IT WOULDN'T BE THE YULE LOG IF IT WEREN'T LIVE:

When yule log first aired in 1966, it was a huge hit with New Yorkers -- many of whom didn't have a fireplace. Lawrence "Chip" Arcuri vividly remembers the first time he saw it. It was 1972 and his family had just moved to New Jersey. They found the program on television by accident.

"We have the fireplace on one side of the family room blazing away in full color and vigor and then on the other side of the family room, the TV would be blazing away with the yule log," Arcuri says. "And we probably watched the TV more than the real fireplace." [...]

The WPIX yule log has consistently been a ratings hit, but it probably won't ever be released on DVD.

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