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Holidays are full of tradition and our home is no exception. It’s a tradition that I string lights outside. It’s a tradition that I pull the boxes of decorations down from the attic and it’s a tradition that I assemble the artificial tree.
Some traditions I carried forward from my childhood and others I inherited from my in-laws. Still, they are all traditions and Christmas doesn’t seem complete without them.
One tradition that I inherited from my in-laws was stocking stuffers. No matter how much preparation and shopping went into Christmas for five children, Gladys Brownrigg left the stockings to John, my father-in-law.
John was an engineer and a salesman and a guy who loved gadgets. He took the role of stuffing stockings away from Santa as the kids grew older and seemed to enjoy filling them with objects that teenagers might find useful as they became more independent.
Kiddie toys had been replaced with tape measures, mini screwdriver sets, penknives, flashlights and even ice scrapers. As boyfriends (and future husbands) joined the family for Christmas morning, they too opened stockings that would make a Brookstone salesman smile. Thirty years later, many of the small tools and gadgets we received are still in use at our house.
John’s most memorable stocking stuffers came from a company called The Thomas Registry Catalog. The useful catalog sometimes referred to as ThomCat was a comprehensive listing of companies and products manufactured in the United States. Each year ThomCat would send John promotional and novelty items with the familiar ThomCat logo as thanks for purchasing the catalog.
He didn’t appreciate the gesture thinking they could use the money in a better way – like charging less for the catalog. So he saved all of the items over a number of years with the intention of sending them back to the company in protest. That never happened.
Instead, the Brownrigg kids and various son-in-laws received ThomCat promotional items in their stockings. There were umbrellas, barbeque aprons, belt buckles, pens, Frisbees, sunglasses, playing cards, and many other items emblazoned with the ThomCat logo. I have no recollection of what gifts were exchanged that year but everyone remembers it as the ThomCat Christmas.”
The tradition of Christmas stockings is hard to trace but a popular legend says that St. Nicholas visited the home a poor family and placed gold coins in stockings they had hung to dry by the fireplace. Thus was born the tradition of placing stockings over the fireplace to be filled by St. Nick.
Now that the kids are no longer “kids” and the days of Hot Wheels and Polly Pockets are gone, I no longer have to sneak in like St. Nicholas but I take the search for useful gadgets and tasty treats seriously.
I have no idea what that those gadgets will be but I still have lots of time. You see…stocking stuffer procrastination is another tradition I inherited from my father in-law.
There was a time when NBC kept a card file listing every known television set owner. Each week the network sent out postcards to the owners listing the coming week’s programs and asking for comments on them.
The year was 1939 and television had been around for more than ten years but outside of New York City, it was unlikely that anyone saw one. Commercial network television was born in 1941 when NBC and CBS were granted licenses but World War II delayed the effort until the late 1940’s when network TV reached across the country. By long with ABC and the short lived DuMont Network, television was reaching millions of homes with original programs by 1951. The golden age of television had begun.
Sixty years later, two fans of that golden age are sharing their love of early television with local cable and digital TV subscribers. The station is appropriately called HOT-TV for the History of Television and airs on DISH at Channel 26 as well as digital channels 26.1, 31.3 and 50.4.
Joel Stevens, an advertising executive with Regional Media Solutions always wanted to be in the television business. He saw an opportunity when approached by his partner Fred Hutton, who had a collection of old television programs and movies that he wanted to share.
HOT-TV is more than re-runs of familiar classics like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. HOT’s programming includes shows that have rarely, if ever, been viewed by today’s viewers. These include early 1950’s shows such as I Married Joan, Sherlock Holmes, Mr. and Mrs. North, Ozzie and Harriett and My Little Margie. Vintage movies and cartoons fill in most of the weekly programs but the weekends are set aside for westerns. Fifties western serials like Tate - the one armed good guy, Kit Carson, and Gabby Hayes run alongside classic western movies.
A personal favorite airing on Hot-TV this month is a little known show called Life With Elizabeth that featured Betty White from 1953-55.
Looking beyond their obvious production flaws, Joel Stevens still prefers watching the old TV shows. “Because the shows were often filmed live and had no special effects, they needed to be well written and tight. Besides, I’m color blind,” he admitted.
“The response has been good in the three markets that HOT-TV is airing (Seattle, New York City and Dallas),” added Stevens. “It has surprised me that the appeal is across generations. Grandparents who remember the shows, especially the westerns, enjoy sharing them with kids.”
Fred Hutton, manager, operator and program director for HOT, picks the shows that air and personally owns many of the programs and movies.
“We are looking for shows and movies that are not carried on other local stations. Dallas-Fort Worth is such a large media market that the more common ‘vintage TV shows’ are always running somewhere.”
Hutton feels that viewers particularly enjoy the weekend westerns because many of them such as Annie Oakley and Range Rider were shot as Saturday morning kiddie shows. These are the shows they watched when TV’s first came into their homes.
For viewers like me that grew up watching TV in the 60’s and 70’s, the old shows offer many surprises. Many movie and TV stars got their start on the old shows and it’s fun to see Herman Munster (Fred Gwynne) as a cowboy outlaw or Colonel Binghamton (Joe Flynn) as a mad scientist.
“We get emails every day,” says Stevens, “showing appreciation for bringing back the old shows and movies. Some say ‘where have you been’ while others just offer suggestions for more shows. I guess everyone wants to be TV program director.”
Now that the Allen Americans are in town, I watch a lot of hockey games. I don’t understand everything I see but I’m willing to learn. That’s why I called upon the Allen Americans director of business and hockey operations, Erik Adams, to help me and hopefully a few more folks out there to become better fans by answering some common hockey questions.
What are the rules regarding players fighting on the ice? When pushing and shoving leads into a fight; referees may allow the players to fight and let off some steam. Once a player is clearly being beaten, falls to the ice or is in a vulnerable position (shirt over their head for example) then the fight will be stopped. A player who intentionally starts a fight may be assessed an additional two minutes for instigation plus the five minute fighting penalty.
Why are broken hockey sticks left on the ice during play? Rules state that a player must release a stick immediately when it breaks, even if it breaks up at the handle. There is no stoppage of play though so the stick may get kicked around until there is a faceoff or timeout.
Why do goalies sway back and forth during the National Anthem? Players go through their warm up routine and once the adrenaline is running, it is hard to stand still. Goalies are ‘on their own island’ and often do things to stay loose and focused during the game like skating back and forth when play is at the other end of the ice.
In addition to the goalie, what are the five positions and what do they do? A team consists of three forwards and two defensemen. The forwards are classified as the left wing, right wing and center. The job of the forwards is to start the rush towards the goal and keep the puck moving that way. The defensemen’s role is to get the puck out of their own zone. The center also falls back to help on defense and handles most of the face-offs in the game.
Why do players keep going on and off the ice? Players are usually on the ice for about 40 seconds although that can stretch up to a few minutes in some cases. A ‘line’ of players will enter the ice and play for about 40 seconds before returning to the bench. The time may vary but during a 60 minute game, players are on the ice for an average of 20 minutes. NHL teams carry four lines of players while the CHL (Central Hockey League) teams have three lines.
How do face-offs work? Each player must stand outside the circle in the designated area. The visiting team’s player must put his stick on the ice first. Once the home team player’s stick touches the ice, the puck is dropped. If a player crosses into the circle, he is kicked out and replaced by another player. There is a lot of strategy being employed in the instant that the puck drops
What does the coach do during the game? Most of the coach’s work is done before the game and between periods when strategy and systems for the game are set up. Teams for penalty killing and power plays are set and lines are adjusted. They are not as involved during the game as a football coach, for example, but they are always breaking down good and bad plays and making notes of adjustments that need to be made. Like all athletic coaches, they constantly work to keep the players confident and mentally focused on the game.
Finally, what’s with the beards in hockey? Playoff beards started with the NY Islanders in the 80’s when the team chose not to shave until they lost a playoff series. Instead, they won four straight Stanley Cup titles. The tradition has caught on with many teams as a show of camaraderie and determination when the layoffs come around.
The Allen Americans currently hold first place in their division and play the second place Wichita Thunder tonight (Thursday) at 7:05 at the Allen Event Center.
