Like most kids of a certain age, we had our holiday classics which we watched religiously at this time of the year. ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas‘, ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas‘, ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer‘ and all those other stop-motion Santa Claus features. One of the oddly-disturbing ones was ‘Frosty the Snowman’, which always brought me to the verge of tears.
In order to save Frosty, his friend and creator Karen boards a train to deliver him to the North Pole, where he won’t be in danger of melting. As they near their destination, and the world turns all wintry and white with snow, they find themselves outside, where Karen is chilled and in need of warmth. As happens in magical situations, there just so happens to be a greenhouse in the middle of this snowy night, and they duck into it to spend the night and warm Karen up.
Frosty: ‘Cause when the thermometer gets all reddish, the temperature goes up. And when the temperature goes up, I start to melt! And when I start to melt, I get all wishy-washy.
When Karen wakes from her nap, all she finds is Frosty’s magical top hat and a big puddle where Frosty used to be. My heart always broke at that scene, no matter how many times I’d seen it. I wondered if it was as traumatic for anyone else.
As much as the scene tramautzed me, it also intrigued and enchanted. A greenhouse in the midst of a snowy night felt magical, like one of those gorgeously contrasted sensations when one cuddles into a nest of blankets in the midst of a chilly room – the feeing of being warm and cozy while in close proximity to a cold and wintry world.
I also love a greenhouse in the middle of a frightful winter – it is good for the soul. I make weekly pilgrimages to the local nursery during the winter just to save my sanity. Breathing in warm and humid air and smelling the earthly delights is a balm for my mental well-being – at any time of the year, but particularly so in the winter.
Santa Claus: Don’t cry, Karen, Frosty’s not gone for good. You see, he was made out of Christmas snow and Christmas snow can never disappear completely. It sometimes goes away for almost a year at a time and takes the form of spring and summer rain. But you can bet your boots that when a good, jolly December wind kisses it, it will turn into Christmas snow all over again.
Karen: Yes, but… He was my friend.
Santa Claus: Just watch.
As for Frosty, the happy ending always rang a little hollow, but every year I would watch it all over again, hoping for some other outcome, hoping he would escape into the world of winter when he had a chance, save himself before he needed to be saved, and live happily ever after. We all want the Christmas miracle.
