Who’s the kid around here anyway? My boys were aghast on December 1st when I suggested eating Mexican take-out and watching a Christmas special. They rolled their eyes. “Mom. It’s just barely December. It’s too early for Christmas.” I was aghast at their response.  I could tell they really wanted to play video games and leave mom and dad to their silly Christmas shows. Awakens the sleeping Christmas giant: Mom.

He’s Hot!

“What? Don’t you want to watch Rudolph? And the best one, The Year Without a Santa Claus? You know the Heat Miser?”

“No. I don’t want to watch that stuff,” states Alex.

“You are like Scrooge! We need to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol! You need to learn the meaning of Christmas!” I continue my rant and threaten a different Christmas story every night of December. Alex runs to his strongest ally, TJ. His brother must be warned of the Christmas to come and mom’s crazy threats. Oh the horrors! Santa stories forced down their throats! Mom is so mean.

I file through our movie drawer for our Saturday night show. RATS! Every Christmas special is on VIDEO! We traded our VCR in for a Blue Ray. My husband quickly clicks through “On Demand” and we can’t find anything classic like Rudolph or Frosty. The closest we can get is something from THEIR youth, Elf. We make do and have a laughing good time.

Come Monday morn, I’m headed to Target. I get every Christmas DVD I can get my hands on that take me back to my childhood. These old-time stories are special, like the commercials advertised when they could only be viewed on TV. The years when only four channels existed and video games were yet to come. These nights called for every family member to gather around the tiny TV set with bowls of popcorn and cups of hot chocolate. Times like this were a treat and we treated them as such back then.

Enter the holiday roadblocks: School and sports. I cannot follow through with my threat of the Christmas Special du jour. The guys are either at swimming or rugby until almost 8:30. We are eating dinner at 9 pm. And blast that darn homework keeping them busy until 10:30. What’s a Christmas-spirited mom to do?

Too cool for Coke.

Mom busies herself dressing the house in everything glittery green, gold and red. She found a Norman Rockwell-esque picture of Santa drinking a Coca-Cola to hang on the refrigerator. Alex loves it. “Hey! So that’s where Santa came from. Coke invented him.” EGADS!!! Where did mom go wrong? How can he not remember Santa Claus is Coming to Town? Kris Kringle snuck toys to the children when the Burgermeister Meisterburger outlawed toys. We did watch these shows in preschool and early elementary. I guess I waited too long between then and now. Our home technology lapsed and so did my kids memory banks. This is a holiday emergency!

TJ knew Coke didn’t invent Santa. “Really Alex?” And he does claim he and his brother’s job is decorating the tree. Something stuck. Thank God! He and Alex had a merry time reminiscing over the ornaments, especially the ones with their picture on it. And in true brotherly fashion, each tried to outdo the other and place their smiley mug in front of the other guy’s ornament when they weren’t looking. Hence, a few branches are a little droopy with one too many decorations in one place.

Santa answered.

Two weeks later, we watch our first Christmas special. I go educational first. All you ever wanted to know about Santa, stockings, toys, etc. told by Fred Astaire in Santa Claus is Coming to Town. My kids laughed at the villain’s name Burgermeister Meisterburger.  They didn’t even mind the songs.  “Hey.  That’s a Bossa Nova beat.”  See? This can be fun and educational. Of course, my smart-alecky teenager says they never explained why Santa is fat. Bah Humbug!

A few days after our first viewing, Alex asks, “Hey.  Can we watch a Christmas special tonight?  I really want to see the Heat Miser.”  A Christmas miracle!  He even used the dated words “Christmas special.”

Lucky for the boys, we will have a Christmas special marathon at my brother’s house in Colorado on Sunday. He has a TV, no cable and no xBox. Only three channels available, sometimes. So, just like the olden days, the only options are old-fashioned holiday television favorites, via DVD however. We will decorate sugar cookies with powdered sugar frosting in primary colors. We are going to celebrate like it’s 1972. “Yahoo!” Cry the grown-ups. “We’re in too!” Shouts you know who.  Christmas is for all kids, little or big.