An Ode to Blue Bloods and Christmas
On Friday night, as all things in life and entertainment must, the beloved television series Blue Bloods came to an end. I think this cops and robbers classic owes its long and successful run not to the fact that crimes were satisfactorily solved but rather to the fact it communicated the existence of a strong family unit in today’s complex world. It wasn’t Andy, Opie and Aunt Bee but it worked. I appreciated the effort.
Blue Bloods managed to make New York City seem small, even intimate. The program presented the fictional Reagan family as thriving in a system once lovingly referred to as “Irish Welfare.”
Family values were at Blue Bloods core. Loyalty and fidelity. A highly functional multigenerational household was portrayed. It would be a stretch to say they moved Walton’s Mountain to New York City but you get the idea.
Conversation at the family dinner table, a long dining room table with the eldest family members anchoring each end of Sunday dinner reflected love and care and order, flush with the optimism that every problem can be solved. With conversation now concluded dining began with a traditional Grace.
Bless us Oh Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen Familiar to many, comforting to most. Those who spent a career studying the evolution and dynamics of the American family frequently bemoan what we have lost rather than boasting about what we have gained. This intellectual process has left many longing for a family of days long gone. A pointless but pleasing flight into an unattainable fantasy.
I spent a career working with families. There was the Christmas story of a 7-yearold boy who was discussing Christmas with his therapist. Knowing about playground discussions and second grade boys, the therapist asked,” What do you think about Santa Claus?” The boy answered, “Tommy says there isn’t a Santa Claus.” The therapist probed, “What do you think?” With his tone sharpening, the boy responded, “If there isn’t there darn well ought to be!”
Me? I’m for families, television and Santa Claus.
Merry Christmas!!
There is no real ending. There is just a place you stop the story. –Frank Herbert
