Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

Tis the season once again for Christmas specials on TV. Of all of them, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has always been my favorite. It's the first program I remember watching in color as a little girl; I've always loved the songs from the show, and the animation as well. It's just one of those Christmas shows I've rarely missed over the years; though the past few years I think I've started to grow up a bit.

My first clue was when I'd see the toys from the Island of Misfit Toys. Some of the misfits were obvious, like a cowboy riding an ostrich.

Or, a train with square wheels on it's caboose.

Those were things that were obviously not right for the type of toy it is. Yet, I keep thinking, "it's still an easy fix to make them right again".

However, as I got older, I realized some of the toys may have issues, and don't want to deal with reality. For instance, the "Charlie in a Box".

He laments that no one wants to play with a "Charlie in the Box", the name is all wrong. To me the simple solution would be to change his name to Jack. People change their names all the time, why can't he?

Then there's the spotted elephant;

I love that character and actually think it's pretty cool that he has colorful spots, instead of being a normal color. Besides, there are plenty of stuffed animals that have even more bizarre color schemes than just a few polka dots.

The squirt gun that shoots jelly is another easy fix, in my opinion. Just fill it with water instead of jelly, problem solved.

The one that really mystifies me though is the misfit doll. I have yet to figure out how she's a misfit. Truth be told, I've always wished I could have her as one of my dolls; she's my favorite of all the misfit toys.

All this had me thinking I may be growing up; but the clincher was when I started paying attention to how Santa treated RUDOLPH; and how he behaves in general; it's kind of tramatizing.

For instance, Santa is supposed to be happy and jolly and like everyone. Yet, he's the first to criticize Rudolph's nose, when he's still a baby. No low self-esteem issues there, I bet...Not!

I could go on and on, but I think I've made my point. Despite my age impaired views though, I still love this show, and probably always will. I just wish I could still watch it with the innocence of a child.