As I look back upon the thrilling holidays of yesteryear, I have come to believe those Christmases Past were, indeed, magical. They were always white with snow. Everything sparkled. No strife. No sadness, only smiles and love.
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One year, maybe nine, 10 years ago, while watching the annual showing of Rankin-Bass? animated ‘classic,? Santa Claus is Comin? To Town, I was shocked by the current state of affairs in regards to children, and in particular at my child, then four- or five-year-old Sean.
The Rankin-Bass special is narrated by an animated Fred Astaire. Twinkle-toes plays postman SD Kluger who is en route to the North Pole to deliver Santa all the good kiddies? letters.
Sometime within the first five minutes of the show, Astaire is barraged with questions about Santa from faceless children. Why does he live at the North Pole? How do reindeer fly? Why does he wear a red suit?
Astaire’s answer to the grilling is something like, ‘Well gather ’round children, and I’ll answer your questions, cause I know all there is to know about Santa.?
To which Sean turned to me and said, ‘No he doesn’t — he’s only a puppet.?
Kids today are too darned smart for their own good. Or, maybe, kids yesterday were just too gullible.
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I was definitely gullible and a child of the Rankin-Bass era. Whenever there was a Christmas TV special, I was always bummed when the voice of Santa wasn’t that of Mickey Rooney. Rooney voiced Kris Kringle in the same production Astaire played Postman Kluger.
All right, you got me. I’m still bummed when a Christmas TV special doesn’t have Mickey Rooney’s voice as Santa.
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Did I tell you I was a gullible child?
The other day I was asked when I started to question the validity of the right jolly old elf. Ever the storer of useless facts, dates and times, I knew the exact date and place: Christmas Day, in the Year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred Sixty-Nine. Grandma Rush’s house on Wisconsin Street in Detroit. I was near the couch in the living room when one-year-older cousin, Sheila Kessler said, ‘There is no Santa.?
I fought that notion. I argued against that idea. I was very sad. I still am sad Sheila doesn’t believe in Santa.
I still do.
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Ten years ago, seven-year-old Shamus, then our resident pointdexter, ran all the numbers, consulted his textbooks, calculated with his slide rule and, mathematically speaking, I remember not knowing if he was still in Santa’s corner. He didn’t come right out and say anything (just to be on the safe side), but when he talked to younger brother Sean, he over-dramatized. Conversations went something like this:
‘Sean, you better be good.?
Head turn towards parents. Wink wink.
‘Or Santa won’t leave you any presents.? Head turn, wink wink.
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That year, Shamus was in the holiday spirit, however. After dinner one winter’s night we ambled into the living room, to discover . . .
. . . an ottoman covered with little paper airplanes. In the middle of the planes was a small sign, that in Shamus Script read:
buy one get one free sale
two cents each
And, on the back of the wee little sign was:
leave money here
Yep, old Shamus was right in the spirit of things: the ‘let’s make a dime during the season? spirit. Think Christmas is overly commercialized?
Nah. I didn’t think so, either.
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Speaking of Rankin-Bass, some folks say the little elf who wants to be a dentist in the 1964 Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was named Herbie.
Wrong-o.
According to the official Rankin-Bass website, www.rankinbass.com, the elf’s name is Hermy. Burl Ive’s Snowman was named, Sam. There you go, more useless information brought to you by Don Rush. You can thank me later.
E-mail the ever-gullible Don with your Christmas story, Don@ShermanPublications.org

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ. The idea of Christ, of humanity, of goodness is something that fills me with warmth.
People smile more. They are more friendly. They tend to give more of themselves, for no other reason than it feels good to give. And, from that full feeling of warmth and goodness comes something else. Somewhere in between all the shopping and smiling and giving there comes a time to celebrate the season with the ones you love. And, along with all that celebrating comes good food. Don’t short-change the importance of the holiday spread. So, eat, drink and be merry. Do not listen to all those folks who bah-humbug Christmas dinner as too caloric.
Here are some tips for the Savvy Holiday Eater, from me to you (via dear wife Jen via her dear friend Kirsten)
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Go For The Gusto Holiday Eating Tips
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.
Go next door where they’re serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it’s rare. In fact, it’s even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can’t find it any other time of year but now. So drink up!
Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on.
Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
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More useless holiday TV trivia: Why did miner Yukon Cornelius throw and lick his pick in the 1964 Rankin-Bass production of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer? According to the Rankin-Bass website (www.rankinbass.com), lost scenes have been found that explain it:
‘His pick licking never made any sense. We thought he was looking for Silver and Gold, but he was really looking for Peppermint. After licking his pick, he says, ‘Peppermint! What I’ve been searching for! I’ve found me a Peppermint mine….yahoooo!?
E-mail Don at: dontrushmedon@charter.net