Dec 21, 2003
Muppet Book Club
"I Can't Wait Until Christmas"
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Commentary : Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6
Can't
Hurry Love
Anthony Strand:
Oooh, I love love love this book. They have it in my doctor's waiting room. I made it a point from the time I was five to read it every time I went there. This behavior continues to this day.
Emmy Miklasevich:
You know, the other week I was at Goodwill, and I saw not one, not two, but three copies of this book. I was going to buy one (or two), but I only had two dollars, and had my heart set on some other junk. Now that I know this is a cool book, I feel sad that I wasted my money on junk I can't even remember that I bought.
Alaina Breeden:
Oscar hanging old shoes and hubcaps on the tree somehow makes me love him even more.
Anthony:
But where does Oscar get off thinking he can steal Charlie Brown's tree?
John Hamilton:
Love the Snuffy scenes, especially on the skateboard at the end. This is such an 80's book, because a 70's book would never put a helmet and knee pads on someone just riding a skateboard.
Ryan Roe:
I'm glad Big Bird got his baseball bat. It would have been pretty sad if he had gotten socks, which is what my grandmother often gave me. Especially considering Big Bird doesn't wear socks.
But where is Luis while Maria's helping Big Bird with the birdhouse?
Anthony:
Rushing to get all the toasters fixed in time for Christmas, of course.
Ryan:
That makes sense. After all, everyone needs a toaster to cook Christmas dinner.
Mike Cervantes:
What is with Big Bird's need for a baseball bat? He can't really play baseball with just a one-handed swing. Maybe he had to take care of some business, Reservoir Dogs style.
Danny Horn:
Is that really in keeping with the Can't-Wait-Until-Christmas spirit?
Mike:
Sure, it is -- as in, "I can't wait until Christmas, so I can break that mook's kneecaps."
Birdhouse in Your Yule
Ian Pugh:
As soon as Thanksgiving dinner has been shoved down everyone's gullet, Big Bird immediately mentions Christmas, thereby proving that Thanksgiving is null and void in his mind. (Though I suppose it would be more realistic if he was yammering about Christmas three minutes after he finished his Halloween candy.)
Also, notice how the book describes exactly what the birds ate in excruciating detail. I suppose the author pretty much had to, so that she wouldn't imply that the birds cannibalized their fellow fowl.
Danny:
The gift of a birdhouse is especially poignant, given the differences in the standard of living between Granny Bird and Big Bird.
I just can't wrap my head around Granny Bird leaving her warm house to spend Christmas sleeping in a wooden chair in a snowy vacant lot. How is this possible?
Mike:
Well, Big Bird's too young to own real estate, and the alley really has everything he needs, and, well, he likes it.
Don't knock the alley. Some of my youthful dreams were spent sitting in Big Bird's nest.
Michal:
I was wondering about Big Bird and Granny's relationships with other birds. Obviously, they're not about to scarf down a turkey for dinner. Then again, the birdhouse seems to trap their fellow birdkind into a very limited and ornamental role as pets.
One could see the birdhouse as a hostel of sorts, where Big bird can care and provide for those less fortunate than himself. He may live in a trash-filled alley, but at least he gets a birdseed pie every so often. Apparently those poor little birds he's feeding have to rely on simpletons who build birdhouses to get fed.
Alaina:
Granny Bird just really likes the little birds, if you know what I mean. It's like the Playbird Channel when she looks out the window. She's looking for love in all the wrong places.
Tom Holste:
The other birds seem to exist on some sort of lower level of sentience, or perhaps a lower social class. So Granny Bird (at the top level) gets a house, and Big Bird (on a lower level) sleeps in an alley. They feel compelled to help out the little birds (at the lowest level) live in a house of their own.
Danny:
Maybe there's smart birds and dumb birds on Sesame Street, just like there are in real life.
Yes,
Virginia
Ian:
How about Santa's role in this story? We have the ineffectual Mall Santa: All he says to Big Bird is "Ho ho ho!" Sounds like somebody's just coasting through the job at this stage of the game.
Granny and Big Bird leave cookies and milk out for the real Santa, but it appears that he left them no presents. What's that supposed to imply? That Granny and Big Bird were "naughty" this year? That the old man decided to just let the families of the world worry about themselves? What?
Ryan:
So they left stuff for Santa, but didn't get anything in return. Maybe that's a valuable lesson for us all... We shouldn't give in expectation of reciprocation. We should give for the sake of giving.
And we shouldn't be concerned with creature comforts like walls, heating, and plumbing... We should be content to spend Christmas Eve in an alley. I'm going to start building my Christmas Eve nest right now.
Tom:
Santa just keeps saying "Ho ho ho." He's an automaton. Very likely the store wanted to cut costs this year, so they placed a mannequin in Santa's chair and put a tape recorder behind him. That would explain why he's not howling in pain as Snuffy sits on his legs.
Danny:
I was also wondering about Santa's role -- but then I realized that both Big Bird and Snuffy got everything that they asked for at the mall. Big Bird wanted a baseball bat and a visit from Granny, and darn if he didn't get them both. I don't know about Big Bird's baseball stats, but Santa is batting 1.000.
Maybe Santa, like God, moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. Rather than intercede directly, Santa works through others, like Granny, and the sporting goods store.
Book : Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3
Commentary : Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6
Muppet Book Club: "The Great Twiddlebug Mystery"
Muppet Book Club: "The Case of the Missing Mother"
Muppet Book Club: "Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree"