It’s probably the most fantastic time of the yr—when Christmas-themed episodes and specials dominate tv. Everybody has his favourite and most memorable specials, from Rudolph the Crimson-Nosed Reindeer to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
However what concerning the weirder vacation specials which have graced our screens? This record collects among the most weird, badly carried out, and downright complicated specials ever made within the identify of Christmas.
Spoiler Alert: For the one or two individuals who don’t know what occurs to Charlie Brown at Christmas, you’re protected. We’re not going to let you know. However if you happen to haven’t seen some other Christmas specials, watch out. There are spoilers forward!
10 The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold
1981
Lots of bizarre vacation roundups will embody Nestor the Lengthy-Eared Christmas Donkey, however Rankin and Bass received a heck of rather a lot weirder than that within the two selections included on this record. For proof, look no additional than The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold. It appears to don’t have anything to do with Christmas and the whole lot to do with a banshee named Previous Magazine the Hag and cute Irish accents.
That is positively one of many extra obscure specials. It doesn’t have any blogs devoted to how mind-boggling it’s that this good Saint Patrick’s Day story received branded as a Christmas story. In reality, it serves as a cool instance of how trippy Rankin and Bass received of their later specials.
Whereas the 1960s have been all about fun-loving vacation cheer, the ’80s felt impressed by The Lord of the Rings. The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold will be watched in its entirety on-line.[1]
9 The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus
1985
That is in all probability an atheist’s most suitable option for a Christmas particular because it makes an attempt to clarify each Christmas custom with out an oz of faith. Primarily based on the ebook by L. Frank Baum (who’s extra well-known for The Fantastic Wizard of Oz), this was Rankin and Bass’s last Claymation Christmas particular.[2]
If that hasn’t already piqued your curiosity, then maybe you’ll have an interest to know that this “Christmas” particular features a dirge that introduces the Council of Immortals, Santa being raised by fairies and a lioness, and a battle of the Immortals that has a dragon.
8 A Claymation Christmas Celebration
1987
Bear in mind the California Raisins? They have been an enormous sensation within the mid-to-late 1980s in a means that appears inexplicable right this moment. You could keep in mind their soulful renditions of Christmas classics on this Claymation particular from 1987 that was hosted by . . . dinosaurs.
Tyrannosaurus Rex and his Styracosaurus cohost, Herb, showcase a number of Christmas skills, all main as much as the creme de la creme—the Raisins’ tackle The Temptations’ renditions of Christmas carols. In the meantime, Rex and Herb spend the interludes arguing over the right methods to rejoice Christmas, together with a protracted bit about what “wassailing” is.[3]
Whereas the whole particular appears cobbled collectively, it’s nonetheless price a nostalgic look to see the California Raisins singing attractive Christmas classics—as a result of nothing says Christmas like singing humanoid raisins.
7 Star Wars Vacation Particular
1978
Any dialog about Christmas specials will not be full with out somebody giving a radical rundown of all this particular’s “wtf” moments. Look no additional than its haphazard plot description for proof: Chewbacca and Han Solo go to Chewbacca’s house world to rejoice Life Day. So . . . not even Christmas.
It’s also unclear if Life Day is expounded or in any means just like Christmas apart from reward giving.
We get to satisfy Chewbacca’s household on this particular that appears to assume everybody beloved Chewbacca probably the most in Star Wars. In the meantime, Han Solo and Chewie are pursued by brokers of the Galactic Empire, who’re trying to find members of the Insurgent Alliance on the planet.[4]
This Chewie-centric film seems to have so little to do with Christmas that it actually might have been launched as a “Life Day” particular and nobody would have blinked a watch.
6 Bewitched: ‘Sisters At Coronary heart’
1970
Woof, this Christmas episode was a very dangerous transfer from Bewitched. In fact, it ought to come as no shock present about witches would miss the mark a bit when it got here to Christmas. Bewitched really did a number of Christmas specials with out harming anybody, however that each one modified in 1970 with an episode so offensive that star Elizabeth Montgomery needed to make an introduction to please the sponsor, Oscar Mayer.
What was so dangerous?
Nicely, Tabitha briefly seems in blackface. That is an offensive and dated selection it doesn’t matter what, however at Christmastime? Yikes.
The plot has little or no to do with Christmas itself. As a substitute, younger Tabitha desires to be sisters along with her African-American good friend Lisa. To make them look extra alike, Tabby zaps black polka dots onto her physique and white ones on Lisa’s.
Allegedly, this story concept got here from a 10th-grade English class at LA’s Thomas Jefferson Excessive Faculty. All 26 college students are listed by identify within the credit. That helps to clarify a few of this episode’s naive insensitivity. Nevertheless, it doesn’t clarify why the showrunners and community executives ever let this factor see the sunshine of day.[5]
5 The X-Information: ‘How the Ghosts Stole Christmas’
1998
The X-Information gives an awesome episode, “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas,” that simply occurs to happen on Christmas. However so far as a festive vacation episode, it fully misses the mark.
This extraordinarily darkish present looks like a Black Mirror episode that begins on Christmas Eve with Mulder asking Scully to go together with him to take a look at a haunted home. Though Scully has vacation plans along with her household, she accompanies Mulder after he steals her automobile keys.[6]
This begins to really feel like a Halloween episode when Mulder tells Scully couple made a murder-suicide pact on this home in 1917. Feeling the vacation cheer but?
When the ghosts ultimately present themselves, Mulder and Scully must reveal the weirder elements of their relationship that they sometimes attempt to disguise. It might look like a darkish episode, however the ghosts are performed by Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin, who’re full of wonderful comedic moments.
This episode performs on the time-honored Christmas Carol type of storytelling, with all of the paranormal twists that one expects from The X-Information. It’s weird in all one of the best methods.
4 The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas
1996
Like Bewitched earlier than it, this spooky sitcom from the 1960s can’t fairly recreate Christmas magic. The weirder a part of this particular, nevertheless, is that it was made a long time later within the mid-1990s after the discharge of the 1995 film Right here Come the Munsters. The ’90s have been clearly having a monster second with The Munsters and The Addams Household releasing movies, however this weird Christmas particular completely misses the mark.
The Munsters collect to offer Eddie a standard Transylvanian Christmas as a result of he feels homesick for Transylvania. It’s an odd plot that was by no means introduced up within the authentic sequence and makes you marvel extra about The Munsters‘ backstory than this shoehorned Christmas plot.
The story strains are far and wide—from Herman dropping his job and dealing as a nude mannequin in a portray class to Eddie being bullied at college and even to Grandpa by accident transporting Santa and his elves to their home after an experiment goes improper. It makes little or no sense, so watch it solely if you wish to have your self a scary little Christmas.[7]
3 Christmas Comes To PacLand
1982
It may very well be argued that PacLand has no place in Christmas, and that argument would have numerous advantage as a result of this particular is bonkers. Splitsider requested in a 2013 article if Christmas Involves PacLand is the worst particular ever.
Though it actually isn’t the worst, it positively has earned its spot within the corridor of fame for bizarre Christmas exhibits. This Hanna-Barbera particular looks like a protracted business for Pac-Man.[8]
Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Child, and Pac-Canine are strolling by means of a wintry forest to gather energy pellets after they discover ghosts that they have to assault. Santa makes an look that feels fully pointless on this memorably dangerous TV particular from a awful 1980s tv sequence primarily based on an arcade sport.
2 A Christmas Dream
1984
Emmanuel Lewis and Mr. T have been so well-liked within the early 1980s that they have been capable of share the display screen on this gloriously so-bad-it’s-good Christmas particular that warms the guts. Lewis performs a latchkey child who’s wandering the town streets searching for Christmas cheer . . . and probably some grownup supervision.
A sidewalk Santa Claus performed by Mr. T helps Lewis out. However tacky superstar appearances, together with a notable one by magician David Copperfield, make no seen sense. Loopy adventures, such because the pair looking for out if the Child Jesus ever smiled, spotlight this charming story. Mr. T additionally provides a number of speeches with superb strains like: “The blessed of us should attempt to save the much less of us.”
This wacky particular is price expecting strains like that and its adorably nostalgic tenderness.[9]
1 Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever
2014
The largest query surrounding the Grumpy Cat Christmas film is why it was ever made. The movie completely performs on the theme of Grumpy Cat’s basic displeasure, however utilizing the phrase “worst” within the title looks like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
On this unusual movie, Grumpy Cat (voiced by Aubrey Plaza) resides in a pet store and eventually will get chosen by a 12-year-old woman. The cat’s unmoving grumpy expression begins to really feel worrisome as she goes by means of a sequence of adventures and costume modifications that makes one marvel if certainly any cats have been harmed within the making of this particular.
Is the cat drained from having to do all this publicity? Is she actually affected person and pleased with it? Does she care? This particular really serves as an instance simply how bizarre it was to money in on the Web sensation Grumpy Cat.[10]
+ The Junky’s Christmas
1993
Go away it to William S. Burroughs to pen the darkest Christmas particular. The grayscale Claymation makes for a panorama that’s each attractive and disturbing on this story a couple of poor man named Danny who’s withdrawing from opiates. He’s launched from a holding cell and hoping to attain heroin. For those who assume this junkie goes to have a miraculous change of coronary heart, you’re being naive.
There are a variety of grim twists and turns, together with when he breaks right into a automobile to discover a suitcase that holds two severed legs. He does ultimately get hold of a excessive from doing a great deed (giving the morphine he scored from a health care provider by faking facial neuralgia to a younger man affected by kidney stones).[11] Merry Christmas certainly.
++ A Colbert Christmas: The Best Present Of All!
2008
Stephen Colbert was a satirical madman throughout his reign because the host of The Colbert Report, so this Christmas present is filled with political jokes and absolute lunacy. It’s not the heartwarming Christmas comedy that the general public might have needed. As a substitute, it’s a comedy nerd’s delight that looks like a live-action cartoon starring Colbert because the conceited, partisan, pretend reporter who’s hell-bent on stating what’s improper with trendy Christmas.
This present expertly parodied typical specials whereas staying true to Colbert’s beloved character. In traditional fashion, A Colbert Christmas: The Best Present Of All! boasted a slew of friends—from Elvis Costello to Toby Keith—in a particular that continues to be as hilarious as it’s unorthodox.[12]
Stephanie Weber is a author and comic from Chicago whose work has appeared on The AV Membership, Slate, Atlas Obscura, Psychological Floss, Reductress, The Whiskey Journal, and Listverse, to call just a few.
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