The Night of the Meek aired on December 23, 1960 and was episode eleven of season two of The Twilight Zone. It stars the iconic comedic actor, Art Carney as Henry Corwin who works as a department store Santa. Henry drinks heavily and is fired by his job by his manager played by the character actor, John Fiedler. Henry shares that the reason he drinks so much is because he lives in a boarding house with people who are poor and is frustrated that he cannot make their wishes comes true. It breaks his heart that he cannot do more for others and hides his pain in the bottom of a bottle.

Henry declares that if he had just one wish granted him on Christmas Eve, he'd "like to see the meek inherit the earth." After stumbling around in an alley he finds a large burlap bag with toys and decides to take it and distribute the gifts. Of course the police are called and is promptly arrested by an Officer Flaherty. At the station his magical bag shows to hold only cans but when Mr. Dundee (Fiedler) asks for proof Henry gifts him a vintage bottle of cherry brandy. Henry's former boss believes him and Officer Flaherty lets him go to continue to distribute the gifts to everyone he can. 

When Henry brings back the bag one of the men he gifted asks him if he received a gift himself. Henry declares that if he could receive anything it would be to have the chance to give to people every year. A elf shows up and Henry realizes that his wish has come true and he becomes the true Santa Claus. 

Carney's interpretation as a down on his luck wannabe Santa is nothing short of moving, magical, and inspirational. Carney's vulnerable performance as a man who suffers great pain witnessing the pain of others and only wishes he could relieve their suffering by giving them a gift is exactly what the spirit of Christmas is all about. Carney as Santa reminds all of us of what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

Cora creates a special bond with the twelve year old Ilsa and becomes her main source of comfort and support. Ilsa deals with many changes which include being with adults who speak verbally and being sent to a regular school where her teacher has zero patience with Ilsa's inability to verbally speak. Eventually friends of Ilsa's parents come to check on her but Cora has a hard time letting her go. Cora lost her only child years ago and felt an instant maternal connection to Ilsa that she hadn't felt for years. The Werner's notice the bond Cora and Ilsa have created and realize that Ilsa's parents only saw her as an experiment and that staying with the Wheeler's is the better choice for Ilsa. 

This episode is sweet and charming and shows how an unbreakable bond can be created between two people when they least expect it. The bond between Cora and Ilsa also shows how we can create connections with people that can change our lives for the better. Cora and Ilsa help to heal each other's emotional wounds and it really is beautiful to watch.

"Time Enough at Last" is the 8th of Season One of The Twilight Zone. It stars the amazing Burgess Meredith as Henry Bemis who is bank teller and bookworm. Bemis is easily distracted by the books he is reading which often leads him to not being the best bank teller. His passion for books can be seen as a hobby or a passion or even an obsession. Bemis is the ultimate book nerd.

What Bemis wants more than anything is more time to read. The fewer the obstacles that get in the way of reading more books the better. Bemis usually takes his lunch breaks in the bank vault so that he will not be distracted. While in the vault he reads a newspaper that says, "H-Bomb Capable of Total Destruction", moments later a huge explosion happens outside. When Bemis recovers from the explosion he leaves what is left of his bank and quickly realizes that the world around him has been destroyed. 

Bemis is devastated at the prospect of being alone forever until he discovers that the local library still has books that have not been destroyed. Realizing that he now has all the time in the world to read all the books he wants without responsibilities or distractions, he begins to collect them. Right when he bends over to pick up his first book to read he trips and falls breaking his glasses. When he picks up his glasses they are completely broken. Poor Bemis begins to cry because he is blind without his glasses and now not only is he alone but can never read a book again.

This episode is the definition of bittersweet. The idea of being so close to having the thing you want most in this world and having that thing being taken away so easily and quickly. Henry Bemis's story is a cautionary tale about being careful about what we wish for but also a reminder about the difference between solitude and loneliness. All Bemis wanted was enough time and solitude to read the books he wanted to read but with the world destroyed and his inability to read he is left in sheer loneliness. 

Time Enough At Last (1959)

Judgement Night  (1959) 

And When the Sky Was Opened (1959)

The Last Flight (1960)

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street (1960)

Nightmare as a Child (1960)

After Hours (1960)

A World of His Own (1960)

People Are Alike All Over (1960)

Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room (1960)

Eye of the Beholder (1960)

The Trouble with Templeton (1960)

Will The Real Martin Please Stand Up (1961)

It's a Good Life (1961)

Deaths-Head Revisited (1961)

Once Upon a Time (1961)

A Piano in the House (1961)

To Serve Man (1962)

Cavender is Coming (1962)

The Changing of The Guard (1962)

Ring-a-Ding Girl (1963)

Miniature (1963)

Passage on the Lady Anne (1963)

The Bard (1963)

Number 12 Looks Just Like You (1964) 

Night Call (1964)

Spur of The Moment (1964)

The Masks (1964)

The Bewitchin' Pool (1964)

I don't think I have ever watched a Twilight Zone episode where there was one lone, main character that truly shined as brightly as the one in this episode. This episode first aired on October 14, 1960 and it starred Joe Mantell who was known for his role as Angie in the 1955 film, Marty. Mantell plays an insecure and anxiety ridden small time gangster named Jackie Rhoades who ends up going through some major changes.

The episode begins with Jackie pacing the confines of his cheap motel room talking to himself, sweating profusely wondering when he is going to get a call from George (William D. Gordon) about his next illegal job. Eventually George does offer him a job but it is to kill an old man who is in George's way. After George leaves, Jackie's reflection in the mirror begins to talk to him. The reflection refers to himself as John and begins to question Jackie on why he can't try to be a better version of himself.

This is where it gets interesting. Mantell gives an incredible performances playing two versions of himself debating and bickering on what kind of person they could be. It's John (reflection) who confronts Jackie with wanting to live his best life. Jackie argues with John because of the fear of the unknown and the possibility of living a better life.

The idea of living your best life is a topic I have heard a lot in the past few years. But what does that mean exactly? This episode asks a powerful question and it reveals its answer in the very end. It asks us to look at ourselves in the mirror and face who we are and ask ourselves the hard questions. Are we happy with who we are? Can we be a better person? This episode is a powerful one and it lingers in your mind days after you watch it. 

One night Whitely convinces a group of residents from the home to play kick the can with him. A short time later Whitely and the others are assumed to have turned into children. Conroy didn't join them in their game because he saw aging as inevitable, something he comes to quickly regret when he sees Whitely has reverted into a boy again. Whitely doesn't recognize him and runs away leaving Conroy realizing the missed opportunity in regaining his youth.

Recapturing your youth can be a tricky thing. You can attempt to turn back the clock by changing how you look but its how you think about life that really helps you recapture youth. Whitely was right to a point. Thinking young can keep you young in many ways. It doesn't take away your experiences, knowledge, or bags of luggage from your past, but it can help you stay connected to that child within you. 

When we think of the holidays many of us may think about the gifts we plan to give or to receive. The lists are written and checked and rechecked to make sure we haven't forgotten anything. But something we might forget is sometimes is when we get things that we need without realizing that we need it. One such story can be found in the episode of The Twilight Zone called, "What You Need".  Ironically it aired on December 25, 1959 and it was the twelfth episode in Season One. It starred Steve Cochran as Fred Renard and Ernest Truex as Pedott, a peddler. 

The episode is simple, a meek old man approaches strangers and gifts them things they may need because he has the uncanny ability to to gift people what they need before they need it. But things then go wrong when Renard keeps asking the peddler for more items that he may need. Time and again Renard is saved from whatever item the peddler gave him (or that he takes) until it backfires on him permanently. Renard wants to take more than the peddler is willing to give and in the end although he gets what he needs, he pays the ultimate price for his greed.

We may not be able to see into the future like the peddler does but what if we were able to give ourselves and others what they needed instead of what they may want? For the holidays, the new year to come, or just any day, maybe we can give more of what is needed. For example, we could reach out and call someone we haven't spoken to in a while, we can text a friend "hello", mail a birthday card to loved one, or even just simply comment on their photo letting them know how fantastic it was. What if we pampered ourselves more by doing a face mask, painting our nails, or watching a nice movie? Giving ourselves and others around us the little things that we may need can really uplift our spirits and theirs as well. We can't go out and do the usual things we did to support others or to tend to our own well beings but there are so many other ways we can help each other along these challenging journeys we are all on. 

So next time you give think about what you may want, think about what the peddler might give you if you saw him. And ask yourself, what do I really need?