J.T.

Grandma: "What you want for Christmas... Child?"
J.T.: "I want me this cat I found."


The year was 1969.  I was twelve years old.  An age that was too old for it to be 'groovy' to watch the typical cartoon Christmas specials, but too young to not still enjoy them.  


Then came J.T.  Anyone remember it?  It was aired as an hour-long CBS Saturday morning Children’s Hour program.  And although it wasn't necessarily your typical Christmas special, without my knowing why, it encapsulated everything Christmas really means. 


J.T. wasn't about make-believe snowmen or how a reindeer's nose glowed.  It wasn't set in the last century with ghosts of Christmas past or created for the wonderful life of my parent's generation.  J.T. was my generation current!  And to this day it's probably my all-time favorite Christmas show.


It was about a young boy from a broken Harlem home.  Life in the ghetto begins to swallow J.T. as he learns to steal and connive, but finding a sick, stray cat brings out a sense of love and responsibility that even J.T. didn't know he had.  I won't spoil it for those of you who have never seen it.  But if you're curious, you might want to check it out HERE on YouTube (you'll have to watch it in 5 parts - but it's so worth it).


If you remember watching it - or if you happen to watch J.T. for the first time - please share your thoughts and comments with us.