I got home today from work, excited that "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was airing tonight. No matter how many times I've see them, all those holiday shows like "Rudolph," "Frosty," and "The Grinch" have that same transportive power -- they all take me back to the mid- to late-70s, popping (or, most likely, burning) the shake it 'til you break your arm Jiffy Pop popcorn, sitting on the plaid sofa with my brother and parents under the multicolor yarn-scrap afghan knitted by my Cioci Elizabeth, waiting for that super-cool CBS SPECIAL bumper to introduce each show.You know the one, that starts with this acid-trip graphic:
That turns into this:
In the Pownall house, countdowns always need to happen before something actually happens. So at 7pm, I told the boys that we would be going up for showers at 7:30, so we could watch Charlie Brown at 8. All was running smoothly until I told our older son, Jake, that we'd all be watching TV together until the show was over at 9, and then it would be bed time.
To which he responded, "But mom, I really wanted to get on the computer tonight. Can't we DVR Charlie Brown and watch it another night? What if I just watch the first half? Can I go on the computer at 8:30?"
Watch HALF of Charlie Brown? But you'll miss seeing the kids dancing those silly dances during rehearsal. Miss hearing Linus's speech about the real meaning of Christmas. Miss Charlie Brown smiling as the Peanuts gang sings "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" over the end credits? Is all of THIS worth missing for round 4,301 of Angry Birds? Isn't family time more important than gaming? Isn't tonight the very definition of special?? AREN'T WE MAKING MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME, GODDAMN IT??
And what I realized is that, sadly, Charlie Brown isn't special to my son's generation. Neither is Frosty, Rudolph, or any of those other "classics" of the season. And it's not their fault. When I was growing up, these cartoons only came on once a year. If you were being punished that night or (God forbid!) your school was so unfortunate as to have scheduled their annual Christmas pageant (back when you could call it a Christmas pageant) on the same night, you were out of luck for another 365 days.
It makes me wonder what will be the "Christmas classics" of my sons' generation, when you can watch Hoopes and YoYo Save Christmas or Christmas in Bikini Bottom hundreds of times each season if you wanted to.
Given today's overreliance on instant electronic gratification, kids can't understand that there was a time (not that long ago) when destination television was exactly that -- you caught it when it was on, or you were SOL for another year. These days, a show can re-air multiple times throughout the Christmas season (considering it now runs from November 1st until January 1st). And even if you miss these reruns, you can always hulu it, youtube it, upload it, buy it on Blu-Ray at Target for $12.99, or get a bootleg copy for $7 on a folding table at 41st and Market.
And so the war waged in my head tonight: do I kick tradition to the curb and keep the peace in my house by letting my son play on the computer, or do I dig in and force him to enjoy my holiday traditions.
I'm happy to report that we all dug in. Not only did we make it through A Charlie Brown Christmas, but we also watched the newer Peanuts Christmas shorts that came afterwards. And everyone had a smile on the face, at least most of the time, anyway.Charlie Brown: 1; Angry Birds: 0
Way to go, old Chuck!!
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