Turkeys away!

                It’s getting to be that time of year, you know what it is…the Holiday Season! Now arguably it has been in swing for a while. Generally it starts around the beginning of October when the push for Halloween kicks into gear. I’m not going to bemoan how early it starts, it’s become a fact.

                What’s weird though is that growing up, Halloween was traditionally a night for kids. When we were small Mom would actually make our costumes. We’d get to buy a mask to go with it, but other than that it something that she would do at home. And, of course it was cool. The only regret I had on those was one year she made me a great costume as a dalmatian which got mistaken as a cow. But what the heck, the candy flowed in no matter what.

                Next in line is our upcoming holiday, Thanksgiving!

                Thanksgiving and holiday traditions have certainly changed over the years. As a kid the kick off of the season was waiting for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”  Sometime around Thanksgiving one of the tv stations in Chicago always aired, “Miracle on 34^th Street.”  

                With the advent of first VCR’s, followed by DVD’s and now streaming it’s possible to watch any of these shows any time you want. It’s convenient, but the anticipation was a big part of the excitement.

                Moving into the ‘70’s there were two new Thanksgiving specials brewing. In Phoenix it became a tradition for KDKB to play Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant.”  A while ago they started playing it throughout the day rather than once at a particular time.

A movie that, at least in Phoenix moved into the holiday tradition was Errol Flynn in “Robin Hood.”  If I remember correctly Thanksgiving Day had somehow become an Errol Flynn movie day, “Captain Blood, The Master of Ballantree, The Sea Hawk.” I had a friend that had one of the original suitcase size VCR’s and he recorded them, commercials and all. They may still be hanging out in a closet somewhere around here. A project for later on.

                Then there is my favorite, WKRP’s Thanksgiving turkey drop. If anyone is having Thanksgiving day with us I make sure they get to partake of this particular holiday classic. If you haven’t seen it I’m sure it’s out there on the web somewhere. It should be required viewing.

                To finish off our Thanksgiving traditions I’m going to get this up, get a fresh cup of coffee and go light the fire for my wife and dog. Our Thanksgiving tradition is to relax and be thankful for our family, health and friends.

                Happy Thanksgiving.