Do you have a favorite 🎄holiday show from childhood? Mine is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I couldn’t wait to watch it 📺 every year. I’ll admit that I hid behind the 🛋couch when the Abominable Snowman appeared and didn’t relax until his 🦷 teeth were removed, but that’s not the point.
When I was really young, I just thought it was a 🎄Christmas show about a reindeer with a red nose. The big idea was simple. Don’t make fun of people who are different. Everyone has something to offer. 🥳 But there was so much more to that reindeer movie. As I grew older, I caught many lessons from those characters.
📺Rudolph felt shame and disappointment because of his nose AFTER he noticed the reactions from others.
📺His parents weren’t perfect. His father tried to hide his nose! His mother wished she could make things better for him, but she didn’t know how.
📺His peers and coach used to laugh and call him names- remember?
📺Clarice offered empathy when he felt alienated and alone.
📺Hermey the Elf didn’t want to make toys. He just wanted to be a dentist, but no one believed in him.
📺We saw rage from the Bumble- not because he was a mean snow monster. He had a toothache!
📺Yukon Cornelius acted crabby, but he turned out to be caring and helpful.
📺Rudolph found kinship with the Misfit Toys because they were shunned for being different, too.
📺Rudolph realized he couldn’t escape his problems and returned home to face them.
Part of the reason I 😍 loved this show was that the characters were flawed. I didn’t understand why that was so important as a young child. I just knew that Rudolph was bullied because he was different- only to be the hero in the end. I didn’t realize how much I learned about people and relationships through my yearly 📺 TV date with Rudolph.
It had all of the ✨beautiful and ☠️ horrible things about life. The characters were all of us. They made mistakes and judged each other harshly. They tried to escape their pain. And they found ways to accept and 🎉celebrate each other in the end.🥰
We’re all on the Island of Misfit Toys, and it’s a marvelous thing!🌟 Don’t let anyone else define you. Your uniqueness is a 🎁gift to the world. So, shine that red nose!💖
sharing the stairs 