TiVo No!!!

I got TiVo for my birthday. A truly amazing gift. I can stop taping things to Betamax.

The other evening I saw a preview for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Feeling nostalgic, I asked TiVo to record it. TiVo, who already thinks we are deranged five year-olds, acquiesced.

It recorded and waited. Several days later, I remembered it and gathered the girls. We would watch Rudolph and I would re-experience my childhood.

Two problems. First, Rudolph is actually a pretty horrible story. Outcasts picked on till their freakish skills are required, then they are welcomed back into society so that they can be exploited. And don't get me started on Herbie the dentist elf and homophobia.

Still, the claymation is cool. The bigger problem is that the show started two minutes late. Doesn't sound like a big deal? TiVo recorded 7:00 - 8:00. Rudolph is 7:02 - 8:02. If you remember the story, at 58 minutes, the sad toys from the Isle of Unwanted toys are just deciding that Rudolph failed them and Santa is not coming to get them.

Train with square wheels: "I guess Santa is not coming."
Charlie in the Box: "I think I'll go to sleep and dream for a new home next year."
Pitiful Raggedy-Ann doll with chicken pox: "I'm all out of dreams."

Bloooop. (the sound of a TiVo recording ending).

My girls had stricken expressions on their faces. Surely Rudolph doesn't end like this. I tried to assure them Santa does indeed arrive, a mere 15 seconds later.

TiVo takes away, and TiVo gives back. It thought we might like to watch Frosty the Snowman, which started right after Rudolph, and so it taped it for us. Still two minutes late, Frosty's first two minutes proved that indeed, Santa and Rudolph save the day.

Of course, then we had to watch Frosty (which is only 30 minutes long).

Recording ended at 8:30, 28 minutes into the story. Again, go back deep into your childhood to remember the story.

Little blond girl, talking to Santa after Frosty brought her into the greenhouse to warm her up: "He melted. He's gone forever!"

Bloooop.