Have you ever been bullied?  Have you ever been picked on because you were different?  Rudolph has, and I believe that his story speaks volumes to every one of us who has ever dealt with bullying or discrimination.

I know that this is late, but this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV Special.  It first aired on December 6, 1964 and was part of the General Electric Fantasy Hour.

Having seen it last night, I really enjoyed watching it. As we all know from the story, Rudolph was bullied and picked on after all the reindeer discovered Rudolph’s secret.  He had a blinking red nose.  Because of this, he was not allowed to take part in any more reindeer games.  This was discrimination at its worst.

But fortunately, the story gets better.  Because the storm was so bad, Santa wouldn’t be able to pilot his sleigh.  But after seeing Rudolph’s bright nose, he asked Rudolph to take the lead.  To guide the sleigh through the foggy storm.  Santa saw past the glaring flaw that Rudolph had and gave him the best promotion ever.

And it wasn’t just Rudolph that was accepted.  When Rudolph ran away, he meets Herbie, an elf that is bored with making toys.  Instead, he would rather open up his own dentist’s office.  In addition to Herbie was a separate territory that was full of outcasts: the Isle of Misfit toys.  Toys that were “different” from every normal toy.  But despite this, Santa stopped at the island and accepted all of the misfit toys.  Every toy eagerly lept into Santa’s sleigh, including Dolly, a toy that had no physical defects but was suffering from depression due to being abandoned from her past owner.

Overall, I really enjoy this movie, and the values that it teaches.  Values that challenge issues that still plague society today.  Issues like bullying and discrimination.  It’s no wonder that this movie has lasted 50 years.  And with these kind of values, it is sure to last 50 more.

 

Muse:  You’re talking about Rudolph?  I love that special.

Isn’t it a good one?

Muse:  It is.  I’m still working on your gift, so I’m returning to that.  You will love it!  Tee hee…

I’ll let you do that,  and I’ll get ready for the day.  I’ll be seeing a friend later and we’ll be watching the Nativity Story.  It should be a lot of fun.

Today’s high is going to be 47 degrees and the silver lining is visiting my friend and watching the Nativity Story.

To those of you who like Christmas specials and movies, I hope that you all have a fantastic day.

 

Muse:  He’s going to love his gift!  Tee hee!  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…Had a very shiny nose…