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I was at my relatives house this Christmas Eve and my Uncle was getting ready to turn the TV off when the new announced that actor Jack Klugman had just died. We all sat there for a brief moment saying, “Really?” None of us really pictured him as being 90 years old, and I think for a brief moment, as I looked at my cousin with whom I had watch the Odd Couple with for years, made me realize that we are indeed getting older as the people we grew up with are passing on and it got me thinking…

When I was a teenager, TV comedies were great. They were great for many reasons. I thought they had solid storylines, unlike the sitcoms of today. The writers had a wonderful sense of humor and laughter came easy for shows like the Odd Couple.

I loved watching the Odd couple because it was believable. It was just downright funny, and what made it so funny were the two actors, Jack Klugman, who played Oscar Madison, the slob who was the roommate to Felix Unger, the guy with OCD and hypochondria who was played by Tony Randall. The funny part of this was not just the storyline, but how the two men were able to adlib with each other during the filming of the show.

I recall as a teen watching interviews with these two men talking about how well they could adlib with each other and stray from the script. These two were comedians at their finest and the show The Odd Couple, which aired from 1970-1975 was able to capture the essence of true comedy.

The other thing I liked about this show and shows of these times was they often had guest stars on them. Many TV sitcoms had great guest spots and on the Odd Couple people like Monty Hall, Richard Dawson, Hugh Hefner, James Millhollin, Bobby Riggs, Billie Jean King, Deacon Jones, Allen Ludden, and Betty White played a guest role on this show.

Klugman left the show and soon become Quincy, M.E. I never cared for the show too much because I always felt he did not fit in as a medical examiner, but if I could get past my own stereotyping, he did a good job as Quincy. That is because Klugman was a great character actor. He was so good that he had over 100 television credits on his resume which I recall several episode of The Twilight Zone,  and a 1964 episode of The Defenders which he won an Emmy Award for his performance. In fact, he won two Emmys for the show the Odd Couple. Klugman was also a wonderful actor in the movies such as Goodbye, Columbus, The Detective, Days of Wine and Roses and 12 Angry Men.

Jack Klugman dead at 90 will be a veteran actor that will be missed by us baby boomers. RIP Jack…

The other day I was at a mall, something I rarely do, and would never be caught dead doing this time of year. However, I was doing a family member a favor and it meant going to a mall. The parking lot was crowded and people were being rather rude in hopes to get the perfect parking place. I saw one car almost plow down an elderly couple in order to get their car in the perfect place. Than once in the mall, the pushing and shoving really got me in the spirit. People looked stress, were not smiling, and tugging their screaming children who clearly did not want to be at the mall. At one point, I had rest and sooth my spirit. I found a little fence to lean on and discovered it was Santa’s house and it got me thinking…

Christmas is the time of year where I get to see people at their worst. Being a therapist, it is my busiest time of the year. People tend to be more stressed, more depressed and their anxiety is off the charts. Still, there is one thing that seems to calm people down and that is good old Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus if you will.

I loved leaning on the gate of Santa’s little palace at the mall. I thought it was great seeing Mrs. Clause there doting over the children. The kids were lined up in their dress clothes and shinny shoes, and bows and slicked back hair waiting to sit on Santa’s lap and have a picture taken. More important is the looks on the children’s face that reminds me that these kids really do believe in the magic of Santa.

Still my thoughts kept wondering how did Santa discover that he could see many children in a mall or department store? I had to find out, so I decided to spend some time researching how Santa discovered department stores. My answer came to me from R.H. Macy Co. They were the first department store to have an in-store Santa back in 1862.

Wait! There is a debate here. According to the Old World Farmer’s Almanac Brockton, there is documentation that James Edgar, a downtown merchant in Brockton, Massachusetts was the first to put on the red suite and strolled through his store surprising children back in 1890.  Macy’s says “No no no impossible.” They were the first to have a Santa. Still another source who has done the research says that Santa started to appear in stores the 1870′s.

It is difficult to pinpoint where did the  store Santa originate and who wore the Santa suit first. I suppose in reality it does not matter. Today there are thousands and thousands of Santa’s everywhere; in fact, there are even Yule and Santa schools that teach people how to be Santa. I would think one would have to go to school in order to represent Santa. After all, those who wear the Santa suit would need to know the names of all the reindeers, how he gets down the chimney, how does he cover so much ground in such a short time, and how many elves does he really have.

Neither here nor there, what we know today is that Santa in the Malls in a tradition for families and children all over the world. Kids believe in that magic. There is nothing that can put a smile on my face faster than seeing a child sitting on Santa’s lap.   Merry Christmas to everyone and to all a wonderful New Year.

When I decided to write this, I kept thinking about the smiles on children’s faces, and so I cannot complete this article without offering my deepest condolences to the people in Newtown, Connecticut.

I was talking recently with someone who grew up in the 80s, they had said growing up in the 80s was the best time.  Not Me. In fact, I giggled under my breath and thought, I was raised in the 60s and no one should ever say their decade was better than mine. Of course, I get that I am biased; I mean after all, no other decade had Woodstock, or the protest songs from Viet Nam. I get she had no clue about make love not war and tune in and drop out, or what flower power meant. I felt as bad for her as I am sure she felt for me, and it got me thinking…

I personally did not care for the 80s. I had graduated school in the mid 70s so by the time the 80s came, I felt set in my ways. I felt fortunate that I grew up in the time that I did for many reasons, but mainly for the people and the music.  We had real music in the 60s and early 70s. We had The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Grateful Dead, Steppenwolf, Crosby Stills and Nash. I was not really one for Flock of Seagulls, Air Supply, Culture Club, Rick Springfield, Bananarama, New Edition, Debbie Gibson, Milli Vanilli or Hall & Oates. Though I will say I am glad the 80s gave us great music like The Pretenders, U2, Radiohead, INXS, The Police, and REM.

After doing some research of the 80s to see if I could possibly understand why she thought her decade was better than mine, and once I got past the high hair and the mullet, the 80s did give us some interesting things. Well, I cannot say fashion was one of them. Each decade gives us a variety of fashion do’s and don’ts but I have to say the 80s had a great deal of don’ts. Shoulder pads, leg warmers, parachute pants, sweaters around your neck, acid wash jeans, and neon colors where clearly some of the big don’ts. Oh sure in my day, it was the hippy look, jeans, tie dye, love beads, leather vest and yes we had poor fashion, we had polyester and that was about as gross as it got and go-go boots, which I confess I had a pair.

The 80s had interesting television as well. It is important to note that in the 80s television changed because cable TV was available and more people were turning off local network stations to tune into home box office material. Still, the 80s gave us Alf, Married with Children, 21 Jump Street, Cagney & Lacey, The Simpsons, The A-Team, Miami Vice, Moonlighting, The Cosby Show, Doogie Howser, Golden Girls, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Wonder Years, MacGyver, St. Elsewhere , Magnum P.I. and Punky Brewster to name a few. Nighttime soaps made it big with as well, still, I longed for the shows I grew up with like Bewitched, Candid Camera, Get Smart, Gilligan’s Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Ed Sullivan Show and The Carol Burnett Show. Most of the time in the 80s, I simply did not watch much TV and played music or watched cable.

The 80s did give kids some fun toys and games such as Trivial Pursuit, Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, The Koosh Ball, Pictionary, Rubik’s Cube, Glow Worms, Pound Puppies,  Rainbow bright, and Strawberry Shortcake were all products of the 80s. You could play with those while enjoying your favorite 80s foods like Jumpin Jack Cheese Doritos, Hostess Pudding Pies, Chocolate Cow, Bonkers, Pudding Roll-Ups, Giggles, Pudding Pops, Pop Rocks, and raisins thanks to the antics of The California Raisins.

In addition the 80s gave us slang like, No Duh, Tubular, Righteous, Take A Chill Pill, Gag Me With a Spoon, Totally, Gnarly, Radical, Totally Grody, I’m so sure, Like, oh my God and Psych. Who am I to judge slang of the times though I still say groovy cool and freaked out.

Despite some of the weird music, or the high hair or God forbid the Mullet, people who grew up in the 80s love their generation. They share with their children what Dirty Dancing was, or Pac Man, they tell them about Madonna as they watch Lady Gaga. I have come to the conclusion that every decade has its own magic and what was my magic in my time might not be your magic, but still, I am glad I did not grow up in the 80s.