An American Christmas story

My sister and I didn't have much in common as kids, but somehow we always managed to spend Thursday nights together. That's when The Waltons was on.

Most of you are probably familiar with the series about the family living in the mountains of Virginia during the Great Depression.

The show had 221 episodes, and I think we watched them all. We didn't feel guilty about it; the pace was slow enough that we could do other things at the same time — like talk to each other. But even if we just sat and watched, we were spellbound by the show's realism.

That must have come from the natural-sounding dialogue or the way the story was filmed, because the plot was anything but real to us suburbanites. The (fictional) Walton family had seven children; ours had two. They lived in a cold, drafty house, while we sat on a carpeted floor near a central-heating vent. Moreover, the Southern accents of the double-named characters — Mary Ellen, Jim Bob, John-Boy — were exotic for American television of the time.

Dramatic things always seemed to happen to the Waltons, but never in a contrived way. Strangers turned up. Cars broke down. Moral questions needed answers. And no matter how badly the Waltons fared, they were always reminded that someone else was worse off.

The movie-length pilot, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, brilliantly involved every one of those plot elements. It's Christmas Eve, and the family is preparing to spend this special evening together. But a bus accident stops the father on the way home from his distant workplace. When the others hear about this on the radio, the eldest son, John-Boy, goes looking for him. It's late at night, and it's bitterly cold.

John-Boy drives, then trudges, great distances through deep snow. As he seeks help from a variety of local people, The Homecoming turns into a suspenseful road movie. It's getting colder, and the situation is getting more desperate. He searches everywhere and finally returns home. Minutes later, however, the father turns up, and all is well.

The Waltons didn't have much, but they had each other, and that made Christmas all the more special to them.

We wish you safe travels this week and all the joy of the holidays. Merry Christmas to you, and to all a good night.

(Good night, John-Boy! And good night, Kathy!)