Today I want to tell you which Christmas specials I like, and which I don't. Now I haven't seen every special in existence, so these are only going to be the ones I have seen for obvious reasons.
You're in for a fairly lengthy but hopefully entertaining read.
Christmas Specials I Like (ascending order)
These go from "kind of meh" to awesome.
Rudolph 2: The Island of Misfit Toys
Yeah, I'm surprised too. A CGI sequel in addition to the already existing horrid Rudolph sequels?
But this is more like it. Rudolph and his buddies, including Hermy and Yukon Cornelius returning the second time around, want to find out who's terrorizing the misfit toys. It's basically Christmas meets Toy Story 3. And it's actually not that bad of a special, or could at least be a lot worse. The characters are instantly recognizable and some of the scenes are kind of interesting and action-packed. An instant classic? Maybe not. But it's a nice little story, if not a little predictable (again, think Toy Story 3), one that I wouldn't mind showing to my own kids. It's more official than the other "sequels."
The Year Without a Santa Claus
This could very easily have gone down as one of the terrible Rankin-Bass specials, but it's not. The premise is that Santa is getting a bit tired of his job, believing that there is no more Christmas spirit. So it's up to two of his elves to go down south and find some. Maybe making it snow in an unusually warm place will do the trick, if they can convince the two Miser Brothers to make it happen.
If you haven't seen this, it's obvious that you might be thinking this one's a little weird. But it's not. It's not the greatest of the classics, but it has some charm: the Miser Brothers are actually great and iconic characters, the songs here are actually pretty darn good, and there's some decent humor. Granted, I can take or leave this one, but there are some claymation specials that are far worse.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)
I'm always surprised when I hear that Dr Seuss didn't actually like this classic adaptation of the mean Grinch who goes down to Whoville and steals every Christmas detail from the village. It seems to capture all the charm of the regular book (just look at the Whos!). It has the classic song, a good message, and very memorable characters and rhymes. What more can I say?
It's a Wonderful Life
I like the plot here, but it's a little lower on the list because it doesn't necessarily scream Christmas to me. It definitely had me hooked the first time I saw it, and it's a nice story. We need more movies like this, that aren't just for kids but aren't filled with raunchy humor either. If the story of George's life doesn't thrill you, the second half with Clarence the angel probably will. It's just a solid, enjoyable story.
The Disney Christmas Specials
I'm putting these in a bundle just because they're all equal. I've actually forgotten to include "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and "Very Merry Christmas Songs" here, two sing-a-long videos that are classics, especially the former.
Mickey's Christmas Carol is just that: the timeless classic with Disney characters. For a short special, they absolutely do this story justice. The time period and characters just feel right (Uncle Scrooge as Scrooge...perfect).
Mickey's Magical Christmas is a House of Mouse special with several classic cartoons, including Mickey's Christmas Carol. When everyone gets snowed in at the House of Mouse, they gather to watch special holiday cartoons while trying to get Donald into the Christmas spirit.
Once/Twice Upon a Christmas are just a compilation of original Disney Christmas tales, and they're pretty memorable. I would say these are the best of the three choices. It's hard to pick which one I like best. I wanted to hate the sequel for the CGI, but honestly...everything is so spot-on that it feels like classic Disney. Don't pass this one by.
In Once, we watch as Huey, Dewey, and Louie wish for Christmas to happen every day, Max tries to believe in Santa, and as Mickey and Minnie play out a version of Gift of the Magi. In Twice, we watch as Minnie and Daisy get competitive at a skating competition, Huey Dewey and Louie sneak to the North Pole to make the Nice List and accidentally cause chaos, Max brings a girl home for Christmas only to be embarrassed by Goofy, Donald's grumpy attitude nearly ruins his family's holiday, and as Pluto runs away to the North Pole after getting in trouble. People say that Twice isn't that good, but I have to disagree. I think they did a good job with it and it feels like classic Disney to me.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Unhappy with the greed of his friends, Charlie Brown sets out to find the true meaning of Christmas by directing the Christmas pageant. It goes exactly the way you'd think it would, until Linus steps in and shares the real meaning. Then everyone comes together to give Charlie Brown a great gift. Classy, not too flashy, and uplifting, this is one of the best Charlie Brown holiday specials (although Easter Beagle and Great Pumpkin are both better in my opinion). It's short and sweet, everything you'd want from a Charlie Brown holiday. Peanuts specials do tend to be a bit disjointed/unclear with the story, but you just have to throw that out the window. They're good specials.
If you're watching the TV version, be sure to also check out Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales afterward. It's a collection of holiday snippets, most of them takes straight from the comic. I like seeing my favorite strips play out on screen. I think it's cute.
Christmas Inheritance
This is a fairly recent Netflix special I watched in July because I heard that an actor I liked was in it. It's definitely Hallmark-y; the main character is even inheriting a company that's identical. Basically, her father wants to send her to the small town of Snow Falls to hand-deliver a Christmas letter to her Uncle Zeke...but he only gives her $100 with which to do it, to get rid of her spoiled habits. To save money, she does work at a local inn to earn her keep and forms a relationship with the owner. As time passes and she still can't track down her uncle, she begins to get to know the power of charity by helping the town's residents plan some wonderful Christmas events.
Yes, it's somewhat corny at times. But I used to have a bias against Hallmark movies, until I realized that some of them can actually make you feel really good! The romance isn't over-the-top (the super sappy fairy tale-esque movies do turn me off), which helped, and it really does put you in the Christmas spirit. If you're into that sort of thing, or are just looking to break into the genre, give it a try. I had more fun with this than I expected and I started thinking of Hallmark movies a little differently.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The classic tale of "everything that can go wrong will," Christmas Vacation is one of those that doesn't have as strong of a plot. Still, when Clark has the whole family (including Cousin Eddie) over for Christmas, the antics provided more than make up for it. At least that long anticipated Christmas bonus will make up for it, right? It's a full-on laugh fest that will make you realize that it's not who's around the tree that matters, but....well, yeah, it does, but not in the way that you think. In fact, sometimes that wacky family and their mishaps make the holiday.
A Garfield Christmas
Surely this one is underrated. Garfield wakes up to discover that he has been given lasagnas and a gift-giving machine for Christmas. It turns out that this is a dream, and what he will actually be doing is driving down to the farm with Jon and Odie to visit the family. Together they have dinner, read bedtime stories, trim the tree, open gifts, and sing carols. Garfield also forms a relationship with Grandma and comes up with something nice for her on Christmas Day. It's not plot-heavy, but I always look forward to this one. I love seeing Garfield celebrate the holidays on screen, and seeing his family is also very nostalgic and enjoyable to watch. Some of the songs are filler, yes, but otherwise this special is short but sweet. Good to watch if you like the comic.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
This one does a great job of answering all the questions about Santa and explaining his origin story. Essentially, a baby boy ends up blowing away and into a family of elves, and that's only where it begins. Viewers will discover, alongside a cast of characters, why Santa does his work at night, why we use Christmas stockings, how he got his magic, and how and why he met Mrs. Claus. Depending on what airing you're catching, the future Mrs. Claus has a very dramatic, 70s-esque musical number. It's sometimes cut from the program; so look out for it! Speaking of music, it's very good here. Everything is very catchy and all around, it's an enjoyable program. Still, if you want to see the full thing, buy it on DVD because there is another number that is always almost left out of TV airings due to differences with beliefs of the time period about what is "appropriate."
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You know how it goes. A young reindeer born with a red nose struggles to fit in with the other reindeer and runs away. He eventually meets up with some other misfits: Hermy, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, who is looking to strike gold. They eventually wind up at the Island of Misfit Toys, where they consider how to find these unusual toys homes. When Rudolph arrives back home, he ends up saving the day when a historic blizzard hits, both for kids around the world and for the misfit toys. A bit of a disjointed story, but a classic anyway. A must see every year!
I'd always liked this one better than its cousin, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, for some reason. It's kind of weird in a way, given how so many characters are a jerk to Rudolph. I just chalk it up as wanting to teach kids a lesson about being different. It also had to fit the song, I guess. It also pretty much defined the North Pole aesthetic. The buildings among snow, the animals, the elf outfits...so much of what we know about the famous place comes from Rudolph. Movies like Elf take inspiration directly from it.
I'd always liked this one better than its cousin, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, for some reason. It's kind of weird in a way, given how so many characters are a jerk to Rudolph. I just chalk it up as wanting to teach kids a lesson about being different. It also had to fit the song, I guess. It also pretty much defined the North Pole aesthetic. The buildings among snow, the animals, the elf outfits...so much of what we know about the famous place comes from Rudolph. Movies like Elf take inspiration directly from it.
Arthur's Perfect Christmas
I can't be the only adult who likes this. Whenever I come across an Arthur episode on YouTube, the comment section is saturated with "I'm 36 and I still watch Arthur!" or "What am I doing as a college student watching Arthur at 2 AM?" Simply put, it's that good of a cartoon. And while the show sometimes gets preachy with a message near the end, it's usually not throughout most of the episode. The characters are so well-fleshed out that this could be real life with animals...and even then sometimes I forget they're animals...but they wouldn't work as well for me if they were people either....which is weird. I genuinely love this special and find it just an entertaining as any full-length movie.
This one is a hodgepodge of greatness and several different storylines. First you have Arthur, who is looking forward to the best Christmas ever, but things keep not going his way..the tree, the dinner, no snow, the gift (that one hurts to watch every year). When his uncle Fred shows up, maybe he'll get a Christmas miracle after all. You have Buster, whose mother is so stressed out and frantic trying to create the perfect Christmas that she keeps thinking it's the 25th and wakes Buster at 6 every day with pancakes and presents. Will Buster find a solution? It's also Muffy's big Christmas party, and Francine can't come because she is celebrating Hanukkah that day. But Muffy won't listen, and this causes a rift between the two. There's also a running gag of Binky trying to perfect a Christmas dessert but always getting things wrong.
Be forewarned: this kids' special does something unprecedented. There are considerable hints that there is no Santa, especially when D.W. is asking for Tina the Talking Tabby and her parents tell her that not everyone can have everything, and share anxious glances with one another. Not all kids may pick up on this, but some very well could.
Elf
A human who was raised as an elf goes to New York, innocent spirit with him, to find his real father and to get to know him a little better. The only problem? His father is actually a greedy publishing executive on the Naughty List who doesn't care for people who think they are elves. When disaster strikes on Christmas Eve, everyone comes together to save Santa through the power of Christmas spirit.
The real magic of Elf is how you could either put it on at a second-grade class party or your office party and have everyone be entertained. Almost every Christmas movie fan loves it, and it's such a great premise that doesn't try to cater to any age group. Not some naysayers who aren't as big fans say that it wouldn't have been a good movie if not for Will Ferrell. I gotta say, he rocks it. And all the comedy here is spot-on. But what if, what if, someone else was playing the role? There are some comedic actors who could have really butchered it. Fortunately, we don't have to think about that because it didn't happen. Regardless, Elf is one of the best Christmas movies and one of my favorites of all time. And yes, that's partially because Will Ferrell does one of his best acting jobs yet. Super fun, festive, and a must-watch.
A Christmas Story
Whenever I hear someone write on a blog that this wasn't a blockbuster success, and everyone gasps, I'm not surprised. This is not a Hollywood spectacle and was never meant to be. It's a timeless classic that you watch at home, with the lights on the tree twinkling and with your family gathered around.
This isn't just a movie about a kid wanting a gun. This is about taking a look back at a nostalgic Christmas and remembering all the traditions: picking a tree, visiting Santa, wanting that special toy, and starting unique traditions (Chinese for dinner, anyone?). There's also a lot of childhood nostalgia described...getting a coveted A on an essay you think is the best thing since sliced bread, dealing with bullies, and parent relationships. Combined with the unique Christmas story brand of humor, like the Bumpuss' dogs, washing your mouth with soap, and "OH FUDGE!" this movie does everything very well. I would say it probably beats Elf by half of a small hair, if that. It was so hard to decide between the two. But A Christmas Story's value as a Christmas Eve tradition seals the deal for me.
Rejected Specials (the ones I just can't do)
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Four Christmases
Basically a couple tries to visit all four sets of families on Christmas. I watched this with my grandparents once...er, tried...and we couldn't get in past 25 minutes. It was lots of physical fighting and arguments, and the plot seemed very thin. Maybe it's on me for not giving it a chance, but it seemed very silly and not too substantial.
Rudolph's Shiny New Year/Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
These lack all the charm of the original, and I can tell you without even having sat down and watched them (they've gone as far as being on in my house).Where's Hermy? Where's Yukon Cornelius? Where's the Bumble? Where are the other elves and reindeer? Instead we have a very odd mashup of Ben Franklin, a caveman (or something), and an eagle. They're both just very strange and clearly a cash grab. I just can't connect to them at all.
A Christmas Story Live (TV version)
This was another one that my grandparents and I tried only to turn it off after half an hour. This just does not need to be a musical, and I know that some people will disagree here, but I didn't see any appeal. They obviously had trouble coming up with material to write songs from. The second song is a big-budget, flashy number about the father's enjoyment of crossword puzzles, just to give you an idea, which isn't important to the plot. The songs I heard were not memorable in the least, or catchy, or very good. And what was with that opening??? I would stick to the movie. This tries too hard to be big-budget flash to the point where it's corny, and that doesn't include the bad singing or obvious filler that most of the songs are. When most of the songs in a musical are filler, you know it shouldn't have been one in the first place.
Funny enough: the Nostalgia Critic came out with a review of this musical the very day I started writing this. It's safe to say that I'm pretty glad that I didn't watch any farther than I did, so I can no longer say it's on me.
Jim Carrey's How The Grinch Stole Christmas
There's certainly a fan base for this, and that's fine. It's their opinion, and it's still considerably not-as-bad as other Seuss films out there. But I just don't like it that much. It's darker than the original and a little on the creepy side. It loses a lot of the Seuss touch, and the Whos are actually kind of jerks who deserve to have Christmas taken away. Really, it wasn't any wonder why the Grinch turned out the way he did. I don't love it, but maybe you do.
Frosty the Snowman
It's not offensive. Of course there will be an audience for it. The story of how the snowman magically comes to life and must escape to the North Pole before melting just doesn't have the staying power years later for me, like Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph. My only issue is that it's very kid-centered and obviously is trying to cater to that age group. It's just no longer that enjoyable as an adult. But if kids love it, good for them. It just doesn't hold up when you're past the age of nine.
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
Linus' little brother Rerun loves how Charlie Brown and Snoopy interact, so he wants a dog of his own. His mother won't allow it, so he must resort to inviting Snoopy over to play. This is a great example of how some Peanuts specials can be just plain BAD, despite how good the best of them are. If you want to see the same repetitive formula of Rerun riding his mother's bike, going over to Charlie Brown's house ("Why don't you ask your dog if he can *insert activity here*? and then doing some ridiculous activity, this is for you. See Charlie Brown's face in the corner? That's my reaction to this special. It's charmless, bland, boring, and just a really stupid cash cow. We also needed more of the regular Peanuts characters. Rerun is a robot devoid of personality and that didn't help. Skip it and stick to the classic. I will say that it is slightly more watchable than the claymated sequels just because I'd rather watch Charlie Brown than that group.
Feel free to add in your own thoughts, or abuse for me never having seen Home Alone, or whatever you'd like. Merry Christmas to all!
Feel free to add in your own thoughts, or abuse for me never having seen Home Alone, or whatever you'd like. Merry Christmas to all!
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