A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

rudolph the red nosed reindeer

What to watch this Christmas season

As the old saying goes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

But besides the cheer, sparkling lights, and the such, what else is wonderful?

One thing I love about this time of year are the Christmas specials on television. From Rankin and Bass to Jim Henson, this season is pluck full of great specials. And though I own many of these specials on DVD, I still look forward to watching them on network television as it’s a throwback to childhood. These shows are fantastic.

With that in mind, I went digging and have come up with my eight favorite Christmas specials. I’ve tried to keep them in the animated/Muppet genre, so there’s no “Christmas Story” (after all, I don’t want to shoot my eye out with the Red Rider BB gun!), or Miracle on 34th Street etc.

Instead, these are those classics that last all of 30 or 60 minutes (including commercials). (Note: Some of these videos from YouTube are not allowed to be embedded, so when you hit “play” it will ask you to go to the YouTube site to watch. If you click the link, it will open a new browser).

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

This is a classic (the animated one, not the Jim Carrey one)! The meanie green Grinch looking to take away Christmas from everyone in Hoo-ville! And he nearly succeeds, too! Alas, there’s a heart growing and a happy ending in this Dr. Seuss tale!

7. A Charlie Brown Christmas

I am a massive Peanuts fan. And I like pretty much all Peanuts-related shows. So this is no different. As normal, poor Charlie Brown can’t seem to get anything right, can he? But it is Christmas time, so things are bound to change.

6. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

I love this special. If you watch it on network TV, some of it is now chopped. (Commercialism at its finest!) Alas, I have the video finally, so I can watch it from beginning to end. This one is all about trying to make amends with Santa after some local letters ticked him off. It takes you through the work of clock maker Joshua Trundle and his attempt to make Christmas good again!

5. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Rankin and Bass are synonymous with Christmas specials, and this is one of their big ones. It’s the story of Santa Claus and how he came to be. It’s filled with great music and a good story. The sounds of Fred Astaire singing during this special is worth it on that merit alone. It’s a good one. Enjoy it! (This clip takes about 10 seconds before you start hearing sound).

4. Frosty the Snowman

Happy Birthday!

How many of you have no idea what that means when I mention Frosty? If so, make sure you watch this Christmas special, immediately. It’s a timeless classic and well worth the watch. Another Rankin/Bass classic and narrated by Jimmy Durante.

3. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Misfits. Flying deer. A bumble.

What’s not to like?

Rudolph is a classic in every sense. And this is one that I have to watch every year, no matter what. From dentistry among elves to the Island of Misfit Toys, this is one of my favorites.

And… Burl Ives. Perfect. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, folks.

2. The Year Without a Santa Claus

It’s shocking how many people tell me they have not seen this one. It’s one of my favorites for sure. It’s a well-done Rankin/Bass production with fantastic music and an entertaining show. It’s about Santa being sick one year and needing to cancel Christmas. What will happen?

I love the songs in this movie. And Mickey Rooney voicing Santa Claus? Awesome.

However, I’d be remiss to just post one YouTube video for this one. Because as great as the show overall is, having the Snow Miser and the Heat Miser are great. And their songs midway through are tough not to share. So, the first video is my favorite song from the show and the second is the Miser Brothers.

The Misers:

1. Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas

“Look at the birds up in the trees…”

“We’re not birds, we’re a jugband!”

I love this special. It’s been my favorite since the 1980s when it used to play on HBO all the time during this season. Now, thanks to DVD, it’s something I own.

If you are a fan of the Muppets, you should like this. It’s a Jim Henson production. The music is grand. I love the story. Some of the lines are highly laugh-out-loud funny.

This is a must-watch for me every year. Hopefully it’s the same for you or will become that way!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!

Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s December 1.

And, in my mind, that’s when the calendar truly turns to the holiday season. The music, the decorations — everything associated with this season is going to be in full swing soon enough.

You’ll probably start hearing the songs soon enough on the radio (if they haven’t already been playing)! (The above YouTube video is one of my top three favorite holiday songs!)

More and more houses will start putting decorations up.

Lines at the stores. Traffic in places you don’t usually expect it. Sometimes, snow. It all depends on where you are for that one!

But the holiday season is here.

Two nights ago, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer played on television. Tonight, it’s Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. I’m sure others will follow in suit, soon enough.

So that means the tunes will be playing for the next month. The displays will be in full force. Lines at the stores will be longer and longer. Traffic anywhere around shopping areas will be more congested.

But, it’s a good time of year.

I have a hard time not smiling on a nice cool night with Christmas lights shining.

I realize that my current economic situation won’t allow me to be as “generous” this gift-giving season, but it’s still a good season. I learned long ago that this holiday season isn’t just about the gifts, but rather the time with family and friends. It’s about the act of giving, not the amount you give. And this year, one that I’ll never forget for obvious reasons, has made me realize a lot of things in life, including how wonderful this time of year really is.

So as this time of year really shifts into gear, stop for a moment and realize what we have. If you are reading this, you probably are doing OK. The world might not be perfect, but at least you are doing OK.

Take a moment to take a deep breath when getting mad in a long line or in traffic (I’ll admit, I’ll need to do this as well!)

Smell some holiday flowers. Say hi to people. Smile.

And, if you can, give. Toy drives and food drives are ongoing this time of year. If you can spare anything, even one toy or can of food, try and do so. I know a member of our geocaching community is organizing a toy drive at an upcoming event and I am going to try and bring a couple of new, unwrapped toys to give. I might not be able to do a lot, but I will do what I can.

If there’s any other way to give this year, try and do so. Volunteer. Help a neighbor putting up his or her decorations. Just get into the spirit.

As a World — and for those of you in the United States like me — it hasn’t been an easy year. So let’s at least try and have a good ending to it.

Oh, and while you’re at it — try not to put on 25 pounds by eating too much!

Now I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas specials — The Year Without a Santa Claus — and one of the best scenes…

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook by clicking the button on the right side of the page!