Christmas Special: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Punisher.jpg|link=The Punisher|~~right~~| ~~<small>~~He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!~~</small>~~ ]]

[[File:Punisher.jpg|link=The Punisher|frame|He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!]]

A mostly American subgenre -- special television shows, often one-shots, created with a winter or holiday theme for broadcast during the month of December. Most prominently feature [[Santa Claus]] and his associated mythology, as they try to preserve political correctness. Some try to elucidate us on the [[True Meaning of Christmas]].

Perhaps the best-known Christmas Specials are the animated ones (including the stop-motion animations produced primarily by [[Rankin Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]]) from the 1960s through the 1970s that rerun annually. Far more numerous, though, are the various celebrity specials, which usually take the form of a low-key holiday-themed [[Variety Show]]. Usually the latter are rather forgettable by virtue of their one-off nature, but sometimes they can generate moments that survive decades. A case in point would be the Bing Crosby-[[David Bowie]] duet of "The Little Drummer Boy", which has taken on a life of its own above and beyond the 1970s-vintage Crosby special from which it sprang.

Perhaps the best-known Christmas Specials are the animated ones (including the stop-motion animations produced primarily by [[Rankin/Bass Productions|Rankin/Bass]]) from the 1960s through the 1970s that rerun annually. Far more numerous, though, are the various celebrity specials, which usually take the form of a low-key holiday-themed [[Variety Show]]. Usually the latter are rather forgettable by virtue of their one-off nature, but sometimes they can generate moments that survive decades. A case in point would be the Bing Crosby-[[David Bowie]] duet of "The Little Drummer Boy", which has taken on a life of its own above and beyond the 1970s-vintage Crosby special from which it sprang.

Compare [[Christmas Episode]] ([[Separated By a Common Language|generally known as Christmas Specials]] [[A Very British Christmas|in the UK]]) and [[Halloween Special]]. If the holiday celebrated in the special only looks like Christmas but is renamed to match the setting, it's a [[You Mean Xmas]].