Like Kate, I remember a different time. This slightly unnerves me, as I do not consider myself to be old, but it is amazing how different things were when I was little. We had one color TV for the family, and one tiny black and white TV that someone could watch if they wanted to deviate from what everyone else was watching. They both had dials that we had to turn, and we didn't have a remote control. Cable was not available where I lived, so I was stuck with regular TV channels, and had to adjust an antenna to get good reception. At some point, we got a Betamax - the predecessor to the VHS. Since this was not common yet, there were not too many things even released on video cassette.
At Christmastime, my mom would always look for the nights that the specials were on. She would tell us about them, usually a couple days ahead, and me and my brother would be excited all week to watch them. We would have treats; we got to stay up a little bit past our bedtime to watch. It was truly magical. We knew that we wouldn't get to see these specials for another year. We tried to tape them on our Betamax, but inevitably, someone would pause to avoid a commercial and forget to press record again and ruin it.
Somewhere between being little and 'tweenhood, videos began to be released and available anytime. At that point, everyone had a VHS. Then, cable became the norm in most households. Our beloved specials were played regularly after halloween on the cable networks. If we couldn't find the special we wanted on cable, Blockbuster Video and others had the movies for rent and for sale. And so it began - specials became normals.
In 2009, there are devoted holiday networks on digital cable and satellite. Holiday movies are made by the dozen each year. The "classics" are available on collector DVD's and streamed from Netflix. As Kate points out, they are available on You Tube at the push of a button. By the time the holidays are over, everyone saturated and sick of the movies, the music, and everything else that goes along with this time of year. When I mention to our niece that she can come over and watch a Christmas special, she looks at me like I'm crazy because she's seen them all a million times.
I mention my friend Kate that I "reconnected" with when we "friended" each other on Facebook. I can express my thoughts in writing on this blog for anyone to read. Information on anything is available in a couple of keystrokes. The list of how technology enhances our lives goes on with things much more important than what was mentioned. Given the chance, I would not go backwards.
I cannot help feeling a bit robbed, however. Technology has been a strong contributing factor to the removal of the "special" from our lives. Nothing is scarce or anticipated; what we want, we can have in a matter of seconds. I used to think that the holidays became lack luster to me because of the aging process. That is probably partially true and inevitable. After much thought and soul searching on the subject, it has become apparent to me that I do not like the extreme availability of things that were once special. What magic aging did not ruin, availability has obliterated. No technological advance will ever be able to bring back that feeling.
Coming to this realization gives me the chance reclaim some of the magic in the season. New traditions can be created. In my heart, I can make the normal special once again, and be ultimately thankful for everything available at my fingertips. Someday, this time in my life that seems mundane now, will be special in my memories, too.
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