Christmas Special: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[Mr. Magoo]]'s [[Yet Another Christmas Carol|Christmas Carol]]'' (1962) was the [[Ur Example|first animated one of these]] to be produced expressly for television.
* ''[[Mr. Magoo]]'s [[Yet Another Christmas Carol|Christmas Carol]]'' (1962) was the [[Ur Example|first animated one of these]] to be produced expressly for television.
* ''[[Dinner for One (Theatre)|Dinner for One]]'' (1963, usually associated with New Year's Eve)
* ''[[Dinner for One (Theatre)|Dinner for One]]'' (1963, usually associated with New Year's Eve)
* ''[[Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Animation)|Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Animation)|Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1964)
** ''[[Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Animation)|Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer]]: [[The Movie]]'' (1998). It's mostly unrelated though.
** ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Animation)|Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer]]: [[The Movie]]'' (1998). It's mostly unrelated though.
* ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas (Animation)|A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'' (1965; directly references the religious basis of Christmas when Linus, in a spotlight no less, quotes the Christmas story from one of the gospels)
* ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas (Animation)|A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'' (1965; directly references the religious basis of Christmas when Linus, in a spotlight no less, quotes the Christmas story from one of the gospels)
** There are actually four ''[[Peanuts]]'' Christmas specials. Obviously, ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' easily overshadows the other three, which consist of ''It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown'' (1992), ''Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales'' (2002), and ''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' (2003). ''Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales'' was created specifically to pad out an hour timeslot for ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' so that it wouldn't have to be [[Edited for Syndication]].
** There are actually four ''[[Peanuts]]'' Christmas specials. Obviously, ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' easily overshadows the other three, which consist of ''It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown'' (1992), ''Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales'' (2002), and ''I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown'' (2003). ''Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales'' was created specifically to pad out an hour timeslot for ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' so that it wouldn't have to be [[Edited for Syndication]].

Revision as of 20:19, 6 January 2014

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) 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 (generally known as Christmas Specials 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.

Examples:


  1. ↑ Probably better known for the album than the special but still ...
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