Taking Myself Too Seriously

I've been reading some of my recent posts and I've decided that the election really overwhelmed my thoughts for the last few months. My posts got entirely too serious. And while I love a good discussion about religion, politics, current events, etc., I think I will take a more laid-back approach to my posts for a while. We are getting into the heart of the Holidays and I want to have some fun! Are you in?

I find that the closer it gets to Thanksgiving, the more I begin to anticipate Christmas. I truly love Christmas. I love decorating the tree and listening to Christmas music. I love giving gifts (although I'm not a big fan of shopping). I love getting together with family and friends and having good conversation and good food. I especially love wrapping gifts while watching Christmas shows and movies. I started thinking about the shows and movies I always watch every year and I decided that I would list them for you, so here you go:

1. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
3. Dr. Suess - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4. It's A Wonderful Life
5. A Christmas Story
6. Scrooged
7. Home Alone (1 & 2)
8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
9. Frosty The Snowman
10. A Smokey Mountain Christmas
11. Mickey's Christmas Carol
12. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
13. The Santa Clause
14. Elf
15. The Grinch
16. Miracle on 34th Street (both the 1947 & 1994 versions)
17. Jingle All The Way
18. Deck The Halls

I'm sure there are probably more that I can't think of right now, but these are some of my favorites. I think there are a great many people who may not have seen #12 on my list, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. I saw this when I was a little girl and I've never forgotten it. It always stuck out in my mind. There have been some years where it wasn't on television during the holidays and I would be bummed. I never understood why this particular program stuck in my mind so much. I mean, it is a really sweet story, but I just didn't get why it stood out in my mind so well, even when years went by without seeing it.

For those of you who haven't seen this adorable little program, let me summarize the show for you. First of all, the program is done in claymation (like Rudolph). It is about a little donkey named "Nestor" who is born in a manger somewhere in Israel around the time of Jesus' birth. He is born with abnormally-long ears and he always trips over them and falls on his face. His mother is always saying, "Your ears, Nestor" and he will try to be careful to not trip on his ears. He is also ridiculed by the other animals in the manger. One day all of the animals are picking on him and his mother tries to defend him and the owner of the manger throws Nestor and his mother out in the cold. That night Nestor and his mother get caught in a blizzard and she uses her body to keep him warm during the storm. In the morning Nestor wakes to find that his mother has died. Nestor ends up at the market place for sale and a pregnant woman and her husband are looking to buy a donkey to carry the pregnant woman to Bethlehem. They don't have much money, but since Nestor is defective with his long ears, they get him cheap. Nestor carries the pregnant woman (Mary) with her husband (Joseph) all the way to Bethlehem without once tripping over his ears. He is there to see the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful little story. However, this still doesn't really explain why it stood out in my memory since I was a little girl.

One day when I was a teenager, my mother came in and I was watching Nestor. She proceeded to tell me a story about the first time I saw this sweet little Christmas program.

When I was 3-years old, I watched Nestor with my mother. When Nestor's mommy dies in the snowstorm, my Mom said I cried for hours. Nothing she could say could ease my pain. I was so distraught at the idea of Nestor's mommy dying that I just couldn't quit crying. My Mom said that it took so long to calm me down that she swore I would never watch that program again. Finally, a few years later she let me watch it again and the crying was far less severe that time.
I just wonder how many other mothers went through this same ordeal with their tender-hearted little girls.

What is your favorite Christmas program and why? I'd love to hear your stories.

Frosted Bushes

Snowy Limbs

My Christmas Tree