Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

Anyone who was a kid in the ‘60s and ‘70s likely has more than a passing familiarity with the names Rankin and Bass. I’m no different.

In fact, I am not only familiar with the names, I am a fan of Rankin/Bass. My partner, Rebecca, is, too.

Rankin/Bass T.V. specials, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and “The Little Drummer Boy” are perennial favorites in this household. Then there’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus.”

“The Year Without a Santa Claus” is a special favorite because of two characters: the Miser Brothers, Heat Miser and Snow Miser, and the musical number they perform. Yeah, we nerd out and sing along every time.

It should come as no surprise that we have Christmas ornaments and plush toys of Rankin/Bass characters. Over the years we’ve accumulated quite a few, mainly from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with an item or two from “Frosty the Snowman.”

So imagine our excitement when we discovered a Christmas ornament featuring both Miser Brothers was being sold by Hallmark for about $20. Our excitement quickly vanished when I tried to purchase the ornament online.

The ornament is “Out of Stock” at the online versions of the Hallmark store and reputable retailers like Kohl’s as well as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. Through Amazon the item is offered for about $55. At other sites, which are not familiar to me, it is offered for $68 or more.

I actually started looking to buy this ornament in July with plans to include it among birthday gifts for Rebecca’s August birthday.

While I’m not sure if the ornament’s unavailability is due to overwhelming consumer response or supply chain issues, I am sure of one thing: unless I find it somewhere at or near its original price this will be The Year Without “The Year Without a Santa Claus” ornament for us.