Christmas may have come and gone, but the yule log is still burning bright.
On TV, that is.
I have been visiting my sister and brother-in-law for the holidays, and they haven’t had cable television in years. They watch movies and TV shows via Internet streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.com.
So when they aren’t online or are listening to music, chances are pretty good a fire is burning on their TV. This has become a tradition of sorts at Christmas, but I didn’t know where it originated until today.
Chalk up another one for New York City.
WPIX-TV Channel 11 was the first TV station to broadcast the burning yule log way back in 1966. President and CEO Fred M. Thrower thought residents of New York who didn’t have fireplaces would appreciate the added holiday cheer. And it allowed station employees to stay home and celebrate Christmas with their families during the four-hour time slot.
It’s like I’m always saying…
New Yorkers are the nicest people.

Like the Dickens
“It’s so Dickensian!”
And we had our catchphrase.
It did feel like we had stepped back in time, into one of the classic novels we had all read in school. The snow didn’t last, but the memory of that brief interlude has to this day.
Stateside in 2012, ‘Dickensian’ has an entirely different vibe.
(Only true New Yorkers can discern the difference.)
Creator Jane Schub said her interpretation of Dickens for the collection was inspired by photography, literature, art, coal and broken shale.
Geez, Jane — did you even read the novels?
They have happy endings.
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Posted in Beauty, Books, Commentary, Humor, Life, Shopping, Travel
Tagged beauty, black nail polish, books, Charles Dickens, coal, commentary, Dickensian, Humor, Jane Schub, life, London, nail polish, New Yorkers, shale, shopping, snow storm, StrangeBeautiful, StrangeBeautiful Dickensian Edition, Travel