By DAVID A. WARGO

TN correspondenttneditor@tnonline.comOne of the best parts of the Christmas season is the nostalgic television specials that many of us still gather around to view in our living rooms each year. These shows reach children of all ages and I cannot recall a year I have not watched those familiar programs like "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."I was quite young and only remember bits and pieces of the early 70s television shows. I remember seeing Jimmy Durante cracking jokes on television reruns along with his trademark "Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are." I remember when the networks aired reruns as well of Fred Astaire dancing on angel's wings across the stage, with brooms and even on the ceiling (years before Lionel Richie did so). I also recall jolly Burl Ives crooning ballads and immortalized as a snowman narrator in "Rudolph." Those memories mean two things to me: One, I'm getting old and two, how nostalgic, quaint and innocent life seemed to be back then.It is sad that our children will not have the same simplistic memories of childhood. Our society in its sophistication and overdose of information is making our children grow up too fast. The world flies at a breakneck pace and we gauge activities in seconds and microseconds and no longer minutes or hours. I remember when we ordered a premium from a cereal box or almost anything through the mail and it took the standard four to six weeks to arrive, sometimes more like six to eight weeks. Today, one can order something from Amazon at 6 p.m. and literally have it arrive on your doorstep the next day by noon. The Information Age has robbed our society of delayed gratification which I think has done us a disservice.For me those wonderful specials reawake the nostalgia of my youth. Each one has its own charms and special scenes. See how many of these trivia bits you can recall which I hope range from easy to quite difficult. All questions are from Rankin-Bass television specials and are developed from Wikipedia as my source.1. Who was the actor that voiced the mailman S.D. Kluger in "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town? Bonus points: What do the initials S.D. mean?2. What was the name of the snowman that narrated "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"? A. Sal, B. Sam, C. Snowy3. Everyone knows that Santa Claus is married to the love of his life, Mrs. Claus for hundreds of years. How many of these trivia bits do you know about this couple as we learn through the Rankin-Bass stories?a. What was Mrs. Claus' original first name?b. What is the name of the elf queen that raised Kris Kringle?c. What was Kris' aspiration as he was growing up?d. What's the name of the villain that blocks Kris from delivering toys to Sombertown using his magic and control of the weather? (Kris eventually befriends him)e. How did Kris Kringle end up with the name Claus?4. Who voiced Santa Claus in many of the television specials for Rankin-Bass?5. In the second Santa film, "The Year Without A Santa Claus" the Miser Brothers have a well-known mother who does her best to keep them in line. Do you know her name?6. Speaking of "Year Without a Santa Claus", do you remember the names of the elves that are sent to find people who still believe in Santa? BONUS POINTS: Who is the reindeer that takes them on their mission?7. Complete these lyrics:a. "I'm Mister Heat Miser. I'm Mr. Sun. I'm Mister Heat Miser, I'm __________"b. "I'm Mister Snow Miser. I'm Mr. Cold…..whatever I touch turns ___________"8. What song iconized by Elvis Presley is found in the "Year" special?9. What quality did Yukon Cornelius say saved their lives when they fell into the ravine?10. Hermey the Elf doesn't want to make toys. What noble profession do he want to join instead?11. There are several toys on the Island of Misfit Toys that have issues with them. Can you identify the misfit qualities about these toys?a. The Birdb. Cowboyc. Traind. Nesting Clown Dollse. Water Pistol12. The song "We're a Couple of Misfits" was replaced in the "Rudolph" special with another song for several years. Can you name the song?Next week we will learn the answers, see how well you scored and find out some other bits about these beloved specials.Til next time…