December 24 - White Christmas, The Santa Clause, and A Christmas Story

One of my all time favorite movies, not just a favorite Christmas movie, is White Christmas. I could watch it any day. So cool, funny and entertaining. bing at his zenith!

The Santa Clause is a more modern favorite although it is hard to believe it has been almost 20 years! Who doesn't wish they could be Santa? This film shows the pros and the cons of the Santa experience.

Finally, what is Christmas without an official Red Ryder 200 shot carbine action range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and is thing that tells time? A miniature of the leg lamp is on my tree right this moment!

Merry Christmas Eve!

December 23 - Holiday time in Disneyland, Mickeys Christmas Carol, and Christmas Vacation

Exactly 50 years ago, Dec 23, 1962, Walt Disney hosted a fun, travelogue version of his "Wonderful World of Color" show. While TV and Disneyland had a symbiotic relationship from the start, this was a neat look at the park 7 years into operation and was a commercial of sorts that no one seemed to mind. It sure makes you long to visit the park! Walt is at his zenith of Charm and magic throughout and was hard at work not only pulsing Disneyland, but at preparing for the 1964 Wolds Fair in New York. This episode is one of my favorites that he produced during the run of the show.

Another seasonal favorite is "Mickeys Christmas Carol" starring Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer, Mickey Mouse as Bob Cratchet and the whole Disney gang in roles throughout. It was a producttion of the 1980s based on a record from the 1960s which in turn was based on the Dickens classic from the 1840s. It marked Mickeys return to the big screen and a new beginning for Scrooge McDuck as he went on to star in Ducktales on TV just a few years later. John Lassiter in his pre-Pixar days worked on this project at Disney.

Finally, Christmas with the Griswold family is always fun. I must confess, I have a bit too much of this movie in my soul and not only quote the film throughout, but have lived quite a few of the moments.

December 22 - Christmas with the Clampetts

I've always loved the Beverly Hillbillies and the Christmas episodes are a lot of fun! The first was 50 years ago in their first season as they packed up the truck to head back home for the celebration with Pearl and Jethrine. Whenever I fly, I always remember the Clampetts first experience on an airplane and have a little laugh. Most of this episode is not really about Christmas, but about travel and Pearl trying to get Mr. Brewster to marry her, but at the end we get a nice carol and Christmas Wish.

The next year, Jed and the gang stayed home and received lavish gifts from the Drysdales. A boat, TV, Skipper the monkey and more! They also gave a lavish gift in a full length mink (as long as they come) to Mrs. Drysdale. Payed for of course, because she did want a mink stole! ( hahaha)

I always love the simple humor and joy of this show.

December 21 - Christmas with the Doctor

Since 2005, Christmas has ushered in a new Doctor Who special on the BBC and BBC America. The first introduced the 10th Doctor in a pretty neat story called "the Christmas Invasion" with deadly Fathers Christmas and swirling Christmas trees of death!

Each year since there has been a new special. Some classic, others not so much. All have been interesting. This year we will get an episode called The "Snowmen" on the 25th which will introduce the new companion. Interesting once again!

December 20 - 'twas the blight before Christmas - Home Improvement

Hard to believe its been almost 20 years since this episode first aired. It's also hard to believe that 1993 fashions looked so 1980s. Big shoulders everywhere!

Fun episode with Tim creating a mega display for the season on his roof competing with his neighbor "Doc".

December 19 - I want a dog for Christmas Charlie Brown

Another Peanuts holiday episode, although this is much more about Linus and Lucy's little brother Re-run wanting a dog rather than a commentary on the Christmas season. Very cute moments and it had Woodstock who was not conceptualized at the time of the first Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965. As a one hour entry it feels a little padded, but overall not unenjoyable. Happiness is a warm puppy indeed!

Watch it with your favorite dog!

December 18 - White Lie Christmas - My Name Is Earl

I really enjoyed this show during the four seasons that it aired and this episode was one of the first to put Earl's ex-wife Joy in a better light. It certainly calls to mind an exaggerated version of Christmas tension that families feel when gathered for the holidays. Pretty adult content as much prime time TV is these days, so there are some parts not for kids.

December 17 - Frosty's Winter Wonderland

This 1970s sequel to Frosty the Snowman is based on the song Winter Wonderland and features Frosty, Jack Frost, and Frosty's new wife Crystal. It's hosted by Andy Griffith and is almost as good as the original, although they change up the requirement that Frosty have his magic hat. The love as magic theme is certainly at the heart of the Christmas season.

December 16 - The year without a Santa Claus

Tis was one of my favorite specials growing up. Who doesn't like the Cold Miser and Heat Miser song and dance routines!? Again, love the animagic stop motion.

December 15 - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

This 1979 Rankin Bass movie was kind of like the Avengers of its day featuring a mash up of the stars of the previous specials in an all new adventure. It takes two of my favorite holidays and puts them together in an unusual Circus by the Sea show. Wile the story is a little strained, the villain Winterbolt is very interesting and it's great to have the characters in Animagic form!

December 14 -Santa Claus is coming to town

A Rankin Bass classic explaining a lot of the traditions at Christmas like toys in the stocking, Christmas trees, and - most importantly - the story of Santa. Lots of very late sixties and early seventies vibe going on, especially Jessica's trippy song.Mickey Rooney went on the be the standard voice of Santa for Rankin Bass for years to come. Also, you have to love Fred Astaire in animagic form.

December 13 - The Santa Simulation - The Big Bang Theory

Holiday episodes of regular television series are always interesting in how they incorporate the season into their theme. Some shows just go for an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" or "It's a Wonderful Life" while others celebrate the season with an unusual story. the Big Bang Theory has done this well with prior episodes and once again with their 2012 offering. Leonard is working to make a night of guys playing Dungeons and Dragons into an indoctrination of Santa and the Christmas spirit for Sheldon.

A couple moments are a touch dark, but the writers lighten the mood with some well timed humor.

December 12 - The Polar Express

Christmas, trains, nostalgia, faith, childhood . . . What's not to love? The motion capture technique of this movie is probably both it's greatest asset and worst enemy. It is always off putting for a few minutes when I tune in, but I do think it is better than the version of "A Christmas Carol" from a few years ago.

I would love to take a ride on the Polar Express and love the vision of the North Pole they created. Great songs and visuals as well as a lot of heart make this a holiday tradition.

December 11 - Miracle on 34th street

This visit to 1947 New York has always been my favorite version of Santa and a classic loved for decades right along with "It's a wonderful life". Edmund Gwen embodies Kris Kringle in a way few have ever achieved, including the remakes with Sebatian Cabot in the 1970s and with Richard Attenbourough in the 90s. Gwen naturally believes he is Santa and makes it obvious to everyone else, just sort of matter of fact.

The whole cast is wonderful including young Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara, and John Gavin who hailed from Roanoke before he found Hollywood fame.

Last night we watched Miracle on an AMC marathon. The only two issues I had with the presentation were the commercial breaks, an understandable intrusion, and colorization. The version we watched was computer colorized and did not look really natural. I joked to my wife Sandy that it looked like a promotion for another AMC show as the cast of Miracle looked like "the walking dead."

I always catch Miracle on Thanksgiving to start the season then later toward Christmas and I always enjoy it. Keep in mind that bubblegum and whiskers don't go together and if Kris Kringle is good enough for the post office, he's good enough for me.

December 10 - Christmas with Michael Buble - Bing is back for the holidays!

Michael Buble is sort of a modern crooner in the Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra mold. Although his songs don't dominate the charts the way the aforementioned artists did, Buble is a force in modern music and has carved a niche for himself with young and old alike.

His 2012 special was entertaining and featured Rod Stewart, who is sort of a statesman of popular music, joined Buble as did Elmo. I don't know if this was recorded before the Kevin Clash scandal broke or if Clash was providing Elmo's voice. Sounded like him.

The most interesting part of the special was a duet between Buble and Bing Crosby via modern technology. It came off pretty well and was interesting to see the Bingelmeister back for a Yuletide visit.

I missed the Puppini sisters this year and had hoped that they would be a staple for Buble's shows. Maybe next time.

Overall it reminded me of the holiday specials of years gone by, sort of the nostalgia that is part of the Christmas magic.

December 9 - TV Land Merry-thon 2012

13 years ago, TV Land was a great channel on my cable dial and they launched a holiday themed weekend called the merry-thon. Shows from though out television history filled 48 hours and delighted viewers with rare and unique holiday themed episodes of some of my favorites and some shows I had never heard of.

In 2012, TV Land is sadly a shadow of its former self with just a handful of shows, some that have only been off the air for a few years rather than a host of classic TV from decades ago. That is well known and a decision that is what it is, but I tuned to this year's Merry-thon to see what might be there. Big difference in that it was just a few hours long and only featured episodes of shows from the past 20 years.

The Roseanne episodes were enjoyable, but the ongoing story arcs of the seasons were given much more time than the holiday stories. It's ok, but unlike some of the best holiday episodes of years past which stood alone and were aired year after year, these shows ask the viewer to be watching the reruns of the series currently to understand the issues at play or to remember the story lines being advanced here.

The Everybody loves Raymond and King of Queens episodes fared better in that those series were less reliant on heavy story arcs. I didn't make it all night until 6am with the other series, but they too were of the same era airing on TV Land today.

All this having been said, I think I will be creating my own Merry-thon in the next two weeks with some classic tv Yuletide episodes from Netflix and my own collection. The Beverly Hillbillies and Andy Griffith are at the top of the list.

December 8 - Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

So I found myself watching Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and remembered only brief flashes of it from childhood. Magoo is an actor in a stage production of the Dickens Classic set in the UPA style of the 1960s. I believe it is the only version of the story I've seen where the order of the ghosts are switched around. The change, where the ghost of Christmas present arrives first, really seems to change the growth on Scrooge's part. Interesting, but less about the welfare of others and more about himself.

It is 50 years old this year and is generally regarded as the first animated for television holiday special.

Check it out if you have not seen it.

December 7 - Prep and Landing

This is a cute modern christmas special that started life as a proposed theatrical short film. The idea was so neat, John Lassiter - Chief Creative Officer for Disney and Pixar and all around story wizard - gave the green light to make it a holiday special. He knew it could have an evergreen quality like Rudolph or Charlie Brown.

The show debuted to hi ratings and much acclaim in 2009 and thus sequels were in order. A Short - Operation Secret Santa in 2010 and another special - Naughty or Nice in 2011. The original is the best of the bunch but all the adventures with Wayne and Lanny thus far have been a lot of fun. The elf technology is on my list for Santa.

December 6 - A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas time is here. What an amazing holiday special. Sums it all up in the stress, worry and ultimate joy of the celebration. It transcends its era and encapsulates the mid sixties at the same time. Producers approached Dave Brubeck to write and record the music, but he was unavailable and suggested another jazz pianist that had a similar vibe, Vince Guaraldi.

Executives thought it would be a disaster when they saw the anti-commercialism message, Linus quoting the bible, and a jazz soundtrack. They almost didn't air it, but when they did, it became an instant hit. 47 years later it remains relevant and engaging to all who gather around the warm glow of the tv.

The soundtrack deserves special mention as it is the epitome of cool jazz. My favorite christmas album and the introduction for many to the world of jazz. All are a classic, but the song "Skating" has always been a favorite.

I mentioned Dave Brubeck's near participation in this program a little earlier. He passed away peacefully yesterday and today would have been Dave's 92 birthday. It feels fitting to be watching a classic special featuring classic cool west coast jazz right now.

December 5 - the Nightmare Before Christmas

As stated previously, I've always loved stop motion animation. When this film was first announced 20 years ago, I could not wait. We went to the opening weekend and were blown away. The imagery is amazing in both Halloweentown and Christmastown, in fact, I simply love the sequence "What's This?" Where jack discovers Christmas.

Each year, I watch the opening segment at Halloween and then the whole film during the Christmas season. It fits!

December 4 - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

In a lot of ways, this is the granddaddy of the modern holiday specials. Along with "A Charlie Brown Christmas", Rudolph has remained evergreen over the last 48 years or so and was the first "animagic" stop motion animated special. I cannot express how much I loved the amazing little world that Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass created as I was growing up. How fortunate we're children of the 60s and 70s to have a new RankinBass show every couple of years.

Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman adorns my front lawn each holiday season in 7 foot tall, air inflated, illuminated glory. The Island of misfit toys is such a creative idea and I always wished that we could have had a special focussing on more of them, back in the 60s and 70s, although a lower quality computer animated special was produced in the late 90s without the true RankinBass magic.

Finally, Yukon Cornelius and the "Bumble" are also wonderful characters who deserved at least one more holiday screen appearance. Waaaaahooooooo! Did you know that rather than silver or gold, Yukon was actually prospecting for peppermint? It is a deleted scene from the special that is available on the DVD. Check it out!

Also, please visit my friend Rick Goldschmidt at his most outstanding site www.enchantedworldofrankinbass.blogspot.com

Rick has become THE authority on the RankinBass specials and movies and has authored several wonderful books on the subject. It is a wonderful site and you will be glad you visited!

December 3 - Alan Brady Presents

One of the neatest holiday programs from yesteryear is the christmas episode of the Dick Van Dyke show titled Alan Brady Presents.  The premise is that the writers, producers and family members would be featured in an episode of the tv show within a show that starred Carl Reiner as Alan Brady.

December 2 - Frosty the Snowman and Hoops and Yoyo Ruin Christmas

Classic vs contemporary

I've always loved the Frosty special and I just recently learned that it was intentionally produced in 2d hand drawn style so that it would look like a Christmas Card rather than the animagic style so closely associated with RankinBass.

Hoops and Yoyo was actually a fairly nice surprise. If you can stand some of the commentary from the main characters (which may be great in a 30 second audio card from Hallmark, but is a little much in a 22 minute special) you will find a cute story. I'm not sure it will rise to the classic level, but it was a fun special to watch.

Counting down to Christmas - December 1 - It's a Wonderful Life and Holiday Inn

Hohoho!  As I was watching the Frank Capra classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" I was thinking about how nice it would be to have sort of a day by day holiday movie/tv special countdown and a place where I could share my thoughts but also a place where others could chime in as well. (Seeing that this is the Internet, what could go wrong with that, right?!)

We begin with The story of George Bailey and a movie that really is not just a Christmas film, but one that espouses the trials and joys of life in a small community.  The movie became a classic favorite because it was in the public domain and shown on broadcast tv non stop for many years.  It is both old fashioned and modern at the same time: heartfelt sentiment (also called "Capra-corn") mixed with self exploration and duty to family, friends and community.

George Bailey's personal journey is that of a frustrated optimist who allows the needs of others to come before himself.  He finds that the riches he receives from his life of giving far outweigh the silver and gold he might have found in a self centered life. Considering the season in which it is shown, I would say that in some ways it's one of the most "Christmasy" films available.

As an interesting contrast, I also watched another chestnut on December 1: Holiday Inn.  There are some great moments including Bing Crosby's introduction of White Christmas and Fred Astaire's Fourth of July firecracker dance, but most of the characters in the film, especially Astaire's Ted, are selfish jerks.  Ted steals Jim's (Bing) girlfriend Lila to start the film and makes an attempt to do so a second time later.  He tries to cash in on the Holiday Inn idea and take advantage of his former partner and supposed good friend.  The characters all try to take advantage of each other and the situation at hand for their benefit.  Now in true Hollywood style, they all get a little spanking of comeuppance over the course of the movie and it all comes out ok in the end, but it made for very interesting viewing to watch a film about putting others first contrasted with a film about putting yourself first at all costs.

Both are good pictures to watch at some point in the season, but I have to say that " It's a Wonderful Life" is the winner on day one for me.