Wednesday, December 05, 2007

The Answers


Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired in 1964 when kabbage was a teeny wee lass of 3.

Despite its dreadful attitude toward women, I love this show. I suspect it's a matter of identifying with the misfits and hoping that someday I too will fit in. I love the music and can sing (albeit badly) most of the lyrics. I remember the old GE ads that used the elves from the show.

My family of origin abused the song "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" when we were growing up. We found out, somehow, that singing this song when someone was already in a bad mood was a nearly foolproof way to enrage that sibling beyond reason. Once they're beyond reason, it's easy to set them up so you look like the injured party in front of Mom and/or Dad. I struggled while in my 20s to not react negatively to this song each December. People don't understand why you would be riding along with them in the car in a perfectly good mood and suddenly go berserk and smash the radio when that particular song comes on. Go figure.

4 comments:

Mrs. G. said...

I love this show too. We have it on video tape and when my kids were smaller, we watched it several times a year...Christmas or not.

I love that families figure out so easily how to enrage each other. Very healthy.

KCB said...

Once they're beyond reason, it's easy to set them up so you look like the injured party in front of Mom and/or Dad.

Ah, now that brings back the joys of sibling-ing.

kabbage said...

I've always thought the advantage of having 5 siblings is that one is rarely upset with all 5 of them simultaneously. One or two? Oh, yeah. All five, not so much.

Lynne's Somewhat Invented Life said...

You are too funny. I can picture you, riding in a car and when that song comes on trying to act normal.