There is a Christmas tradition I just don’t get into as much as other people seem to- the Christmas TV specials. I am specifically thinking about the animated Christmas stories like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or Santa Claus is Coming to Town. My husband once said he would get so excited when the Christmas specials would come on TV because it meant he got to stay up later and Christmas was coming really soon.

A friend of mine was reminiscing about her favorite Christmas specials and all I could come up with were movies, not TV specials. But then I remembered we did have some TV specials, just not the same ones every one is familiar with.

When I was growing up I remember my mom taping a ton of PBS TV specials for us to watch throughout the season. There was an Australian movie I can’t recall the title of. And Silent Mouse, about how a mouse is the one who wrote Silent Night and it was played on a guitar since the church organ was broken (due to the mouse chewing the bellows). We often watched “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” dreaming afterwards of snowy Christmases. I miss watching “A Christmas Memory,” but NOT the version with Patty Duke. I want the one with Geraldine Page.

Now that I am older I really don’t crave the fluffy Christmas stories about Santa saving a child’s parent’s marriage or a reindeer with an acne problem. Instead, I have been enjoying all the Christmas specials found on HGTV and Seasons Eatings on the Food Network. The food network chefs have been cooking up special holiday fare and the competitions are such fun to watch!

On Sunday I sat and watched the National Gingerbread House Competition, oohing and ahhing over the confection creations. I got sad when pieces broke, and upset that little kid won the youth division.

This weekend I am excitedly anticipating watching HGTV’s specials on the White House Christmas and Store Window Displays. I don’t know why, but those specials are what get me in the holiday spirit. I’ll leave Snoopy and the gang to the kids.

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