Top Ten Christmas Television Specials of All Time

By Michael Harriot -- MMC Movie & Entertainment Guru

From the early days of television when The Hooneymoonerscelebrated Christmas in a live 40-minute sketch there has been a continual parade of made-for-television specials. Here are, without a doubt and surely without debate, the top ten:

1. Charlie Brown Christmas

Why it is #1: Charles Schulz beloved Peanuts Christmas special is one of if not THE most popular Christmas specials of all time. When this special was originally aired it was watched by over HALF the viewing television audience. Charlie Brown's Christmas is a mixture of Peanut comedy mixed with the classic and stirring message of Christmas. No one will ever forget this one simple phrase: “And that’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown”.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Why it is #2: Rudolph #2?!?! Blasphemy! The claymation-like Rankin Bass production of the Montgomery Ward's classic Christmas tale has consistently outsold other specials on recorded media for decades. How could it not be #1? Understand this special has one major flaw that can’t be ignored: just about everyone at the North Pole is a jerk. Think about it: Santa Claus? Not very nice to Rudolph. Elves? They bullied poor Elf Hermey to death. All the other reindeer? Won’t let Rudolph join in their reindeer games. What the heck? These guys make toys all year long for kids and then give them away on Christmas night and they can't accept two guys who are just a tad different? That’s not in the spirit of Christmas at all. Other than that gaping flaw this special is fantastic -- the innovative stop motion animation, classic songs and characters who have survived the test of time -- despite some of their flaws.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Why it is #3: WHY? How could it not be? It’s a special with Boris Karloff and the voice of Tony the Tiger for crying out loud! That alone is reason to put this special into any top ten. But its not just that. Chuck Jones brings a Dr. Seuss book to life. A wonderful story about a character who hates Christmas and the Who’s so much that he sets out to STEAL Christmas. That’s right, he’s taking it all, the ornaments, the food, even the TREE. He didn’t even leave a crumb big enough for a mouse. The message that Christmas is more than all that ranks it up there.

4. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

Why it is #4: While technically an episode of the Simpsons, this gets included here because it is the first Simpson episodeand it is a Christmas special. It is the first epidsode of a series going on 20+ years now -- which has to be some kind of record, animated series or no. It is also a Christmas special that is just a bit different than the norm: when Homer finds himself without money to buy the family gifts for Christmas he takes a part time job to get the money. When THAT doesn’t work out well he is convinced to use the little money he made at the dog track. Hearing the name of a late entry as Santa’s Little Helper, Homer is convinced that this is the miracle that will save the Simpsons Christmas. Of course, it's not. In the end it’s a simple gift of an adopted dog that makes for a special Christmas -- and a great introduction to the Simpson's on TV.

5. Frosty the Snowman

Why it is #5: Frosty the Snowman, animated with narration by Jimmy Durante, tells the story of the magic hat that brings Frosty to life and the magician who wants to steal the hat from him. In the end like any good special the magician changes his ways and Frosty goes to live at the North Pole with Santa so he does not melt. It is a simple, feel good story where everybody wins -- and it makes it feel like Christmas every year when it is shown.

6. The Year Without a Santa Claus

Why it is #6: Another classic Rankin/Bass stop motion special tells the story of a year when Santa Claus gets sick and is convinced there is not many people left in the world who believe in him. Santa decides to take a break from delivering presents. It is up to two little elves and a tiny reindeer to find people who still believe in Santa to get him to change his mind. Best known for the introduction of the characters Heat Miser and Snow Miser - and their classic conflict resolution with Mother Nature -- their catchy tunes teach non-holiday morals and in the process convey the Spirit of Christmas.

7. Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Why it is #7: A short animated tale (tail?) that retells Dicken's A Christmas Carol with Disney characters (Scrooge McDuck). Utilizing the same formula that made Charlie Brown's Christmas #1 the tale-within-the-tale introduces the lessons of Dickens to a young audience while charming adults who love both the story -- and Disney.

8. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Why it is #8: Another Rankin/Bass special, it tells the story of Santa from the time he was a little orphan baby until he moves to the North Pole. Along the way he meets his future bride, an evil warlock (who becomes his friend), and a strange little penguin -- all to classic, memorable tunes. An odd story told by S.D. Kluger (Fred Astaire), it tells how Santa came to deliver toys to children and leave presents in their stockings -- a stark departure from the classic history of the modern Santa Claus that is nevertheless politically correct, secular and ever-so-child-and-family friendly.

9. Bob Hope’s Christmas Specials

Why it is #9: Ok, a bit of a cop out here as I am not selecting one special in particular but rather all of them. My reasoning? Well to be fair I haven’t seen all of them. I have however seen Hope for the Holidays, which is a Christmas best of special with bits from all of his specials including visits with the troops and even some skits thrown in. If I could get my hands on all these specials I’m sure I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. These make my list because they are timeless in their humor and real in their perspective -- something the classic animated and stop motion specials lack.

10. Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank

Why it is #10: Despite the title this is actually a Frank Sinatra special with Bing Crosby as his guest. I picked this as #10 for the simple reason that it features two of the best singers of all time performer some of the best of all-time Christmas music. It never grows old -- and it doesn't get better than that.

MMC Editor

Black Friday in a down economy should spell a total win for Christmas shoppers. Indeed, word on the street is that the deals will be fast and furious this year. While these aren't our final Black Friday prognostications we think the rumors about the following are solid and should be considered as you make your buying plans. 1. Smaller screen HDTVs will be dirt cheap. Isn't it funny what we consider small these days. Turn back the clock 20 years and a 25-inch tube television was the hottest "big screen" on the market. Now flat panels in all their varieties are the standard and the smaller sizes are 32" and 42". Is this a great country or what? But wait -- it gets better. How would you like to get that 32" HDTV for less than $200. Chances are that is going to happen this Black Friday -- the price on these have dropped 50% in the past two holiday seasons. Deals will abound in this category. 2. Tablets will be hot....(which means #3 below is the real deal this season)...Amazon's Kindle Fire just ignited the tablet category into something exciting. Priced at $199 ($300 below the cheapest iPad) you're going to see a lot of folks go for it. To be honest, these are two very different products and they will both sell very well. 3. Laptops in the 15-inch and 17-inch variety are going to be cheap. Very cheap. Tablets are the hot thing and laptops are suddenly old school. Of course, if you actually want to get work done while on the road versus merely being entertained and looking cool a laptop is the way to go. And a laptop is an indispensible tool for students. This year they will stack-'em-deep-and-sell-'em-cheap -- starting at $199 for laptops that just a few years ago topped out at over $1000. 4. The two big trends in "Black Friday" bargains actually don't have anything to do with any particular product. Those trends are "earlier than ever" -- meaning that the day after Thanksgiving thing might not be the big event it once was. And the other is "get it online". Stores stockpile and staff stores, greatly cutting into profit. What if they can sell those bargains at a reduced cost? What if they offer the deals earlier, online and with free-shipping? That would allow more retailers to get earlier holiday dollars -- and shoppers to spread out their buying. Retailers to watch in this regard? Amazon, Wal Mart, and Best Buy. 5. Low-Tech stuff is plentiful -- and cheap. Look for great discounts on small appliances, home office equipment, apparel and toys. These don't carry the headlines traditionally on Black Friday but they should. In a down economy a $25 coat at Sears for your kid is a bargain for a necessity. These deals will be plentiful. 6. Remember when the Wii was $300? No more. It's been five years since a new system was introduced and there are new technologies on the horizon -- but not for this Christmas. You'll see the Wii for $99. There are two things to remember whether you are a shopper or a retailer this holiday season: none of the economic indicators are pointing up. That means retailers are already forecasting this to be a down season. That's good news for consumers, right? Wrong. Retailers are going to cut their losses early. That means deals early -- and not much going on from Thanksgiving weekend forward. Like we saw during Christmas 2008 and 2009 selection will be limited the closer we get to Christmas and prices aren't going to change much after Thanksgiving weekend. __________________ This article is copyrighted. Use of this article in part or whole is strictly prohibited. For reprint, quotation, or excerpt use please contact Merry Network LLC.

The Worst (and Best) War-on-Xmas News of 2011

—By Asawin Suebsaeng

| Thu Dec. 22, 2011 2:30 AM PST

2

Steven Perez /Flickr

It's been a frustrating, gruelingly partisan, and very weird year in America. Pizza slingerextraordinaire Herman Cain actually rose to the top of the 2012 Republican presidential crop. The Obama administration felt compelled to assure us that war with alien life forms is not imminent. People freaked out over bestiality in the military. And let's not forget that Rocky is now being turned into a damn musical.

Surely, this holiday season is set to offer some semblance of calm and harmony, right? A few moments free from the year's deluge of political cheap shots and cultural mayhem?

Not on your life.

Here's a round-up of the 2011 Christmas season's strangest (and most painfully delightful) news stories, including the Michigan-Wisconsin mitten war and Santa Claus' machine-gun-fest for kids.

1. Conservatives Wage War on Obama's War on Christmas Trees

The narrative went something like this: Economic times are tough. Americans deserve a break during the holidays. Americans also deserve affordable prices on their Christmas trees. But the Obama administration is trying to slap on a new tax—on Christmas trees! Huh. Obama must really hate Christians, then. And Jesus. And America, too. Typical Kenyan Muslim. Aghghghahagh!!!

Cue Heritage Foundation blogger—and former legal counsel to Dick Cheney—David Addington , who posted in early November:

Just because the Obama Administration has the legal power to impose its Christmas Tree Tax doesn't mean it should do so.

The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs. Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?"

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Basically, this is the Jesus-Bday version of the $16 muffin: Beyond the phony outrage and some mangled facts, move along people, cause there's no reason for indignation here. The plan for the grossly misunderstood 15-cent fee came fully endorsed by the National Christmas Tree Association and was originally devised by tree retailers and tree farmersbefore the president took office. So if the White House really is prosecuting a War on Christmas, brandishing the Internal Revenue Service as its weapon of choice, then this covert op was hatched under George W. Bush.

Here's John King 's takedown of the manufactured outcry:

2. Santa's Wondrous Machine-Gun Club for Tots

ChristmasNothing says Christmas like a small child brandishing a gas-operated semi-automatic weapon. ThinkProgresspicked up the story:

[T]his year, it's gun rights advocates who are offering the most twisted take on a Christmas tradition. Fox 5 News [in Phoenix, AZ] reports that the Scottsdale Gun Club is inviting people to enjoy "Santa and Machine Guns" — a "family event" that lets kids take a holiday card picture with St. Nick and an assortment of high-powered fire arms. Families can choose from pistols, modified AR15's, an $80,000 Garwood minigun and more. More disturbingly, they're encouraged to test out the machine guns. Video and pictures from the event show that young children often wield weapons larger than they are.

The Fox 5 report quotes club member Richard Jones, who insists that "[w]hether you're a gun advocate or not, you should have a lot of fun with it."

Am I the only one who thinks that this will predispose these children to mature into a bunch ofBad Santa s?

3. The Epic "Mitten-State" Turf War of December 2011

There was a time when I considered this to be the greatest use of AP column space ever. I stand corrected :

Michigan and Wisconsin have thrown off the gloves in a hand-to-hand combat over which of them looks more like a mitten.

"Hey, Wisconsin, get real!! The Mitten is ours!!" tweeted one Michigan resident upset the state across Lake Michigan is trying to usurp a shape so iconic it can be picked out by orbiting spaceships. Noted another, "Only one state has Mitten Mojo!"

Alex Beaton of the Awesome Mitten website spotted the knit mitten shaped like Wisconsin on the Travel Wisconsin website this week and kicked off the bare-knuckled offensive against what she saw as a mitten impostor.Only one state can be the mitten-est.

"People in Michigan, we do identify ourselves so closely with the Mitten State," Beaton said of the state's Lower Peninsula. "We're America's high five!"

The AP story—cutely titled "Michigan gives thumbs-down to Wisconsin mitten campaign"—coincided splendidly with the mitten-ready winter holiday. It goes on to describe the efforts of Wisconsinite Tom Lyons, who insists that "Wisconsin is the left mitten. Michigan is the right mitten. Even children know that one mitten doesn't cut it when it comes to Midwest winters." Lyons claims that (no joke, I think...) "he often holds up his left hand when locating state places for others."

I'm holding out for a Michigan State Braveheart remix , as long as it includes the line, "They may take our lives, but they'll never co-opt OUR MeeeeeeEEETTTENSssssSSS!!!!"

4. Canadian Anti-Globalization Leftists Want Us to Occupy Gift-Getting?

Um, how 'bout no :

You've been sleeping on the streets for two months pleading peacefully for a new spirit in economics. And just as your camps are raided, your eyes pepper sprayed and your head's knocked in, another group of people are preparing to camp-out. Only these people aren't here to support occupy Wall Street, they're here to secure their spot in line for a Black Friday bargain at Super Target and Macy's.

Occupy gave the world a new way of thinking about the fat cats and financial pirates on Wall Street. Now lets give them a new way of thinking about the holidays, about our own consumption habits...[Let's] launch an all-out offensive to unseat the corporate kings on the holiday throne. This year's Black Friday will be the first campaign of the holiday season where we set the tone for a new type of holiday culminating with #OCCUPYXMAS.

That was from Vancouver's Adbusters, the editorial crew that helped kick off Occupy Wall Street. The phase #OCCUPYXMAS was scheduled for November 25-26, along with "consumer fasts," "Santa sit-ins ," flash mobs, and a general huge inconvenience to holiday shoppers and check-out lines. Predictably, the effort to #OccupyXmasPresentsThatKeepMyChildrenSanedidn't have an impressive turnout . This clip (and a crop of others) illustrates why:

5. Santa Claus Dangles From a Mall Rooftop, Traumatizes The Children

This story about a rent-a-Santa in Florida might very well top the list of "things that weren't in the job description." Here's some background from the Daily Mail on an incident that took place in late November:

A man dressed as jolly old St Nicholas was supposed to make a grand entrance at a mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Instead, he managed to get his beard tangled in the rope, losing the beard—and his hat—entirely. It was trouble from the get-go when Santa hesitated and fumbled before clumsily going over the ledge.

An elven helper tried to get him off to a good start. What followed was nearly three minutes of Santa—still suspended in mid-air—trying to descend down to the stage after his beard got tangled in the rappelling equipment. The elf looked on, helpless at Santa's plight. A lone child hopefully cried out: "Santa!" Two announcers commenting on the event didn't help the awkward entrance.

"Everybody cheer, everybody cheer Santa on!" the female announcer said to the crowd. "I think if you guys sing nice and loud, you can help Santa come down!" She also told the horrified children: "Magic can happen!" She encouraged children to sing along with a rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Enough talk; sit back and watch the holiday awfulness unfold:

6. Norway's Butter Emergency

Europe has a lot on its plate: There's the euro crisis with its massive international implications. The whole Putin/voter-fraud thing . And the James Murdoch affair is bubbling up, yet again.

But the worst of the lot? I'm going with the Norwegian butter catastrophe. AFP reported early last week :

An acute butter shortage in Norway, one of the world's richest countries, has left people worrying how to bake their Christmas goodies with store shelves emptied and prices through the roof.

The shortfall, expected to last into January, amounts to between 500 and 1,000 tonnes, said Tine, Norway's main dairy company, while online sellers have offered 500-gramme packs for up to 350 euros ($465). The dire shortage poses a serious challenge for Norwegians who are trying to finish their traditional Christmas baking -- a task which usually requires them to make at least seven different kinds of biscuits.

The shortfall has been blamed on a rainy summer that cut into feed production and therefore dairy output, but also the ballooning popularity of a low-carbohydrate, fat-rich diet that has sent demand for butter soaring. "Compared to 2010, demand has grown by as much as 30 percent," Tine spokesman Lars Galtung told AFP. Last Friday, customs officers stopped a Russian at the Norwegian-Swedish border and seized 90 kilos (198 pounds) of butter stashed in his car.

Quick, mobilize the large-scale international aid effort! Get Sean Penn to host the telethon! The Norwegians require seven different kinds of pillowy biscuits, people. Not six, not five, and never—shuddder—four. Seven!

7. The Mailman Wants To Kill Christmas, Too??

Grinch, 2.0Yes, it does seem to be the case, according to the good folks at the Family Research Council . On December 14, the office of FRC president Tony Perkins blasted out the following press release:

Last Saturday, FRC's own J.P. Duffy was waiting in line with his family at a Maryland post office when three Christmas carolers entered to sing for the longsuffering customers.

The carolers were quickly silenced, however, by an angry postal manager who instructed them to immediately leave the premises, citing that they were in violation of a "no-solicitation policy." Despite jeers from the postal patrons, the manager never relented, causing the carolers to take their cheer elsewhere.

Fox News reporter Todd Starnes followed up on the story and received confirmation that the United States Postal Service does indeed ban Christmas carolers. Such a ban on Christmas caroling is antagonistic toward the long-held Christmas traditions of the American people, and is an unnecessary affront to patrons who use the post office daily to send Christmas cards and packages.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, (R-CO), has introduced a resolution (H. Res. 489) that recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas, strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas.

H. Res. 489, introduced earlier this month, currently has 54 co-sponsors , including Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and just two House Dems. Mind-numbing culture war FTW !

8. Rick Perry Really Does Make This Too Easy

By now, you might have heard that this campaign ad has attracted more Internet hateration than your average Justin Bieber YouTube video . The resulting meme is totally well-deserved:

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian. But you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday to know that there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school. As president, I'll end Obama's war on religion and I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage.

As our own Tim Murphy puts it: "What is this war on religion, anyway? Did Congress authorize it? How is it being paid for? If Rick Perry is a Christian and President Obama is at war with Christians, can Obama detain Perry indefinitely without trial?"

Mistletoe Gets the Kiss-Off

Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Jena Min of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and her husband, Gunther Romer, look for mistletoe to decorate Ms. Min's boutique.

By EMILY S. RUEB

Published: December 21, 2011

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THE tree is glittering in the living room, and garlands are plentiful throughout the house. But people searching for another holiday standard, mistletoe, will be hard pressed this year to find a decent-looking sprig, if they’re able to find any at all.

Enlarge This Image

Robert Wright for The New York Times

Fragments of mistletoe may be the only form sold.

Enlarge This Image

Robert Wright for The New York Times

There are many species of mistletoe. But the kissing kind that is native to the United States, a semiparasitic plant that grows wild in certain parts of the country, is scarce this year because of a relentless drought in Texas and adverse weather elsewhere.

The branches normally have smooth green leaves and small white berries, but in New York City, the few branches that have arrived are so anemic that they just aren’t worth the high price tag, many sellers say.

Jena Min, 36, the owner of a Brooklyn boutique and gallery called Condemned to Be Free, recently strolled the flower shops along 28th Street in Manhattan with her husband, Gunther Romer, and searched high and low for fresh mistletoe to decorate her retail space.

“I had a hard time finding even the fake stuff,” said Ms. Min, whose shop is in Boerum Hill.

The story is the same in other places. One of the country’s largest suppliers, Tiemann’s Mistletoe in Priddy, Tex., has halted shipments for the first time in its 58-year history.

“If you have been kissed under the mistletoe and it was bought, there’s a 95 percent chance it came from us,” said Robert Tiemann, the owner.

But not this year.

“There’s not enough mistletoe in the State of Texas to run a commercial operation,” said Mr. Tiemann, who is known as Speedy.

He estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the plants in the state have been compromised by the drought, which has been the worst in Texas history. Many retailers and wholesalers in New York have had to reach out to suppliers as far west as California to get the plant.

But even before this year, mistletoe seemed to be losing its allure. Indeed, some (perhaps especially those who have had to dodge unwanted advances beneath it) are unmoved by this year’s shortage.

“It’s an ugly little bush,” said Gardel Prudent of Gardel’s Greene Garden in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, who will not carry mistletoe this year.

THE rise in prices brought on by the drought apparently sealed the plant’s fate in Mr. Prudent’s eyes. He said it would have cost him about $5 for a finger-size sprig. With the minimal markup that he could charge, he said, he wouldn’t have made any profit.

Craig Core, the owner of Suburban Wholesale Florists and Supplies in Chatham, N.J., said that even before the drought, he had noticed a decline in sales for what he describes as a “cheap novelty item.”

“We wind up throwing it away,” said Mr. Core of the leftovers he has at season’s end. “People would rather buy a wreath or a plant than a gray berry.”

But Mr. Core will not have that problem this year. For the first time, his 50-year-old business, which distributes to hundreds of retail florists in the area, is not carrying the plant. Because he makes so little money on mistletoe, he said, he decided not to stock even the fake kind.

Charlotte Moss, the designer, pointed out that artificial mistletoe can be “unbelievably real.” But Ms. Moss, who remembers shimmying up a tree in her native Virginia to get fresh mistletoe, said that she still prefers the actual thing.

“There are a lot of things I can handle that are faux, but somehow for something with a tradition, it should be the real deal,” she said. “Otherwise the kiss doesn’t have the same impact.”

But like Ms. Min, Ms. Moss was unable to find a good batch of real mistletoe this year, and so she had none for the elaborate holiday display at her Upper East Side town house. Still, she thinks the plant will be back next year — at a higher price.

“Things have their cycles,” she said. “Buy your mistletoe futures now.”

The United States Department of Agriculture does not gather data on mistletoe. And there are few details readily available about the overall business of harvesting mistletoe, which characteristically grows on trees and sometimes must be shot with a gun to be retrieved or pulled down with a long pole and hook.

Years ago, the vibrant green leaves and pearly berries brightened graves and farmhouses at wintertime in places like Oklahoma, where it became the state flower at the turn of the last century. But no longer.

Michael George, a Manhattan florist who recently covered a pair of three-feet-wide globes in greens and artificial mistletoe to promote a dating Web site, said the plant is not as crucial to romance as it once was.

“In 1901 you needed to be under the mistletoe to steal a kiss in public,” said Mr. George. “In 2011, you can do just about anything you want in public and it goes unnoticed.” When asked about the shortage, Mr. George was confident there would be no love lost.

“I don’t think it will affect the number of kisses,” he said.

Many people don’t know what real mistletoe looks like, even if they think they do.

During her lunch break on Monday, Ines Ruiz, 60, browsedInternational Garden, a florist in Manhattan’s flower district. Nodding to what she thought was mistletoe, she said she might buy some for her house.

“My family’s coming over, maybe I’ll just put it up and make everybody kiss each other,” she said, giggling.

But the salesman corrected her: she was looking at holly.

When he showed her the mistletoe, a puny cluster of a few dime-size leaves in a plastic bag, she was shocked.

“No, I don’t like it like that,” she said. “Why is it all broken?”

“It’s more expensive this year,” added Nelson Argueta, the salesman.

Mr. Argueta also told her she would have to hang the mistletoe in its plastic bag to prevent the plant from disintegrating.

Ms. Ruiz decided not to make the purchase.

Meredith Hoffman contributed reporting.