Annual ‘Rudolph’ viewing teaches a valuable lesson

On Dec. 6, 1964, CBS first aired the stop-action classic “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” now the longest-running Christmas special on television. You only had one shot each year at seeing it. Same was true for “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Even at Notre Dame, I took that night off from my studies.

Although VHS recorders were invented in 1978, it wasn’t until I moved in with Brian in 1985 that I lived with one. Bliss. We didn’t have to wait for the networks anymore. We could have Christmas any day of the year.

This started our tradition of Snow Day. For the first 36 years of our marriage, Brian had been dancing at holiday time, most recently in either ODC’s “Velveteen Rabbit” or Mark Foehringer’s “Nutcracker Sweets.” Three shows a day, every weekend. From the day after Thanksgiving, I was a dance widow.

But we always squeezed in one day that we called in sick, stayed in our pajamas and started with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (his favorite). By the time the hot chocolate was finished, we’d moved on to “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

In our early California years, Uncle Jon and Aunt Lori joined us, and we ordered pizza. As the boys grew old enough for school, we taught them it was OK to call in sick for one Snow Day a year, so long as they ended it with “Rudolph.”

For the two of you reading this column who never watched it: This reindeer named Rudolph has a differently hued proboscis than the others living at the North Pole. Even supposedly St. Nicholas tells Rudolph that he’s gonna have to pass himself off as normal if he wants to make the sleigh team, but Coach Comet still gives him the heave-ho.

It’s like every day I ever went to gym class.

Rudolph, much wiser than I, runs away, eventually finding himself on the Island of Misfit Toys, toys that had been rejected by supposedly St. Nicholas. There’s a cowboy who rides an ostrich, a Charlie(not Jack) in-the-Box, a Spotted Elephant and a water pistol that shoots jelly.

But all ends well when Rudolph makes his way back to the North Pole, having helped tame the Abominable Snow Monster and empowered an ostracized elf to become a dentist. And, as luck would have it, it’s “one foggy Christmas Eve.” Santa’s toy delivery almost gets canceled until the guy with the beard says, “Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

Side note: Not sure why this worked, because those of us who live in San Francisco know that on a foggy night, the last thing you want to do is turn on the high beams.

After the first airing of the show, they added a scene where suddenly “woke” Santa rescues and drops off every toy from the island. Now, if I were to add a scene, it would be Charlie-in-the-Box comes out of the closet, moves in with Hermey the Elf, DDS, and lives happily ever after.

Something that bothered me for years was the “misfit” doll. Apparently the only female on the isle, Dolly for Sue does not appear to be a misfit like the others. Unlike the train with square wheels, I couldn’t see why she was there.

This remained a mystery for 43 years. It wasn’t until 2007 that her creator, Arthur Rankin Jr., on a National Public Radio episode of “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!” revealed that Dolly ended up on the island because of depression and low self-esteem.

And if you look at a map of the world, the Island of Misfit Toys is located just off the coast of the Outer, Outer, Outer, Outer Excelsior.

We in the Bedlam Blue Bungalow there are much more like Dolly than the Spotted Elephant. You cannot see that we are misfits. The wheels on my caboose are not square. Zane does not shoot jelly. The way that we do not fit in is invisible.

Unless Brian takes his shoes off, you’d think he’s got 10 toes. Unless Bandit starts walking, you’d think his shoulders work like those of other dogs. And unless you’re teaching Aidan algebra, you wouldn’t know that he learns differently.

And so: Be kind. That’s the ask. Each of us sometimes feels like we live on an island. Each of us feels like we might not be loved because we have quirks, seen or unseen. But each of us, hopefully, finds out that it is that quirk itself that makes us lovable.

Happy Snow Day.

If you look at a map of the world, the Island of Misfit Toys is located just off the coast of the Outer, Outer, Outer, Outer Excelsior.