Prep & Landing

Debuted in 2009

22 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Wayne, a longtime Prep & Landing elf, is passed over for a promotion and grows cynical about his job while training his new partner, Lanny. While on a mission in the home of a boy named Timmy, Wayne grows lazy, causing lots of problems including the house not being ready which forces Santa to cancel his visit there. Realizing what he’s done, Wayne enlists Lanny to help him fix the problems and safely bring Santa back to the house, saving the day. 

Fun Fact: The latitude and longitude given for Timmy’s house actually points to the Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California.

My thoughts: Prep & Landing is easily one of my all-time favorite Christmas specials and has been from the first time I watched it, on the night it premiered. Originally pitched as an animated short to show before a feature film, the story was expanded to fill a full television time slot. The team worked closely with air traffic controller, Walter A. Fuller, who helped them capture the terminology and the feel of a real flight command center. When Mr. Fuller passed away during the production, an elf version of him was added to the flight control center and the film was dedicated to his memory. Prep & Landing won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program as well as a few Annie Awards and a Visual Effects award. To me, it’s the perfect mixture of comedy and warmth, blending Wayne’s cynicism and Lanny’s enthusiasm into emotions that we have all felt for Christmas at one time or another. When we see Wayne come through for Timmy, he’s also proving himself to Lanny and giving something back to himself as well. Be sure to keep your eyes open for all the references to classic Christmas songs and specials, as well as so many funny little laugh out loud moments. It was followed by a sequel and two animated shorts. A third special was planned, but scrapped. I’m hoping someday the idea gets dusted off and reconsidered. I’d love new stories with these characters.

Busted!
One of the funniest moments, charging up the reindeer.
Magee is so worried. She takes her job very seriously.
Wayne’s contented expression says it all. (Also, Lanny apparently got plenty of kisses at the holiday party!)

Individual Superlative: Best New Holiday Mythology – I absolutely LOVE the concept of the Prep & Landing team and now I want to know what all the others teams are and how they do their jobs. Show me an organizational chart! Let me read some job descriptions!

Want to Watch it? Prep & Landing is available on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s also available on Disney+ and it shows up regularly during the holiday season.

Bob and Margaret: A Very Fishy Christmas

Debuted in 2001

22 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Bob and Margaret are looking forward to a quiet Christmas together in their new home in Canada, but they have to go to their friends’ house for Christmas dinner. When they get there, the power is out and dinner is cancelled, and while trying to start a fire to keep them warm, Bob sets fire to their house. Their friends end up happy because it means they will get all new stuff and Bob and Margaret end up ordering pizza delivery for dinner.

Fun Fact: The creators of Bob and Margaret have a daughter named Lily, who provided the original voice of Peppa Pig.

My thoughts: The characters of Bob and Margaret Fish were introduced in the Academy Award-winning short film, Bob’s Birthday, in 1994. Creators David Fine and Alison Snowden expanded the characters into an animated series in 1998 that was set in England in the first two seasons and in Canada during the third and fourth seasons. This Christmas episode was the final show in the fourth season and it makes me even sadder to think that this dismal and depressing episode was the way this story ended. I especially disliked the extended family dynamics, where both Bob and Margaret have parents who are cruel or indifferent to them.  I remember watching a couple episodes of Bob and Margaret when it aired in the US and I wasn’t much of a fan back then, so I’m not surprised at not loving the Christmas episode either.

Has Bob just learned how to twerk?
Dogs! Look at their reindeer caps!
Margaret may be singing a little off key here.
Maybe the ‘For ornamental use only’ warning should be more visible.

Individual Superlative: Border Patrol – This series was one of the few Canadian TV shows to have gotten regular airtime in the US as well. But I don’t hold that against them. Canada gave us Anne of Green Gables, Nathan Fillion and peanut butter. We’re cool.

Want to Watch it? Bob and Margaret: A Very Fishy Christmas is available on DVD, Blu-ray and YouTube.

Creature Comforts: Merry Christmas Everybody!

Debuted in 2005

24 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: A collection of animals in different situations either perform or try to interpret the meaning of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas.’ The narrative moves between all the different animals, who also talk about how they spend the holidays.

Fun Fact: The first Creature Comforts short won its creator, Nick Park, an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1990.

My thoughts: The first Creature Comforts short film took interviews with people who either lived in a nice housing estate or a home for senior citizens and then animated them as animals in a zoo, either praising or complaining about their living conditions. It was five minutes long and was so well received that the idea was picked up for a series of advertisements for the electricity board that ran over the next couple of years. The series came along ten years later and this special aired on Christmas Day during the show’s second season in 2005. In my opinion, it’s easy to see that the shorter format works better for this show, because this one felt like it was going on forever. It didn’t help that the show focuses on a song that already repeats itself too much and lasts too long. (Although, to be fair, I was already a little over weary of the song, having watched The Twelve Days of Christmas shortly before this one.) I do like the style of this animation and the characters are pretty neat, too. All the festive settings and the differences between them are enjoyable and some of the bits are entertaining, especially the little kid birds, who are my favorites. But I would have enjoyed it more if it had been half as long.

This guy has a HIGH opinion of his singing voice.
I love the bats’ upside down Christmas tree.
The festive Shar Peis are so cute.
These two kids have the most adorable voices.

Individual Superlative: Not Enough Crab! – I loved the little crab guy that held up the card on the title screen. I wish he had been one of the featured animals in this! I mean, look at him! He’s adorable.

Want to Watch it? Creature Comforts: Merry Christmas Everybody is available on DVD and YouTube.

Pound Puppies: Happy Howlidays

Debuted in 1986

22 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: The pound closes because of unpaid bills and Holly learns that Katrina Stoneheart has been intercepting all of her bills so she would fall behind. Holly wishes for a way to reopen the pound and Zazu (the fairy dogmother) casts a spell that turns Katrina into a puppy, but instead of being sorry for what she’s done, she doubles down on her efforts. The puppies all start to howl and all the dogs who have been adopted out return with their humans and they all donate to cover the expenses and reopen the pound.

Fun Fact: This was the only Christmas episode of the original Pound Puppies series.

My thoughts: Pound Puppies plush toys were introduced in 1984 and were very popular throughout the 1980’s. An animated special in 1985 was well received enough to launch a regular series in 1986 that ran through 1989, although it went through a few changes over those years. The series and toy line was completely relaunched again a few years ago. The original series was everything you expect from an animated series based on a line of stuffed toys. It’s trite and over the top in its storyline and its characters, but with a few genuinely funny moments here and there. Katrina Stoneheart is annoying, but her daughter, Brattina, is just insufferable with her shrill voice and whiny persona. The puppies are clearly involved in the day to day running of the dog pound, which is good since it’s operationally in the hands of a child. There’s a sub-plot involving a foundling puppy named Tiny who ends up finding a home, after teaching a lesson to the big dogs who were bullying him. And the ending is a shameless rip-off of It’s a Wonderful Life. You can easily skip this one.

Bright Eyes just looks like she needs to pee.
Katrina may be a stone cold bitch, but she can kick up her heels with the best of them.
How does one accumulate THAT MANY bills in just a few months?
The Fairy Dogmother always draws a crowd.

Individual Superlative: Most Heartless Animal Hating Villain – Katrina has no ulterior motive for wanting the pound closed. She just wants the puppies to suffer. She even mentions that “knowing those puppies are rotting out in the cold” makes her feel warm inside. Rotting? Dang! I mean, even Cruella deVil had a purpose behind her cruelty. This is just straight up evil for its own sake.

Want to Watch it? Pound Puppies: Happy Howlidays is available on VHS and YouTube.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Debuted in 1993

22 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Sir Carolboomer wants to woo melancholy Princess Silverbell so he sends his servant (Squire Hollyberry) to steal her Christmas list, but Hollyberry mistakenly swipes the answers to the King’s crossword puzzle instead. Carolboomer buys her all the things on the list, thinking she wants them, but she hates each and every gift. Finally, she agrees to marry Squire Hollyberry because he has gone through so much to make her smile.

Fun Fact: Phil Hartman (who does the voice of Squire Hollyberry) was also a talented graphic designer, who designed the logo for Crosby, Stills and Nash.

My thoughts: Writer Romeo Muller is responsible for many of the best loved holidays specials, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, just to name a few. The plot for this one was adapted from a story he had come up with before his death in 1992 and I just can’t imagine that he ever wanted it to turn out like this. This one lacks the warmth that made all of his other stories special and it ends up feeling like one big slapstick routine that never lets up. Squire Hollyberry seems to be constantly falling or being thrown around and it gets tiresome quickly. This one features several cultural references that lock it in the 90’s, including a Rain Man reference, which feels bizarre. While the basic plot is pretty contrived, I believe that Muller could have made this better so I wish we had gotten to see what he would have done with it. Instead, it’s a hot mess that drags an already long song out for 22 weird minutes. The whole shebang is narrated by the partridge (from the pear tree) and somehow, that just makes it all a little more bizarre. My copy is really poor quality so my screencaps are pretty crappy, too.

The narrator partridge has interesting tastes in hats. The song should mention that.
Poor Hollyberry. Can he not resign?
The Michael Jackson singer has ALL the moves.
Finally, the desired result – a laughing princess.

Individual Superlative: Most Musical Variety – One cool element is that Hollyberry has the musicians sing that day’s gift in a different musical style every day and we get to see them go through barbershop quartet, crooner, boy band, Motown, march and country as well as specific nods to Elvis, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan. At least you get a little culture with your partridge.

Want to Watch it? The Twelve Days of Christmas is available on VHS, DVD and YouTube.

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet: The Girl in the Emporium

Debuted in 1960

29 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Rick goes to the Emporium to shop for Ozzie and meets an attractive woman working there, so he decides to get a Christmas job there as well and his friend, Wally, joins him. While competing for her attention, Rick and Wally both do poor job at work. She winds up leaving for a holiday vacation, which makes the boys sad until they meet her sister who is replacing her (and is just as pretty).

Fun Fact: When this long-running series started, Ricky was 8 years old and by the time he was 13, he was making over $100,000 per year. Adjusting for inflation, that’s the equivalent of just short of a million dollars in 2020 money.

My thoughts: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ran for 14 seasons from 1952 to 1966. This episode aired during the 9th season. After reading the plot description and looking at the year this was released, I’m sure it comes as no shock to hear that the characters and plot lines are highly outdated. The Nelsons may have been America’s ‘first family’ but no one ever described them as ‘woke.’ When Miss Johnson is training Rick and Wally, they hang on her every word, but when she has to step away and they have to be trained by an overweight coworker instead, they completely ignore her. When Rick tells David that he has an attractive co-worker, David immediately plans to visit the store, apparently to enter the competition for this much-sought-after female prize. Even giving it the leeway of coming from a different era, it still felt kind of uncomfortable. If you’re looking for a slice of old fashioned American TV family from the 60’s, this should be right up your alley. Otherwise, you can probably give it a miss.

Salespeople get a bonus for selling that hideous shirt.
Everybody stare at the presents!
This is my sister, Barbie Doll.
That camera makes the perfect gift!

Individual Superlative: Best Commercials – The copy that we have still has the commercials, a couple of which feature Ozzie and Harriet as spokespeople. One is for the Kodak Brownie camera, which is less than $12. Another features Ozzie and Harriet drinking Coke together in the garage. There’s just something really cool about vintage advertising.

Want to Watch it? The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet: The Girl in the Emporium is available on DVD.

The Trolls and the Christmas Express

Debuted in 1981

24 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: A group of unhappy trolls disguise themselves as elves to infiltrate Santa’s workshop and sabotage the holiday, taking up jobs in the reindeer barn and singing a Troll Song all night to prevent the reindeer from sleeping. It looks like their plan is going to work, but one of the elves suggests using the Christmas Express train instead. The trolls sabotage the tracks because they hate Christmas, but when the elf points out that ‘troll’ is in the lyrics of ‘Deck the Halls,’ they have a change of heart and help fix things.

Fun Fact: There are only six people in the voice cast for this special and three of them (Paul Soles, Billie Richards and Carl Banas) did voices for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

My thoughts: Not to be confused with the trolls who are currently popular in the Dreamworks movies, this special goes back to the idea of trolls as nasty and unpleasant creatures. The leader of these trolls is voiced by the delightful Hans Conried and his beef with Christmas is mostly due to the fact that trolls are underappreciated and not a part of the celebration at all. This just serves as setup for the moment when he learns about the line ‘troll the ancient yuletide carol’ which somehow makes them feel a part of the whole holiday tradition. Singer Roger Miller is the narrator for this special and he also sings the title song. I remember this special airing on HBO during my teenage years and it was still showing up regularly into the late 80’s, but I haven’t seen it aired anywhere in years. It’s honestly a pretty cute story with a couple of catchy songs, in spite of its somewhat forced conclusion. Also, by troll logic, since my name is Chris, I have been a part of Christmas from the day I was born. Good to know.

Santa is clearly asking for divine guidance. Or cursing someone.
This is what it looks like when elves sing.
This is what it looks like when trolls sing.
In case you were wondering if trolls were capable of remorse, that’s what this is.

Individual Superlative: Least Creative Song Names – In addition to the Christmas Express Song, there are two other songs. One, sung by the trolls, is called The Trolls’ Song. The other is sung by the elves and want to guess what it’s called? Yup. It’s The Elves’ Song.

Want to Watch it? The Trolls and the Christmas Express is available on VHS and YouTube.

A Sesame Street Christmas Carol

Debuted in 2006

46 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Oscar the Grouch is visited by a delivery man who brings him three Ghost-o-grams who were sent to show him the past, present and future. He learns about lots of holiday traditions and the friends around him, but doesn’t really change his mind about Christmas. On Christmas morning, though, he does find some positive in the holiday, including the mess of used wrapping paper and dirty snow, but mostly, he is happy that it’s almost over.

Fun Fact: This special includes segments from three other Sesame Street Christmas specials.

My thoughts: There have been a few different Sesame Street specials over the years. This one is like a clip show featuring bits from three of them, patched together using a ‘Christmas Carol’ theme that is cute, but feels a little stretched in parts. I love the use of Oscar the Grouch as the stand-in for Scrooge in this version and I especially love that, at the end of the special, he isn’t entirely convinced about the joys of Christmas. That level of transformation would rob Oscar of everything that makes him Oscar, so I was glad to see that they chose to let him find something good but mostly still find things to complain about. The Ghost-o-grams are clever, with the first ghost showing him ‘home movies’ from Sesame Street Christmases past. The Ghost of Christmas present is Christmas Carol, who is voiced by Kristen Chenoweth and they peek in on celebrations from other cultures. Good call to make the Ghost of Christmas Future simply showing a robotic future that isn’t dark or scary. I’d probably recommend watching the original specials that this one references over this, as it feels a little disjointed, but if your little one just can’t get enough Sesame Street, it’s a nice addition to your collection.

The Ghost of Christmas Past proves that there are other grouches in the world. (Oh wait, it’s 2020. We knew that already.)
The Ghost of Christmas Present knows how to pick the right hat.
The Ghost of Christmas Future is low on batteries.
Elmo is genuinely amazed at being in the presence of Santa.

Individual Superlative: Best Unexpected Appearance – During the vision of Christmas past, Ernie and Bert make visits to Mr. Hooper’s store and it warmed my heart to see him again.

Want to Watch it? A Sesame Street Christmas Carol is available on YouTube and iTunes.

Ho Ho Nooooooo!! It’s Mr. Bill’s Christmas Special!

Debuted in 1997

24 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Mr. Bill and his family are celebrating Christmas, when Mr. Hand shows up and puts their dog in a blender. Father Guido Sarducci stops by and shows him a film of his visit to Los Angeles, where he tried to find some signs of Christmas. There’s a retelling of A Christmas Carol with Mr. Bill as Scrooge and finally, Mr. Bill’s house explodes.

Fun Fact: Mr. Bill was introduced on Saturday Night Live in response to a call for home movies that was put out during the show’s first season in 1977.

My thoughts: There were 20 Mr. Bill shorts that aired on SNL and they were all pretty much the same. This special proves that this format is definitely not sustainable for 24 minutes and it’s also pretty clear that this one trick pony has not aged well. I can’t imagine who might have come up with the idea of revisiting these characters a full 15 years after they had been put to rest, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear they’re now busy planning to bring back Herb as the Burger King spokesperson. Father Guido Sarducci’s segment of this is pointless and unfunny (which was sometimes his bit, but it worked in the 70’s.) There are two fake commercials that pop up during the special. One is for Monotony, a board game where nothing happens, and the other is for Stubix Cube, which had the same color on every side. The Christmas Carol story includes some computer animation, which was relatively new and looks it. I remember laughing at Mr. Bill’s antics when they were first shown during SNL, but honestly this special just made me kind of sad.

Is Mr. Bill extra huge or is Father Guido just extra tiny?
I hope Santa Sluggo doesn’t see me when I’m sleeping.
This is Mr. Bill as Scrooge in his computer animated dream.
Shortly before the end of the special, Mr. Bill’s wife is decapitated. Festive!

Individual Superlative: Most Violence Committed Against Clay – I think if you rounded up all the Claymation specials out there and added up all the violence in all of them, this one still wins. Or loses. Depends how you look at it.

Want to Watch it? Ho Ho Nooooooo!! Mr. Bill’s Christmas Special is available on VHS and YouTube.

Donny & Marie Christmas Special

Debuted in 1976

51 minutes

Plot in 3 Sentences: Sibling entertainers Donny and Marie Osmond host a Christmas themed musical special featuring the rest of their musical family and special guests Andy Williams and Paul Lynde. In one segment, we get to meet the parents, wives and kids of all the Osmond brothers. Paul Lynde also plays a department store Santa in a flashback skit.

Fun Fact: This special was filmed at the Sundance Resort in Provo, Utah, about two years before the first Sundance Film Festival.

My thoughts: I was 12 when The Donny & Marie Show premiered on television, following in the path of several other popular varieties shows, such as The Sonny & Cher Show and my personal favorite, The Carol Burnett Show. The siblings were only 18 and 16 when the show started, which is really hard to imagine. But they had both already been in show business for years and both of them had their first #1 song at the age of 14. This special follows the show’s basic early formula, with a performance by the Ice Vanities, lots of corny jokes (especially about how large the Osmond family was) and the requisite ‘I’m a Little Bit Country/I’m a Little Bit Rock and Roll’ concert portion of the show. For this one, Donny performs Jingle Bells with actual bells tied to his head, arms, legs and feet. It’s silly and cheesy, but for all the schmaltz, this was obviously a family who loved each other, loved performing and were open but never overly pushy about their religious beliefs. You may find yourself needing a dose of insulin after watching this, but (especially if you’re around my age) you may also find yourself wanting to go back and spend Christmas with the family of your childhood.

A split screen shows us that women belong in the kitchen while the men do manly things.
There are several levels of disturbing going on here.
Mom Osmond can wail on the sax! Go, Mom!
Jimmy’s number is the only real religious moment in the whole show.

Individual Superlative: Most Visible Teeth – There are so many people here and they’re all smiling these wide toothy sparkling clean smiles. Even the most dedicated dentist might need to wear sunglasses to watch this.

Want to Watch it? The Donny & Marie Christmas Special is available on YouTube.