December 24, 1966: At 9:30 PM, New York television station WPIX, Channel 11, begins airing a six-minute loop of a Yule log burning in a fireplace. The program, titled simply Yule Log, was in color, and aired all through Christmas Day, December 25. In the years to come, other TV stations -- usually "independent" stations, not aligned with a major network -- would also run it.
The original footage was filmed on 16-millimeter film, at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York. (At the time, John Lindsay.) It was replaced in 1970, with a seven-minute loop, on 35-millimeter film.
In recent years, WPIX usually runs a marathon of 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners on Christmas Day. But it usually takes 5 hours out of the day to run Yule Log. (On both the 4th of July and New Year's Eve, they run a marathon of The Twilight Zone.)
The Yule log was originally one of the traditions that Christmas borrowed from the Winter Solstice. It was believed that burning one fended off evil spirits. Eventually, it became a symbol of Christmas cheer.
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December 24, 1966 was a Saturday. Actor Diedrich Bader was born.
There was only one college football game played on this Christmas Eve, the Sun Bowl, at the stadium of the same name, in El Paso, Texas. The University of Wyoming beat Florida State, 28-20.
Baseball was out of season. The NFL and the AFL were between their regular seasons and their Championship Games. And no games were played in the NBA.
There were 2 games played in the NHL. The New York Rangers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3 at the Montreal Forum. And the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins, 3-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The Chicago Black Hawks and the Detroit Red Wings were not scheduled.
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