All-Time Favorite Christmas Specials

[indianajdp]

Prince Adam's poll of favorite Rankin-Bass specials got me thinking about some of my favorite specials in general...they just aren't on anymore and I can't believe that execs think children today aren't interested in watching them.

Through the years my favorites (in no particular order) were:

Rudolph (Rankin-Bass)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Rankin-Bass)
A Garfield Christmas
Claymation Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
A Charlie Brown Chistmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol
A Wish for Wings (featuring Bill and Opus)

I have a tape I made in 1987 of about 12-13 of these specials that were all on network TV that year. Now very few are on network TV, and if the others are on cable somewhere they definitely are not publicized well.

*sigh* I sure do wish the good 'ole days of Holiday television...I'm glad I was a kid when then to at leats enjoy these shows for a short time.

[STASHONE]

What about Yogi's First Christmas and all the other H-B holiday specials?


Also, most of those still air, and most if not all with the exception of Garfield and Bill & Opus (Which I totally forgot about until now - thanks for the reminder!) are available on dvd as well.

[indianajdp]

What about Yogi's First Christmas and all the other H-B holiday specials?

Can't list them all, but I had forgotten about that one AND the Flintstone's Christmas Special that aired sometime back, too.

[Luke]

A Charlie Brown Christmas tops them all, I'd say.

I must also give props to ALF's Special Christmas, which is just way more effective at drama than it should be.

It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (which is on A Charlie Brown Christmas DVD) is also very good, though not like the original.

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is great, as is Mickey's Christmas Carol. My favorite Rankin Bass ones, like I said in the other thread would be Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , The Little Drummer Boy, and Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town.

Babar and Father Christmas is another good one that most people don't know about, and may never see the light of DVD.

[2099net]

I know some people won't think of these as Christmassy, but the BBC used to do a classic "Ghost Story for Christmas" every Christmas Eve late at night. I can remember staying up late and watching these. There's nothing like curling up in front of the fire on a cold winter's night with your family and a box of chocolates watching a good, old fashioned ghost story. It may not sound Christmassy, but it's an old tradition. Even now I associate a good, scary ghost story with Christmas.

Sadly they stopped making them about 10 or 15 years ago. The odd one appears as a repeat every now and then.

Some are available on DVD - released through the BFI (British Film Insitute)

The Signalman
A Warning to the Curious
and the one that terrified me as an early teen : Whistle And I'll Come To You

I know this isn't exactly what you may be looking for, expecting happy colourful cartoons and the like, but these defined Christmas to me during the last few years of my childhood.

[Disneykid]

My favorites (in no particular order):

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Little Drummer Boy
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated, of course)
A Claymation Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
Small One

[Prince Adam]

The following are the ones I HAVE to watch every Christmas:

MOVIES
The Santa Clause (my favourite Christmas movie)
The Santa Clause 2
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas


TV SPECIALS
Mickey's Christmas Carol (love this one!)
Muppet Christmas Carol
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Rudolph
Frosty
Frosty Returns
Charlie Brown Christmas
Garfield Christmas
Wind at my Back Christmas
Happy Christmas, Miss King
The Homecoming
Jiminy Cricket's Christmas/A Disney Christmas Gift
Santa, Who?
The Christmas Shoes
A Goof Troop Christmas

Ahh, the memories...

[MickeyMousePal]

These are all my favorite Christmas films I enjoy to watch during December. Most can be seen on tv and cable.

Rudolph
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
A Garfield Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
A Charlie Brown Chistmas
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Flintstone's Christmas Special
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July
Rudolph's Shiny New Year

[ArtOfDisney]

WOW you guys really posted a lot of them that I have as a must see as well. Some I might add are:


Small One

The Smurfs Christmas

Flinstone's Christmas Carol

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas

Nester The Long Eared Donkey

and Disney's Very Merry Christmas Parade.

[Leonia]

A Charlie Brown Christmas

[Loomis]

All the Island of Misfit toys and related stuff (I think they were all Rankin-Bass stop-motion animation stuff). They included:
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Frosty the Snowman
- Frosty Returns
etc etc. They used to play them every Xmas here, but they don't seem to anymore Shame....

I also loved A Charlie Brown Christmas and anythig Peanuts related; and Yogi's First Xmas was always a fave.

I also enjoyed various episodes of television shows that had a Xmas special (e.g. The Simpsons - Skinner's Sense for Snow; She Of Little Faith
etc).

[indianajdp]

I am so ashamed.

I forgot one of my all-time favorites...one I went over 20 years w/out seeing again until it was released last season on DVD:

Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas

I remember we got cable in 1979 and it was a mainstay on HBO in the Holiday months in '79, '80 and '81. What a great show.

[Joe Carioca]

Hmmm... I think my favorite television Christmas special is the "El Chavo Del Ocho" Christmas special
If you live in South America you know what I'm talking about... Even though I preffer "El Chapulín Colorado".

[pinkrenata]

Anyone remember Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol?

[ArtOfDisney]

I remember that one. It's great. Very Fun. I also like

The Muppet Family Christmas and
John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together specials.
The Chipmunks Christmas Specials



As for Emmet Otter, the DVD release last season was the first airing of Emeet on HBO in 1979. There was an extended version made in 81 and 82 for TV with Kermit closing out the story, and many more lines added to the story.
It's fun to compare them. The VHS you want for the 81 and 82 version is in a white clamshell. I also have the entire soundtrack for this special which currently doesn't exist.