Off to see the wizard...

Hudson (aged 3 and 1/2) is spending the night tonight. We got him all worked up and excited about watching the Wizard of Oz and he is enthralled by it, despite the fact it was made seventy years ago in 1939. It was one of my all-time favorite movies and it's still as enchanting and beautiful as it was when I was a child in the 60's.

When I was in kindergarten, our school produced elaborate plays each year and of course we did The Wizard of Oz. I was a munchkin and my sister, Lisa, was an apple tree (the mean ones who threw their fruit). I remember I got to wear blue eye shadow and a spot of rouge on my cheeks. I was so excited!

Ed and I were discussing how, when we were children, only one of the three available television stations played the Wizard of Oz and that happened only once a year. It was so exciting all day anticipating watching the special films like this and the annual specials which included Charlie Brown's Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. We couldn't get our baths fast enough and our pajamas on so we could get our best spot in front of the television.

The invention of VCR's and DVD recorders took all that magic away. It's just not as much fun being able to watch them any old time you feel like it. Watching the Wizard of Oz tonight takes me back to the wonder and excitment I felt in my childhood. I wish my grandkids could truly enjoy the simplicity and wonder of that anticipation. I'm thinking of starting an after-Thanksgiving traditional classic movie night for the grandchildren, maybe after the tree trimming. I'm hoping they will have an opportunity to feel a little of the thrill and anticipation that made happy memories for their grandparents, and maybe when they watch movies like the Wizard of Oz with their own children, they'll remember that their Nina and Pop-Pop gave them the gift of making it a special occasion.