When I was 10, my paternal grandparents subscribed to HBO. “Clash of the Titans,” followed by “The Beastmaster,”followed by another showing of “The Beastmaster” made for quite a day … dayafter day.
But HBO didn’t cater only to the sword and sorcery crowd. Thefledgling cable TV network showed it had a heart by airing “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” each holidayseason.
The Gift of the Maji-inspired program tells the tale of a poorwidow otter and her plucky son Emmet. They scrape out a living in FrogtownHollow on Ma’s income from doing laundry and Emmet’s odd jobs.
A local talent contest on Christmas Eve offers a $50 first prize. Madesperately wants to buy Emmet the guitar of his dreams, coincidentally pricedat $50. And Emmet longs to purchase his mother a piano.
In order to obtain a proper dress in which to compete in thetalent contest, Ma Otter hocks Emmet’s tools to buy fabric. To join a band alsohoping to win the contest, Emmet pokes a hole in Ma’s washtub to make a washtubbass.
Neither Ma nor the jug band take home the money, as they’re bothupstaged at the talent contest by the heavy metal stylings of The Nightmare, aband made up of hooligans from River Bottom.
But as Ma, Emmet and his band mates dejectedly walk home on thefrozen river, they begin to sing together. The owner of a local restauranthears them and invites them to perform (for compensation!) that night. The gigpresumably turns into a regular one, and Ma and Emmet’s fortunes rebound.
I bought the show on DVD about eight years ago and have beenwatching it every December since (along with “Love Actually” and “It’s aWonderful Life” — man, I’m hokey). Last year, I watched “Emmet Otter” with our 8-weekold son, Alex, and this year’s viewing is scheduled for tomorrow.
The painfully obvious segue to law school?
Take a moment over the next few weeks, regardless of your religiousbeliefs or affiliations, to be thankful for the bonds you share with friendsand family. Things don’t always go smoothly in law school or in the practice oflaw, but the kindness and generosity shared among fellow students, valuedco-workers, friends and family buoys the spirit and promotes a resilientattitude.
Finally, a brief plug for the good work done by members of ourcommunity to ensure that local families have a brighter holiday season. Severalnonprofit agencies in Lawrence are working to help roughly 400 families. Formore information on how to donate, see this article. Donorsare asked to provide a new clothing outfit for each member of the family, giftitems for the adopted household and a gift card for a holiday meal.
HappyHolidays!
Todd Rogers, Assistant Dean for Career Services
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