‘The Larkins at Christmas’ Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for ‘The Larkins’ Holiday Special. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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These days, the Holiday season seems to be more polarizing than ever. After all, there are some who firmly believe that there is a ‘War on Christmas’ taking place because people now say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. Which is a silly and wasteful debate for certain. Plus, a great of deal of people are concerned about the commercialization of the holidays, since events like Black Friday have made the gift the focus of a season that they believe is about unity and harmony above all else. If anything, all of these Holiday conflicts, make it no surprise that we often hear people declare that they wish we could go back to a simpler time, when the season was about love and unity and nothing more.

A statement that quite frankly begs an important question. In that, was there ever really such a time where that kind of harmony in the Holiday season existed? Well at it turns out, The Larkins at Christmas is a Holiday special that takes the time to ponder upon that question. After all, it is set in a simpler time, the 1950s, and that should allow for us to get a better idea as to whether or not the Holidays back then were a joyous time or as conflicted as they are now and this special wasted little time in informing us of the possibility… that a 1950s Christmas, offered both harmony and chaos. A feat that it accomplished by taking us on quite the emotional rollercoaster for this intrepid and loving family.

Because on the one hand, they got the best gift they could ask for. In that, Mariette and Charley enjoyed their time abroad and got the traveling bug out of their system and returned home for good. Reuniting everyone at last. Plus, the town was abuzz over Edith taking over the Nativity special and love and hugs were everywhere and that’s when the wild ride came into play. For Pop and Ma thought it would be nice to have Charley’s parents over for a Holiday lunch since the two lovebirds were getting so cozy and close and that uh, that went bad. Since Charley’s parents harbored polarizing personalities and were judgmental and distant during a time when we believed unity was the priority. Plus, the Nativity scene was falling to pieces and to top it all off, there was a thief going about town swiping incredible valuables from everyone’s home, during the Holiday season, and well… this polarizing presentation of the season, made one thing inherently clear.

In that, the Holiday season has always been up and down for humanity, we just allow for the memories that bought us utter joy as kids during that time of year, to guide our belief in what it should always feel like. But what’s wild, is that the show also pointed out… that we can in fact recreate those memories and create a joyous season. Provided of course, we do our best to cut through the frustrations and the drama and remind others of the purity of the season, which is what the Larkins did here. Which allowed for peace on Earth to be found between Charley and his parents, and it let the Nativity scene bring joy to all and it even pushed Pop Larkin to save the thief from harming himself further and their efforts allowed for a harmonious Holiday to take place. One that even featured the engagement of Charley and Mariette. 

In the end, this was simply a brilliant holiday special when all is said and done. Since it really works hard to point out that the Holiday season is what we make it, and we should be taking a page from the Larkin playbook and working to spread love and cheer throughout the season. And there really is something quite wonderful about seeing a show set seventy years ago, not only point out how little has changed, but that there is a better way, one that we all badly need to embrace in these trying times. Which just goes to show that this is one the finest feel-good shows out there and hopefully… a new season of The Larkins will be green-lit and soon. So, we can once again spend time with this pure and delightful family, one that makes a point to remind us of the power of kindness and what it can do for the people we encounter in our travels.

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