Little Children

exuberant excited joyful vulnerable imperiled central to reform

Little children appear in Bob Hope's Christmas special monologue, yelling 'Merry Christmas' with raw excitement. Their voices capture the joyful, unrestrained energy of the holiday, contrasting with the quiet yearnings and whispers he describes next. Broadcast into a snowbound city apartment, this reference sets a nostalgic tone amid carolers singing 'Silver Bells' outside, underscoring public cheer against private White House tensions. They embody youthful holiday spirit in a fleeting TV moment that humanizes the episode's Christmas Eve atmosphere.

3 appearances

Little Children's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

3 moments

S4E11 · Holy Night

Apartment Window: Silver Bells and Bob Hope's Monologue

Excited and spontaneous as described—symbolic of unguarded public merriment.

Invoked by the TV monologue as voices that 'yell "Merry Christmas",' the little children are not seen but are used to represent raw, unabashed holiday excitement that contrasts with quieter …

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S4E11 · Holy Night

Bob Hope's Quiet 'Merry Christmas' on a Snowbound Night

Portrayed as ecstatic and unselfconscious through the echo of the monologue.

Mentioned within Bob Hope's monologue as the archetype of unfiltered holiday joy — children who 'yell "Merry Christmas"' and animate the phrase with excitement.

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S4E11 · Holy Night

From Rankings to Lives: Bartlet Frames an Education Emergency

Implied vulnerability and passive suffering—used to motivate Bartlet's moral argument.

The 'Little Children' are referenced indirectly as the human focus of Bartlet's shift from statistics to moral urgency; they do not speak in the scene but function emotionally as the …

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