I’ve got a bunch of kids. And I’ve got a television. This is a recipe for disaster, especially around Christmas time. If my kids see an ad for a Christmas special they’re on their knees pleading
“pleasecanwestayuptowatchitjustthisonceandwepromisewe’llgorighttobedandwewon’thiteachotherevenwhentheydeserveitandwe’llevenreadtomorrowpleasepleaseplease…
And I invariably say yes mainly because Christmas specials were a big deal for me as a kid. A really big deal. But I’ve noticed something while watching Christmas specials with my kids…they stink. Most of them stink really bad. Never mind the fact that most don’t even mention Jesus outside of that weird long eared donkey one. They’re just really really bad. But some are worse than others. So here’s my list of the worst Christmas specials I’ve ever seen.
7) A Very Brady Christmas. It’s the Bradys but older and a lot more depressing. This was so bad that they couldn’t even get the actress who played Cindy back or the dude who played Sam the butcher. If you can’t get Sam the Butcher back it’s time to put a little work into the script. Do you know how bad a script has to be to make Cindy and Sam the Butcher refuse to do it.
But in the Brady Christmas special there was some kind of building or a mine collapse and Mr. Brady is caught in it and the whole family stops their busy busy lives to sing Christmas Carols outside the collapse so Mike can find his way up. If you ask me, Mike could’ve used his perm as a battering ram to clear a hole but that’s just me.
6) The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Special. That was on for the first time the other night but this was a commercial. Pure and simple -a commercial. The kids were so excited about this even though I’d never heard about it before. Afterwards, they must have felt like Ralphie decoding little Orphan Annie’s secret message to him to be sure to drink your ovaltine. A crummy commercial.
5) Christmas Comes to Pac-Land. Yup. It was a Pac-man Christmas special in the 1980’s. ‘Nuff said? No it’s even worse than that. It seems that Pac-Man and his family are attacked by those ghostie thingies that exist just to attack the Pacs. Pac-Man scarfs those pellet thingies and then goes ballistic on the ghostie thingies, sending their eyes floating up towards the sky. (Doesn’t sound very Christmasy, does it?) But here’s the thing. The floating eyes scare the heck out of the reindeer and Santa crashes and the Pacs find Santa in a coma and have to get him back up in the sky. And from what I remember it gets worse from there.
Rumor has it that Sam the butcher would’ve been more willing to appear in this than the Brady special.
4) A Star Wars Christmas Special. Hardly anyone remembers this debacle. The show was broadcast in its entirety only once, in the United States in 1978 on CBS. Chewbacca and Han Solo visit Kashyyyk, Chewbacca’s home world, to celebrate Life Day which is a lot like Christmas. There we meet Chewbacca’s family: his father Itchy, his wife Malla, and his son Lumpy.And, of course, they’re pursued by the Empire. It aired once and then George Lucas hid it away and promised the world that he would make something even worse one day called The Phantom Menace starring Jar Jar Binks.
3) He-Man’s Christmas Special. He-Man and She-Ra had to join forces yet against to save Christmas from the evil forces of Skeletor and Hordak. He-Man sums up the motto at the end: “Though we celebrate it and get presents, Christmas is about caring, sharing and goodwill and its spirit is within all of us.” (George Lucas probably thinks this was a great idea.)
2) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Now, what ticked me off is that this Christmas special actually changes the song. The song has grandma getting run over by Santa who hits and runs an old lady. The song has grandma dead. But the Christmas special thought it might be a little too Quentin Tarantino for kids to watch an old lady getting killed by Santa so they make it so that Grandma’s been living in sin with Santa up at the North Pole the entire special and she reappears near the end. What? Seriously, what?
1) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I know this one ranks among the best for many people but for me it’s terrible. I think the people who made “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” kinda’ forgot that Saint Nicholas was a saint.
Barring Donner, who is the worst father/reindeer ever, Santa was the biggest jerk in the North Pole. What were these animators thinking?
Santa’s jerkiness starts with the elves begging Santa to listen to a song they wrote for him and Santa’s like all bored and like ‘whatevs’ to these poor little elves who work night and day for cookies and all they want is for him just to listen to a little one minute song they wrote in praise of him. But then His Jerkiness harrumphs and says something like “needs work” and stomps off while Ms. Claus tries to pick up the pieces of their shattered little elf hearts and praises them a bit.
OK, you think maybe Santa was having a bad day? No. It gets worse. When Rudolph starts flying around all great, Santa hails Donner for his boy’s success but then when it turns out Rudy’s got a shiny beak, Santa turns on him and tells his good buddy Donner, “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” What?
What’s with this guy? His weight is fluctuating wildly. He’s refusing to eat. He’s threatening to cancel Christmas throughout the entire show. He’s banishing any toy with any defect whatsoever to the island of misfit toys. It’s Santa’s gulag. Stalin would be like, “Dude.”
I mean, Santa tossed a ‘Charlie in the box’ onto the island of misfit toys because he had a wrong name. I mean come on. Relegating a sentient being to a life of loneliness because of a little nomenclature problem? How much red tape could there be in the North Pole to change the toy’s name? Santa just doesn’t care.
And whoever heard of a Santa afraid of driving in the snow? Well here’s an idea, if snow’s gonna’ be a problem old man, move out of the North Pole!
There are lots of other really bad Christmas specials and I hope you find some good ones this year. My hopes are not high.
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LOL! I actually watched the Star Wars Christmas Special in 1978! I thought it was awesome! Yikes, right?
The only good thing about the Star Wars Christmas Special was the introduction of Boba Fett.
Your synopsis of Rudolph’s Santa is hysterical. I’ll never look at that special the same way again.
We used to watch Rudolph the Red Nose d Reindeer every year as kids. Then I watched it a couple of years ago as a grownup and thought “What the Hell am I watching?” Along with all the other characters mentioned above, I especially like Herbie the elf, who just wants to be accepted for who he is. After all, he’s not like all the other elves. He just wants to be a dentist. He was born that way, doncha know?
There’s this one that I watched with my son years ago and I’ve only seen it that once but it had this horrendous song in it “Grampa’s Going to Sue the Pants off of Santa.” It may have been Gramma. Two girls were dressed in those outfits with fruit on top of there heads singing it. What a mess! I’d actually kind of like to see it again just to make sure it wasn’t some weird hallucination, but my son remembers it too.
PS - I loved the Star Wars special too! Guess you had to be 10 at the time to appreciate it :-)
“Mike could’ve used his perm as a battering ram to clear a hole but that’s just me.”
LOL!! My sisters and I taped this one on our Beta machine and used to watch it all the time! haha - we loved it…yikes!
Trust youtube. I just found it! Still don’t know the movie’s name but a hideous Christmas song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yfoCnEMxRI
I happen to like Jar Jar and the Phantom Menace. What I can’t stand is the acting in the second film (whatever it was called: lovie dovie in the snuvvy or… something) and the insufferable pretentiousness of pretty much anyone not named Ian in the third. If they could have made the film with only Ian McEwen and Ian McDiarmid, it would have been a huge improvement.
Anyway, I hate Christmas specials, too. Except for the Fourth Wise Man.
Nicola- that song is from “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer” special. I was horrified watching that with my kids, it was like watching a train wreck. You couldn’t believe your eyes, but you just had to watch to find out what was going to happen. I had a nice discussion with my children- ages 5,8, and 11 that just because something is rated G doesn’t make it worthwhile to watch.
My pet peeve is how all the Disney and Hub cartoon shows change “Chrismats” into “Winter Holiday”. My kids were watching “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” and they were talking about celebrating “Winter Treasure Day.” I made my kids switch the channel.
Yeah….Nestor the Christmas Donkey: Rudolph had his red nose; so obviously, the Nativity must have done some outreach from an outcast that would be identifiable to kids! Those shepherds and kings are so boring. Solution: Create a stop motion donkey with excessively long ears. Have the other mules make fun of him. Have his mother die keeping him warm. Have him cry repeatedly on screen and a slow tin eared poetic cowboy narrator sing a mournful refrain to move the plot along. One plus: It’s not the little Drummer boy.
Verdict: Worse than Rudolph, because it’s not even original. Guilty for hijacking the Christmas story with a plot line from Bambi and adding the donkey mommy’s soul encouraging Nestor on his journey in a Luke Trust your feelings or Lion King Remember me kind of way. It’s also unwatchable for really bad singing.
word verification I kid you not, attack54. It’s justified.
Rudolph was one of my favorite Christmas specials, until I watched it last night. I agree with Matt that I didn’t realize how awful Santa was. I’m still a fan on How the Grinch stole Christmas, Christmas Vacation and Christmas Story.
The best Christmas special ever is still A Charlie Brown Christmas. Is anyone else surprised that some jittery network executive hasn’t edited out Linus reciting the gospel because its “offensive”.
To the previous poster: I love “A Charlie Brown Christmas” too. There was an article on “National Review” online about how originally Linus’s recitation of the Gospel of St. Luke was considered for editing before it went on the air in 1965.
Full story: www.nationalreview.com/articles/284093/gospel-according-ipeanutsi-lee-habeeb
As for A Very Brady Christmas, the reason the actress (Susan Olson) couldn’t play Cindy was that she was on her honeymoon in real life.
My vote would be is The Littlest Angel. A little boy falls off a cliff and dies and becomes an angel in Heaven just before Christ’s birth. All star cast, but it is completely different from Catholic POV.
To this day even as an adult, I still watch the Grinch, Charlie Brown, and Rudolph. And it would’be be Christmas without The Homecoming. Some years I watch Bells of St Mary, Silver Skates (Hans Brinker), Heidi (the bowl version) and at least one version of Christmas Carol/Scrooge.
As for A Very Brady Christmas, the reason the actress (Susan Olson) couldn’t play Cindy was that she was on her honeymoon in real life.
My vote would be is The Littlest Angel. A little boy falls off a cliff and dies and becomes an angel in Heaven just before Christ’s birth. All star cast.
To this day even as an adult, I still watch the Grinch, Charlie Brown, and Rudolph. And it would not be Christmas without The Homecoming. Some years I watch Bells of St Mary, Silver Skates (musical), Heidi (the bowl version) and at least one version of Christmas Carol/Scrooge.
FWIW, it’s “The Star Wars Holiday Special” and so perhaps not technically a Christmas special, even though as you note Wookiee “Life Day” celebrations include trappings similar to Christmas (such as trimming a tree).
If we’re counting pseudo-Christmas specials, then “Frosty Returns” (1992) is eminently deserving of mention. Here’s a cheery cartoon that replaces Christmas with a “winter carnival” and the Frosty magic with PC themes of global warming and corporate badness. Bah humbug! Coal in the stocking for the creative team!
“Olive the Other Reindeer.” I don’t even know if it’s on anymore. Drew Barrymore was the voice of Olive. My kids loved the book—it is a really fun book about a dog named Olive who hears the “Rudolf” song and thinks that “All of the other reindeer” is her and she has to help pull Santa’s sleigh—and were SO excited about the cartoon. Well…. it was nothing at all like the book. As I remember, it was post-modern ironic all the way. I can’t remember everythign that was bad about it, except that I was completely appalled. Do not let your kids watch it.
When I was kid I hated “The Little Drummer Boy,” a stop-motion show that used to be on. He was a rotten kid and everyone was horrible to him. But the one with Mr. Snow Meiser and Mr. Heat Meiser was a close second in awfulness. Oh, and how about the sequel to Frosty the Snowman, Frosty’s Return? Talk about cringe-worthy!
Charlie Brown Christmas is about the only one we ever watched…and then most of the time it would go by without notice.
As I read your description of Santa in “Rudolph” it was clear that the presentation of Santa reflects the media pushed attitude toward fathers. Typical then and now, men are depicted as uncaring, grumpy,bored and stupid, while the woman runs everything with brilliance so obviously it would be Mrs. Claus who picks up the pieces and holds the family together. Christmas and more are debunked. The state of things today. This leaves no male heroes for young boys to look up to - not even Santa, who is a saint. More could be said but I will leave it at that. Seriously, was these programs written by feminists?
If you haven’t seen Santa vs. the Snowman…you must. We discovered this gem a few years ago, and it cracks me up every time I watch it.
I especially agree on #6. I saw that, and I was shocked to see that it was, as you said, just a commercial for a cheesy stupid product.
My absolute all-time favorite is A Christmas Carol (1938) with Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart and Ann Rutherford! Watch this every year along with It’s a Wonderful Life (I love Jimmy Stewart), The Nativity Story, The Christmas Story and How the Grinch Stole Christmas and we try and find a televised ballet of The Nutcracker and The Star of Bethlehem (this documentary is amazing!!! Well worth watching. You can find it at http://www.bethlehemstar.net/) We don’t watch any other “Christmas” specials. Not worth the time…
Submission of true badness: New HeatMiser/Snow Miser Christmas with a Jay Leno type evil brother who pits them against each other and they have to Save Christmas.
Why does Christmas always need saving? It’s in more peril than Penelope Pitstop of the Wacky Racers.
Thank you, thank you everyone, you have made me so happy that we said goodbye to the television late last year. We watch the Rose Parade on the internet, and EWTN where the Christmas Specials are worth the strain on the eyes!! God bless you, spare you further “Christmas Specials,” and bring hope, health and abundance to your New Year.
Santa Claus vs the Devil?
MST3K did that one once, hilarious!
The original movie was… different
Thank you for that. I spit tea up on my keyboard. The only thing that saves Rudolph the Red from true awfulness is Herbie the Dentist elf, Yukon, and the Abominable Snowman. I was always fond of those guys.
My fave is still, hands down, “The Year Without A Santa Claus” because Heat- and Snow-meiser are just AWESOME!
But… but… Yukon Cornelius! What a boss! Maybe he should shove Santa over the cliff and take his job, like the Dread Pirate Roberts.
my husband actually owns a VHS copy of the star wars Christmas special, although, thankfully, he hasn’t made me watch it, although he HAS made me watch all of the MST3K Christmas Specials!
We will usually watch It’s a wonderful life, Miracle on 34th street (the original), and the Bells of St. Mary’s.
I just watched Rudolph with my little brothers, and yes, Santa is a total jerk. But Rankin Bass made way, way worse films besides that one. How about:
“Nestor the Long Eared Donkey” - why do dying family members have to be a Christmas theme? Totally traumatizing.
“The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus” - based on L. Frank Baum’s vaguely pagan story in which the “Council of Immortals” welcomes Santa to their ranks. Totally creepy.
Don’t get me started on all those ABC Family and Hallmark original movies. Totally sappy.
I have watched most of the Star Wars Christmas special on YouTube. It is quite a trip. It’s a must-see for all Star Wars fans, though not in a good way. :-)
This is my list of Christmas related movies that we’re going to try to find this year. If anybody wants to bash any of ‘em ahead of time, I’d appreciate it so we don’t bring home something terribly stupid.
The Little Drummer Boy, Book II
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
The Stingiest Man in Town
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
Bachelor Mother
The Bishop’s Wife
A Christmas Carol
Christmas in Connecticut
Holiday Affair
I’ll be seeing You
It happened on Fifth Avenue
The Man who came to Dinner
Remember the Night
Susan Slept Here
Tenth Avenue Angel
White Christmas
We’re No Angels
The Homecoming: A Christmas Story
Come to the Stable
Good Sam
Never Say Goodbye
Since You Went Away
Christmas Holiday (dark)
The Christmas List (maybe)
doesn’t anyone remember Santa Claus Conquers the Matians!? even my vcr refused to play that tape.
I make my family watch our DVD copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special every year. My son loves it, for some reason, grainy footage and all.
Although I detest the He-Man special, I have to point out that it does, in fact, mention the name of Jesus as the earth kids tell Orko about the meaning of Christmas.
Finally, if you can find it, check out Disney’s cartoon “Small One”, about the donkey that Mary rides to Bethlehem. It’s one of the best Christmas specials ever.
I agree with you that many of these ‘animated christmas features’are depressing. However, when our oldest daughter was little I purchased many of the ‘Saints’ animated features from EWTN, etc….& they all involved bullying, burning, imprisonment, boiling of children for lying (Fatima)just to name a few. So lighten up & we all have to learn what & how we can use these for points of instruction.
Sorry, but your comments about Rudolph are based on a basic plot-level misunderstanding. It wasn’t Santa who was banishing toys to the Island of Misfit Toys. They were brought there by that lion who was in charge of the island, who would search the whole world looking for toys that were not loved and bring them to the island where they would have a home. The Island of Misfit Toys is a charity project, more like a homeless shelter than a gulag.
Watched “elf on a shelf” the other night because I was told that it would be very good. Gathered my kids and we watched it together. Big disappointment. Didn’t realize that it was a brand new special, thought that I was out of the loop. It was terrible. Poor animation, poor story line. Didn’t like the voice characterizations.
I say, bring back some of the oldie but goodies! Little Drummer Boy, House Without a Christmas Tree, and The Waltons (Christmas)or (Thanksgiving??) Special (with Patricia Neal). It was the original Waltons. Don’t really see it anymore.
If we’re competing for the worst, then I win hands-down with “Shrek the Halls” which we actually watched in its entirety this week. Horrible!
When my kids were little I got “Wee Sing Best Christmas Video Ever” to keep them quiet while I got Christmas stuff done. THey absolutely loved it. As they got older they realized how truly terrible it was, and that has only made it more endearing to our family.
i like rudolph
...
saint nicklaus WAS a saint…when hes alive; but santa claus is his carry-on…and his carry-on has daily probs too, not the least of which is to fly the sleigh safely - through a storm?
We watch Home Alone 1 and 2 every year—my favorites!
I had no idea there was a He-man/She-ra Christmas Special! Just last Sunday my 5 y.o. daughter commented about that song, “O Come, O Come HE-manuel” We were cracking up, thinking of phrases like “By the power of Bethlehem, I am HE-manuel!” I guess we weren’t the first ones to think along these lines….
I sure wish they would see “The Bells of St. Mary’s and It’s A Wonderful Life! They are two of our favorites in our Motherhouse! We so enjoy the the National Catholic Register Blog each day. God Bles your work for the Churh! Happy Advent to you all!
Matthew, Matthew…we gotta talk, man.
First of all Pat, the elf’s name is HERMEY, not Herbie. Big difference for an essential part of pop culture. (Voiced, by the way, by Paul Soles who later voiced TV’s “Spiderman” in the 1960s and who was joined on that show by most of this voice cast.)
Second, Santa and Donner and the rest are SUPPOSED to be jerks. The whole idea of the show is a study on being true to yourself and not living up to what other people think you should be and do. Romeo Muller, the brilliant writer who wrote this script (and probably many other classic Christmas specials you hate) wrote it so the bad guys (including the bumble) REFORM. Sam the Snowman’s use of ONE WORD - “nonconformity” - should give you the idea. To Catholicize this a bit, check out Romans 12: 1-2. Muller presented a show very much in keeping with the spirit in which of the times (civil rights) in which he wrote it.
It is a show about rejecting what the world values (beauty, “silver and gold” materialism) and following your own path to success. You Cath-o-LIX gotta problem wid dat? Lighten up folks, it’s ADVENT!
A few of the BEST: available on DVD.
1. 1951 original dvd of Amahl and the Night visitors. 1st opera for television. 3 Kings journey to Bethlehem.
2. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Jule Styne took a break from composing Funny Girl with Bob Merrill to pen this, has awesome songs.
3. The Dabgerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood: Jule Styne again. a 18 yr. old Liza Minelli is Red riding Hood. Cyril Ritchard is memorable as the Wolf. Wonderful songs and spirit.
There r more but I have to drive home from work!!! Enjoy.
I submit “Holiday in Handcuffs” to be added. It was on ABC Family and I think it deserved at least a PG-13 rating. Horrible!
Much like the Star Wars special, there was a Sesame Street christmas special, which went on TV and fared pretty badly. Check out “A Special Sesame Street Christmas” - it’s awful!! Nothing like the other Sesame Christmas stuff. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Special_Sesame_Street_Christmas
I agree with Joanne….I’ll never look at that Rudolph special the same way again. :)
Trust me ... if “Christmas” is somewhere in the title, it’s almost guaranteed to be bad.
By the way, can somebody explain to me what the heck is so magical about A Christmas Story that people feel bound to watch it every flippin’ year!? Everybody finds it hilarious; I find it a 120-minute-long whining downer, like drinking gin and tonic at a piano bar and listing to some drunk crooning “Lazybones”. By contrast, the Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart was a laugh riot. (No, not really, but the Ghost of Christmas Past, a combination of Cate Blanchett and Carson Kressly, was worth a giggle or two.)
Yeah, Matt, now that you mention it, Santa was a jerk. Nevertheless, I’d rather watch Rudolph, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon, not Carrey), It’s a Wonderful Life, any Christmas Carol version save the Whoopi Goldberg mess (whatever happened to the musical, Scrooge?), and Charlie Brown Christmas on a 24-hour rotation than Elf once.
Oh…are people hating on A Charlie Brown Christmas now too? This thread has reached a new low.
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians! Pfffft! Hilarious. I loved the Santa in it—he was so dry and sarcastic, and I imagine he was probably taking hits from the flask backstage.
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Anthony: I don’t think it’s any coincidence that so many of CB’s roles are creepy ones. If she’s on the screen, I’m hiding under the couch.
I agree with Fr. Comerford: Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol is very good. It was on I believe NBC for several years in the 60s-70s, then fell away. Still have that tune in my head where Tiny Tim sings about “wazzlebewwy dwessing.”
My family’s all-time favorite Christmas movie, two generations running, is the Box of Delights - one of the two main characters is Blessed Raymond Lully who has survived 12th century Spain using his elixir of youth (a true Renaissance Man long before there was a Renaissance). In the movie he’s assisted by a young teen in 1920s England against the powers of darkness. It’s extremely rare (BBC 1980s, but now on DVD and still rare), 3 hours long, and one of the few movies better than the book. For about 25 years now, we’ve watched it 2 or 3 times a year (or more) - so charming, simple, and enriching. It has the stage defects of the BBC movies of that era, but anyone with an imagination could care less. I hope some of you can track it down. Happy advent!
re: my box of delights post - it’s on youtube if you think it’s moral to watch it there. It’s been up for 2 years, so the copyright owners don’t seem to mind.
“Santa Conquers the Martians”!!!!!! Just the title is a groaner and the movie does not veer very far from the groans that the title evokes.
And to think that anyone would think it is stupid that I celebrate what I term an “Orthodox” Christmas - no reindeers or santas in my house. I have a beautiful NAtivity from Africa and one from Peru…Jesus came for us all, but not to be mocked in stupid TV shows. Thanks for reminding us of the silliness that gets passed off as “holiday”. Give me a “Holyday”
A movie to consider for older teens and adults:
Joyeux Noel (2005) (Joyeux Noël original title)
On Christmas Eve during World War I, the Germans, French, and Scottish fraternize and get to know the men who live on the opposite side of a brutal war, in what became a true lesson of humanity.
Based upon the hundreds of true incidents of “Christmas Truces” that occurred during that War.
Nothing beats A Muppet Christmas Carol, with a close second being the one starring Patrick Stewart.
They tried to make a show about Rudolph’s brother Randalph the Brown Nose Reindeer, but it did not pan out so well. Randolph could run and fly as fast as Rudolph… he just could not stop as quick.
I can add to the list-ELF with Will Ferrell and anything on Lifetime.
OH no, friends, you don’t understand the Rudolph special at all!!
The authors were showing that nobody is perfect not even Santa.
What did the other reindeer do? they harassed Rudolph enough so he runs away, the elves make fun of the one who wants to be a dentist so he leaves too but to me it’s all about the Isle of Misfit Toys!!
the train with square wheels, the Charlie in the Box, they just don’t fit in with any “adults idea” of toys.
I used to cry for those toys; now I have them on my Christmas
tree to remind me that nothing is perfect.. not toys, not elves..
not even Santa he has his bad days too!
Accepting others for their defects and different outlooks that is the theme of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and if that isn’t what Jesus said then I don’t remember my Baltimore Cathechism!
(think about it.. you loved it as a child because you ‘got it’ you were part of the misfits.. as an adult you forgot!!!)
Happy Advent and Merry Christmas to all!
Tapestry
Technically, the North Pole is a desert so a snow storm might actually be a problem for Santa:
http://www.earthgauge.net/wp-content/EG_North Pole.pdf
“Robbie the Reindeer” has to be in that Top Five. Britney Spears was Donner and yet Donner is the father of Rudolph in the original show that Mr. Arnold mentioned above.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_the_Reindeer
LOL! After reading this list of “memorables,” (make it another round of LOLs) even Mr. Potter is made to look good in comparison to Jaba. But if you really want to find a topper to a good ol’ stinkin wicked cheap and nothing colder than a cheap New England Yankee banker in the dead of winter, Henry Winkler’s updated Depression era version of Scrooge—you’ll have to drive to New Hampshire to find one. Heck, you’ll find lots of them ... all vying to hold cold tea parties for GOP primary candidates. Brrrrrrrrrr. (Even Mr. Potter would be held as too liberal by NH Republican “standards” today. LOL! Ho ho ho!
Mr. Archbold,
You are taking “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” waaayyyy too seriously, dude!
Just kick back and enjoy the show!
How can this be your #1? In “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” Santa actually does cancel Christmas. Wasn’t that even meaner?
Steven:
Scrooge was always a liberal, because he hated Christmas, as all liberals do!
The 1938 Christmas Carol is my favorite version. You can see the love between Mr and Mrs Crachet (who were real life husband and wife), also a very young June Lockhart who became-for a time-Lassie’s mom. Besides-this is the one my parents watched when THEY were kids.
As for The Nutcracker-unless you can see a live performance-I recommend the Baryshnikov version.
And finally, no matter where you are-your local PBS stations usually have the best Christmas shows compared to commercial.
If you liked it on television, get the DVD.
Ok, I thought I watched too much TV. Not anymore. Funny article and funny comments. Mr. Magoo is good? Seriously? Oy vay! I know this is supposed to be about worst ever (Brady family is probably it for me)- but best ever is “Charlie Brown” and second best is Muppets Christmas Carol. Hands down. My whole family (17 of us) watched the Muppets dvd after trimming the tree at my parents house last weekend- with no texting or other extracurriculars going on. Unbelieveable. I’m 50 and there were seven grandkids(ages 21 down to 4)besides us eight oldsters. Sorry Fr. John, can’t do that with Magoo.
Matt,
according to Florence Henderson, that wasn’t a perm. Robert Reed got off the plane in Hawaii for a very brady special of some sort, and his hair curled up mightily all by itself, and she told him it looked good and convinced him to leave it that way.
Sorry Nick, this was pure vintage NH CHEAP Scrooge, colder than a Yankee Banker’s Heart tightfisted, cold-hearted Romneyesque toss ‘em out in the streets foreclosure Scrooge that only Bill and Nackey Loeb would’ve loved.
Or, come to think of it, you, too brother. Geeeesh, you Michigander conservatives are a tough. But lookit who you foisted on your state, Ebeenezer Snyder himself. LOL! Bewaarrrrrre of city take overs past. Even Henry Winkler wouldn’t think of playing this new Scrooge’s role.
Steven,
Snyder is no conservative. Nice try.
But, he is a thousand times better than Jenny-Pooh Granholm. In case you are ignorant of Jenny-Pooh, she spent 8 years trying to bankrupt the State of Michigan, as governor. And, she almost succeeded.
Liberals hate Christ, hate His Holy Catholic Church, and hate those who defend Her.
There are so many awful Christmas specials. I tried watching a Christmas movie last night and turned it off because the character spreading Christmas cheer was spreading the message “Christmas is the season when you make your own miracles happen”. This was so wrong on so many levels.
Oh, my gosh-reading some of these posts is making nearly bust out in laughter here in the library!
I haven’t had TV since things went ‘digital’ a couple of years ago. But I remember watching ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ and ‘Rudolph’ growing up. Some of these other things, like the ‘Star Wars’ and ‘He-Man’ specials, I’ve never seen them; they were probably on cable, which I never had.
I do have a VHS tape of ‘A Christmas Story’, which I and my late mother got from my older sister and her husband one Christmas. They and my twin sister watched the annual marathon of that movie on TBS. I have to admit it, the story is a scream!
Quid est Veritas-I’ve watched ‘The Bishop’s Wife’ (the older version with Cary Grant). I liked that one! Interesting that you listed ‘The Man Who Came To Dinner’; I just listened to a radio version of that a few days ago (a local NPR station has a ‘classic radio’ series of programs five nights a week). It starred Jack Benny and Gregory Peck, among others. I missed the first five minutes or so, but I stayed awake long enough to hear it to the end. It was hysterical!
So not every ‘Christmas special’ is bad or tasteless!
I remember loving Johann’s Gift to Christmas as a kid. It tells the story of the hymn Silent Night, but from the point of view of the mouse who chewed through the organ bellows at the church. There was also a story book about it that I found on a used book website. I love this story not only because Silent Night is my favourite Christmas hymn, but also because the town in Austria that Silent Night originated was my grandparents’ home town.
I must say that was quite entertaining. I love Christmas specials mind you, but it does bother me that the majority of them don’t mention the true meaning of Christmas. So I think people should be glad that Nestor The Long Eared Donkey is one that does. Another one is The Little Drummer Boy, which of course is based on the song of the same name.
I love the Christmas story because I’m a boomer and remember this stuff so well—-only difference is that we did have a TV (1950) but remember sending for “codes” from Captain Midnight and cereal boxes.
Plus, the little boy reminds me so much of my brother at that age. And the incidents of the coal furnace (and the dad) remind me of little incidents like that when I was little. Also (don’t know for sure) but looks like it was filmed in Cleveland, my home town.
My favorite religious one is “The Nativity”. I always watch the original “The Christmas Carol” and “Its’ a Wonderful Life” and “White Christmas.
I agree that a lot of the cartoons now are not very good. They should just stick to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. I’m glad that many of these movies are available on DVD’s now, and many are under $10.
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