Originally published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal, December 8, 2003.

Did everybody watch Rudolph last night? You know, the holiday classic, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"? The stop-action animated hour-long special? The annual network-television event? No? Me either. I got it on tape -- maybe I'll watch it later.

Oh my my, how times have changed....

Back in the day, the Rudolph broadcast constituted a holy day of obligation. When the first TV Guide after Thanksgiving arrived, you'd go through the listings with a red pen and put a star next to the date and time (along with the Grinch and the Peanuts Christmas Special). Then, eight o'clock. Silence! Shut up! Nobody move! I'm concentrating here. This is my one shot at seeing this till next year, and I've got to memorize it!!! And don't talk to me during commercials! It might be one for those magical Dolly Madison cakes or that Norelco one where Santa sleds around on a shaver.

But even though I didn't take the time to watch it last night, I've had Rudolph on my mind. So when I was casting about for a way to make Michigan's budget crisis a little bit interesting (not so much for readers to read but for me to draw), I thought, Rudolph. Then I thought, Rudolph getting caught and eaten by the Abominable Snowman. Seriously. It was as simple as that: "Point A to Point B." Then it was just a matter of slapping on some labels and contriving a way to draw Sam the Snowman (the narrator dude). He's so cool. If I get to heaven, I want to have Burl Ives narrate my life back to me.

By the way, the Abominable Snowman (a.k.a., the Bumble) looks happy in the comic (not mean and menacing) because that's the way he always looked. And it creeps me out. He has that scary clown thing goin' on.

Sorry, no other cohesive thoughts at the moment, so here are some of my favorite Rudolph-related memories:

* Working at Halo Burger when a somewhat large worker fell down the basement steps and my friend Mert, upon finding out that she was not hurt, calling upstairs to us other workers, "Don't worry -- Bumbles bounce!"

* Talking about, but not having the guts to, going into a job interview for an engineering internship and after getting the "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" question, announcing in a Hermey voice, "I want to be a dentist."

* Watching Rudolph some years later with our kids and Jane whispering to me, "Dang, Santa was kind of a pr*ck, wasn't he?"

* Announcing to my kids that they need to go to bed so Jane and I can have some time, "All right! All right! From now on, we won't let you kids play in any of our reindeer games!"