Classic Promos for Classic Christmas TV Specials

Happy Saint Nicholas Day! I hope he left candy in your shoes last night!

It's unimaginable to celebrate Christmas without the classic Christmas TV specials that have aired for decades, from Charlie Brown to Rudolph to Frosty and beyond. When watching TV during the holidays, a minute of excitement would arise when a quick promotional spot for these specials would air during regular programming, letting us know that our beloved favorites were on their way.

Here are several shorts promos for classic Christmas TV specials from various years and networks. Let them remind you to keep an eye out for these classics this year, whether on broadcast TV, cable, and streaming services.

Enjoy!

The Magic of Christmas at Disneyland (1992)

 

The Countdown to Christmas begins in earnest with the family friendly special The Magic of Christmas at Disneyland!

This was a special released by Disney in 1992 that was available on VHS and sold exclusively at Disney parks, not in stores. Thanks to the magic of the 'Net, it's here for all Disney fans to enjoy.

So, enjoy!

Welcome to the Countdown to Christmas!

 

Happy Holidays! Welcome to the inaugural Countdown to Christmas at Me and You and a Blog Named Boo!

Of course, I've always posted Christmas content from the blog's inception--it's one of my main reasons for blogging! But I thought, why not simply call it what it is, a Countdown to Christmas! It works for Halloween!

There is no multi-site Christmas countdown that I'm aware of (if so, please let me know!), so I'm flying solo here. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are ready to move on to the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

To kick things off, I'd like to feature videos of some classic Christmas songs with new animation created by the music companies. There have been several of these the past couple of years, and they're a great way to put a fresh coat of paint on these songs which, while wonderful, do get stale thanks to overplay on radio stations and streaming services.

Enjoy! And welcome once again to the Countdown to Christmas!

Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade

 

Thanksgiving is almost here--the start of the holiday season! Most of you will likely tune in to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, but I prefer to watch the parade in my hometown of Philadelphia. Philly's parade is in fact the first and oldest Thanksgiving parade, starting in 1920 and sponsored by Gimbel's department store. The store closed in the '80s, but the parade lives on today.

Here is a stretch of the parade from 1934. It looks quite different from parades today!

These next clips are from the late 70s and early 80s, the golden age of my childhood, so this is the parade as I remember it! The parade was carried on the local ABC affiliate WPVI-TV Channel 6, here hosted by Dave Roberts and the late great Jim O' Brien.

Here is more from '84, carried nationally by CBS with hosts Tim Reid and Catherine Bach.

You can enjoy this year's parade Thanksgiving morning, November 25th at 9am Eastern time at the following link: https://dig.abclocal.go.com/wpvi/html/2021tdp/index.html

However you spend the holiday, I wish you and yours a joyous, relaxing, and peaceful one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

But wait, what's this?

Oh bourbon indeed! The holiday season is just about here, and next week, I start the...

Countdown to Christmas!

Get ready for a steady stream of ho ho ho! See you then!

Thanksgiving Parade Balloons Gone Awry

 

Thanksgiving Day is less than two weeks away, and if you're like me, you enjoy watching a parade to start the holiday season, most likely the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. One of the most enjoyed spectacles in the parade are the many giant balloons that float through the city in grand fashion. While they may be a lot of fun to watch, they haven't always been the most, shall be way, durable parade attractions. The following photos demonstrate exactly what I mean!

This Mighty Mouse balloon from the '50s--not so mighty!

Bart Simpson may be known for being a cut up, but here, he is quite cut up himself!

Poor Kermit! I'm afraid here he's Gone With The Schwinn! (Points to you if you get the reference.)

McDonald's put marketing featuring Ronald McDonald on the shelf the past several years because so many people are creeped out by clowns. This photo of a low-flying Ronald ready to attack parade goers doesn't do the character any favors!

I don't even know who this dinosaur character is, but he looks extinct!

UPDATE AS OF NOVEMBER 16: Blog reader top_cat_james informs me in the comments that this is Rex the Dinosaur from the 1993 movie We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story. Thanks James!

Speaking of dinosaurs, no dinosaur or any other character in the parade may have suffered more than Barney. The photo is bad enough, but the video is even more chilling!

Yes, Thanksgiving parades aren't always pretty, but I can't imagine the big day without them. I look forward to them every year. However you spend Thanksgiving, I hope it's a happy and blessed one!

Thanks!

The Serenity of November

 

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Halloween season and are looking forward to the final weeks of 2021 ahead.

Considering how many of my Internet friends are diehard autumn and Halloween fans, it's common for me to see them lament the arrival of November. For them, November means not only the end of their beloved Halloween, but the start of the Christmas season and all of its hustle and bustle.

I also love October and Halloween--I wouldn't participate in the Countdown to Halloween if I didn't--but instead of being sad about the end of that season, I embrace the new month.

I love November!

For me, November is the perfect transition from the gothic nature of October to the grandeur and pomp of December. November allows time for contemplation and reflection, a time to pause between two months defined by the fantastic and the spectacular. November is a more sober month than October or December, and I'm very glad it is.

For me, November is the most autumnal of months, at least in my area of the country. September is basically Summer Lite, and October still has plenty of greenery and warmth. November is the one month that is consistently "fall." Cool temperatures, changing leaves, earlier darkness--everything people love about autumn really doesn't hit its stride until this month.

These conditions allow for the contemplation I mentioned earlier. November is a month to feel the nip in the air and take a deep breath while you meditate on your place in the world and how you wish to spend your time on this earth. It's a great month to get a handle on your mental health. I recommend you take full advantage of it.

So go for a stroll through your neighborhood after sunset. Feel the cool wind embrace you. Smell the neighbor's fire pit and enjoy the scent of burning hickory. Let November wash over you. You've earned it. You deserve it.

Enjoy November!

Happy Halloween 2021!

 

And that's a wrap!

So ends yet another spooky stroll to October 31st. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for spending your month with me at the Countdown to Halloween. I'm afraid I wasn't as prolific as in years past, but it's been that kind of a year. Life is very different than when I started this blog (exactly 14 years ago today as I write this), and time is scarce. What time I did spare for the blog, however, I gave my all.

Be safe, have fun, and most of all, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

But still to come...