Instant Gratification

[CG]

On important levels instant gratification to me is a huge deficit. You work your rear off for anything using your time, blood, sweat, and tears and you are going to appreciate it 100 fold over most anything that is given to you.

On a non important level, and seasonal lol, holiday movies. Had the grand kids over this weekend. Watched Elf, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman. Easily watched, any time, any time of the year.

I remember as a kid if you missed Rudolf when it was on TV that was it until next year, period. Family made plans around that show, and a lot of the other holiday shows that came on during the holidays, Charlie Brown Christmas, and remember the Andy Williams Christmas Special?

Get out the TV guide, find em and mom tapes something to the fridge so we wouldn't accidentally forget ... didn't have post it notes back then, and it was before VCR recording of any kind. Oh and if you were on your parents "naughty list" they didn't have a problem sending you to another room while the rest of the family got to watch the shows, they probably even got popcorn ... Ugh!

[Palf70Step]

I resemble that!

Or having to be the kid holding the rabbit ears for clearer reception

[vetnat]

Sometimes, we could get the cat to sit in just the right spot near the TV to get clear reception, so one of us didn't need to stand there beside the TV.

[Grumpy old man]

I remember the Christmas we got wall to wall carpeting over the hard oak floors AND our first color consol tv ,Must of been a good year for the ol man . The only problem was I was the youngest and always had channel changer duty

[davischevy]

A telling moment was a while back by grandson was watching an animated movie at our house on regular TV. He needed to go to the bathroom, and he held up his hand and said "Pause it, pause it, I have to use the bathroom." He didn't understand that we couldn't pause it.

My older kids live in the country without cable service. They watch movies together. No cable is a blessing. They hunt, fish, ride horses, and work on old trucks.

[special-K]

Yep. Out here we had no cable and even with a primo rotating antenna we got two channels unless we got lucky. I bought Time-Life nature series, National Geographic, and old cartoons on VHS, and rented movies.

I was in a big family and we'd all gather for the Christmas shows. We did the same thing with the family I raised. Instant gratification has become one of society's downfalls. I have no such desires. I am fine with waiting for the good to come.

[truckster]

I have found memories of waiting for A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, when I was a child and when my children were young.

[kazoocruiser]

ummmm, what's a TV?

[kingsolver72]

Originally Posted by kazoocruiser

ummmm, what's a TV?

It’s an abbreviation for the word television.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

I remember the Christmas we got wall to wall carpeting over the hard oak floors AND our first color consol tv ,Must of been a good year for the ol man . The only problem was I was the youngest and always had channel changer duty

Sounds like 1975 for me! New color Zenith, still have the delivery blanket and use it to cover the truck window to prevent frost, believe it or not (I don't waste much). Picture below of my brother using his (came with a couple, or we had them for the hardware store, not sure), since it never gets cold enough here to deploy mine!

Good thing I lived in Saskatchewan and there were only 2 channels!

I was an early adopter of TiVo, and worked on some early Media PC stuff in the 90s, so even my 20-year-old has pretty much always had a DVR. When the kids were little (like 4) we were visiting the grandparents up in Sask and the kids were watching TV live. When they couldn't fast forward through the commercials, they came to get me because "the TV was broken!".

[davepl]

Originally Posted by truckster

I have found memories of waiting for A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, when I was a child and when my children were young.

Just gathered the wife and kids to watch an old one last night; we opted for Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964, stop motion). It holds up OK.

On YouTube, first I watched some of the 1968 Dean Martin NBC Christmas special, which would have been my first Christmas. I found it funny that the intro segments were clearly pre-recorded, and he was sober. Then it cut to live and he was a little drunk. I thought that was just a cliche, but pretty sure the dude was, in fact, half cut!

[Boog]

Back in the day we could get 2 channels pretty good and a 3rd channel sometimes. We all watched tv together. Dad ruled the tv. Yes we kids were the channel changers. Black and white tv mind you. We only had one. Being a tube type it had to warm up. Burl Ives sang "Holly Jolly Christmas". Bing Crosby sang "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas". Miracle on 34th street movie. We had only live trees. It was a much simpler time for sure.

[davischevy]

I couldn't wait for the Chevy ads on Bonanza.

And lest we should forget the bowling tournaments, But then came Roller Derby.

[Coley]

...those Andy Williams Christmas specials...lol, wow there were some bad sweaters in those shows.
Very 60's tho'....upbeat.....introduce the osmonds, lol....all of them I think are on youtube now and they are hilarious to watch.

Coley

[Red71gmc]

For us it was 2 channels came in well. A third fuzzy and a forth only hit and miss. Of course the forth had the best cartoons and weekend kid shows.
I remember standing next to the TV for a picture of the moon landing. I seen that picture some time ago and the old camera didn't show anything on the TV but a black screen. I guess mom wasn't very tech savvy.

[Coley]

...lol, some very familiar stories and accounts here.

So here is a question....were we better off for this or not?

I can say, I don't remember suffering in any real way from a lack of cable, or binge watching....lol.

Learning to wait, to plan...and to be patient seemed to work out in the long run, at least for me.

all good
Coley

[Grumpy old man]

I remember waiting every week on Sunday at 7:00 was Walt Disney's wonderful world of Disney and then Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom .

[special-K]

Oh yeah, the peacock for Walt Disney. It was multiple shades of grey!

I couldn't wait for the Chevy ads on Bonaza, either. And same for Bewitched (and that cute nose wiggle). I never watched Dragnet. They drove Fords . Remember that? Car companies sponsoring shows and all you saw was that brand on the set (except Bonanza). good thing I didn't have a preference when I was watching Andy Griffith!

I'd wait and wait all year for Wide World of Sports to run drag racing. I think they did it twice a year, Winternationals and Summernationals. If I missed any of that I was a sad puppy.

The big one was Wizard of OZ. We'd all gather 'round for that one for sure. Once a year

Yep, life was better when we had less. All this tech is cool but life is no better from it. True happiness doesn't come from product

[Boog]

All true. Only those of us old enough to have been there can know this is so.

[LEEVON]

Mom and Dad got a color TV in 1986, then around 1988 popped for cable. Except Dad used the multitude of dip switches inside a panel on the TV to block out channels like MTV. My best friend and I were 8, and we spent hours and hours trying to crack the combo. Finally got us some MTV...were standing mesmerized at the girls in skirts on some dance show when Dad walked in and caught us. No more cable. No instant gratification either, we had to work for it!

[CG]

How bout the Norelco ads that came on during Rudolf and the other Christmas shows we watched as kids ....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y888mx7hMZ0

[Grumpy old man]

I remember driving to the car shows in the 70's and seeing the "old guys" pulling in driving their cool old trucks ,,, Now we are those "old guys "

[Ol Blue K20]

All of these posts brought back some very fond memories. I did hate channel changer duty though..lol

[Palf70Step]

Oh yeah, those were the days