THE YULE LOG

People praise TV for entertaining, for informing, for enlightening. But sometimes the most important thing TV does is just being there: shedding heat, light and noise in the background, watching us as much as we watch it. The Yule Log is the epitome of TV's being-thereness. The brainchild of a manager at local New York City station WPIX, the Log is just what it says: a continuous loop of a log burning in a fireplace to the tune of Christmas carols, for families without a fireplace of their own. It offers no story, no cartoon characters, just companionship and comfort. The phrase "electronic hearth" was never more true.

— James Poniewozik