Happy Solstice!

[beetiger]

I celebrated this evening by going out to a nice dinner of vaguely structural food with sythyry, and then to a multiculti solstice concert by a bunch of local singer-songwriter folky types. The MC/storyteller mentioned something from his childhood that was a big part of *my* childhood, but which I hadn't heard about from anyone else in years: the WPIX Yule log. It was a four-hour broadcast on Christmas eve, rerun on Christmas morning, of a log burning in a fireplace in what I think was the governor's mansion, with a soundtrack of Christmas carols. As a child I would watch this. Not watch in the sense of have it on while I did my homework or played with my toys. Not watch in the sense of put it on for a few minutes every year. Watch in the sense that I would stare at the screen for the full four hours, non-stop fascinated. For a little Jewish girl, it was rather odd. The storyteller said it was some childhood sense of feeling connected with everyone else doing that that made him watch that whole time. Me, I think it was probably some combination of my natural ritualistic tendencies, my growing interest in the power of vocal music, and my tendency toward fascination with fire and general pyrophilia.

Do any of you folks who grew up in the NY tristate remember this?

Comments

[freeko.livejournal.com]

Oh God! Do I Remember being that I grew up in the NY metro area. The Yule Log used to scare me for some odd reason. There was something bizarre about a film of a burning log. Actually I have a friend who use to work as an Video engineer at WPIX (Channel 11) and they said it was a 30 second continous loop. But it was like an old friend and I remember how bizarre it was when WPIX did not run it anymore. You are so cool Bee. It is good to know people who know my cultural references. WPIX, Atari 2600, Early 1980's. Did you ever watch the Magic Garden? Anyway Happy Holidays, Glad you had a wonderful Solstice and be well. Love Jay

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

i've seen it, but our family must be more insular; the TV stays OFF all off christmas morning. or at least it used to - now that my sister has kids they pretty much have the rule of it. it used to be a TV-free zone, all holiday carols, all the time.

i wonder what it'll be this year?

[supersocks.livejournal.com]

Yes! We used to watch the Yule Log every year! Do you remember Eggbert? He was a scary talking Christmas egg in Newburgh (see LJ icon).

Another old school WPIX thing.. they had a series of commercials in the early/mid 80s where some guy was looking for the number 11, and he found it in the world trade center. Weird.

[tikvah.livejournal.com]

Yup, I remember the WPIX Yule Log growing up in the Metro-NY area. As a Jew, I found the log and music annoying, so you could be sure I didn't watch that. My sister and I tended to channel-surf for any good holiday specials, like "It's a Wonderful" life or "Miracle on 34th Street." I remember one year fairly early in the first major onset of lots and lots of cable channels when my sister and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" in full or in part six times between start of Xmas Eve and end of Xmas Day.

Thanks for posting this memory, and reminding me of fun days with my kid sister. I don't see her nearly as often as I would like, with me having moved two hours away, and our interests have grown widely different over the years, but you've reminded me that my sister and I will always have "You watched that movie HOW MANY TIMES in one day??" (our parents' and friends reactions, of course) as a common bonding memory for the rest of our lives.