Of course stuffing, mashed potatoes, crescent rolls, and homemade cranberry sauce are great, but I think Thanksgiving would be awesome even without the food most people associate with it. It's the holiday's real theme - being thankful for what you have and the good things in your life - that sets it apart from most other days of the year. Getting Thanksgiving off of school is a great way to get to appreciate things we may not otherwise. A bit of a break from everyday schedules allows people to step back and see great things in life: time with family, a comfortable home, and the importance of good food.
Making plans with relatives for this Thanksgiving got me thinking back to Thanksgivings past and childhood memories of mine. I remembered the days when my cousins and I would sit together watching cartoon movies around the holiday season, which got me thinking about the things I would watch on tv back in the day. One of my favorite shows when I was young was The Big Comfy Couch, a children's show that follows a clown named Loonette and her best friend, a doll named Molly, who often talk and read together on their couch. I recently looked up clips of the show on YouTube and I was surprised at how much I remembered of it. Characters' names, songs, and routine parts of the show all started to come back to me.
I learned a lot from The Big Comfy Couch as a little kid; seeing videos of the show for the first time in probably ten years reminded me of the ideas it helped instilled in kids like me. Loonette and Molly emphasized being healthy, exercising, playing fairly with friends, and tidying up after you're done playing. And the show was funny, too. The characters' ridiculous clown outfits and at times nonsensical behavior made The Big Comfy Couch fun for me to watch, while picking up life lessons at the same time. Reliving one of my favorite childhood shows underlined what I am thankful for: those who have taught me important things, a happy life growing up, and what has helped me grow into the person I am today.
Here is a video of the show's introductory song:
Ah!!!!! That's the name of this show! Recently I was thinking about a time I was flipping through over-the-air TV channels to test an antenna or something and I saw footage of the clock rug stretch. I knew I had seen it before but unlike most cartoon shows from my early years (PBS Kids, Playhouse Disney, Nicktoons...) I could not remember the name of the show or anything else from it.
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!
/me adds one more TV series to the watch list...
I definitely agree with everything about this! It's the atmosphere and people that make Thanksgiving such a memorable and exciting holiday. But truthfully, a well cooked turkey certainly makes it better :) I can't say I've seen The Big Comfy Couch, but I have seen other shows resembling it and feel nostalgic about my early childhood when I got back and look it up again. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI remember this show! I used to watch it a lot too. It's sad how kids' tv shows have changed so much; I really don't see a lot of life-lessons being embedded into fun episodes anymore.
ReplyDeleteI also really love the atmosphere of thanksgiving, and how it's a holiday that everyone can celebrate because everyone should be thankful for something in their lives. I'm still looking forward to the food though.....
This looks like a cute show. I must have missed it – maybe it went off the air before my kids were born (or old enough for TV).
ReplyDeleteI love Thanksgiving, too. It's my favorite holiday because it's about the important things: food, spending time with the people we love, and being thankful for what we have.
I have similar memories of the holiday seasons. I never watched The Big Comfy Couch when I was little, but hearing your recollections of it remind me of the shows I did watch, like Blue’s Clues and Kratts’ Creatures. I’ve gotten so used to listening to my parents and other adults tell stories about their childhoods, I hadn’t really realized that we’re old enough now to have the same sorts of memories too.
ReplyDeleteThe big comfy couch was one of my favorites--and I went through the same rediscovery of it as you did just the other week!! It's nice that you link it to Thanksgiving and being thankful for everything in our lives. I think the break from school is the best part of the holiday, even--it gives us time before and after to de-stress and be able to spend time much more leisurely with the people we really care about.
ReplyDelete