Vignettes

Good Night, John Boy

The 40th anniversary of "The Homecoming" reunites the Waltons—and reignites the meaning of Christmas.

A few years ago, a friend of one of my children hurled an unusual insult at me. We arguing about my being over-protective, and he chose these words to  attack my attempts at setting a curfew: “You’re such a Walton!” Of course, being in argument mode, I matched his slur with a pop-culture putdown of my own. “Well, it’s better than being a Soprano.” (This had nothing to do with his ethnic background and everything to do with criminal activity. Just sayin’.) But despite my well-chosen retort, I was secretly pleased at his accusation. Sure, I know it meant that he (and perhaps the rest of the world) thought I was hopelessly behind the times, holding onto old-fashioned values and ideas, and maybe even that I didn’t dress well. So be it. I have …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (10)