A few days ago, I talked about World War III.

Sorry. Enough of that. Let’s look at some reader mail, and take one last look at some Christmas pop culture.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many readers agreed with my piece about the awfulness of those Rankin/Bass Christmas specials of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I thought I’d get a lot more hate mail about how beloved they are to some folks, but instead my inbox was like a meeting of a support group.

Sarah G. noted that “Rankin-Bass animation is simplistic and terrible, and I think I always was aware of that, even if unconsciously. Rudolph, Frosty, et al upset me and made me cry.” Gary J. likewise added: “First and foremost, thank you for this edition. It made my day. I too am 61, and can’t stand Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, or Frosty the Snowman. I thought I was the only one.”

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