog... so get over it!


First, ALL of the CLAYMATION CHRISTMAS SPECIALS
frosty the snowman
rudolph the red nosed reindeer
santa clause is coming to town
the year without santa
the little drummer boy

Then:
it's a wonderful life
white christmas
charlie brown's christmas
mickey's christmas carol
the nutcracker with mikhail baryshnikov (shown on PBS)
a christmas carol
santa clause the movie (does anyone remember that one with john lithgow)
california raisins christmas special (i get made fun of all the time for telling people about this one... but it is hysterical... even as an adult i love it... so don't judge before you try it)
mr kreuger's christmas
national lampoon's christmas vacation
a christmas story
a very brady christmas



i know there are more... but i am too tired to continue with the list... so make one of your own and send it my way. thanks for letting me indulge in some of these great memories.