Our 10 Favourite TV Christmas Specials of All Time

By Tom DiChiara

10. ‘Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol’ (1962)

This musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella was the first animated holiday special ever when it first aired in 1962 — but it still holds up almost 50 years later. That probably has something to do with the fact that the musical numbers were composed by famed Broadway duo Jule Styne (book) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), who collaborated on the hit play Funny Girl shortly afterward. And casting the legendarily nearsighted Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus) as Scrooge was — and still is — a stroke of comic Christmas genius.

Watch it: On DVD

9. ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’ (1974)

Laid up with a cold and disillusioned by kids’ failing belief in him, Santa (Mickey Rooney) decides to skip Christmas. But his elves Jingle and Jangle have other plans, and they set out with baby reindeer Vixen to prove that the holiday spirit is still alive. Before they can do that, however, they need to rescue Vixen from the dog pound (long story). But first they need Mrs. Claus’ help to convince Mother Nature’s sons Heat Miser and Cold Miser to make it snow in steamy Southtown (even longer story). It may sound complicated, but this clever, funny tale is a true Christmas classic — even if it does have more plot twists than an M. Night Shyamalan thriller.

8. ”Twas the Night Before Christmas’ (1974)

What would happen if a talking mouse wrote a letter to the local newspaper trash-talking Santa and signed it “From, All of Us”? You can bet your presents that Kris Kringle would bypass your town. That’s the premise of this Rankin/Bass animated special, set around the turn of the 19th century, in which that smart-alecky mouse’s father and a local human clockmaker team up to make a magnificent musical clock tower to convince Santa to visit. Men and mice working together for the common good? Only at Christmas!

7. ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special’ (1978)

Okay, we’ll be honest: This special — which follows Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca’s (Peter Mayhew) trip to visit Chewie’s family for Life Day (a.k.a. Christmas in a galaxy far, far away) — is awful. But it’s so awful (and unintentionally funny) that it’s actually entertaining. And, as true Star Wars fans know, it’s also the first time Boba Fett was introduced, albeit in cartoon form. Sadly, due to horrendous critical reception, the program only aired once in its entirety — on Nov. 17, 1978 — and has never officially been released on DVD.

6. ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town!’ (1970)

In this classic animated Rankin/Bass special, a mailman (Fred Astaire) reveals how an orphaned baby named Claus (Mickey Rooney) became Kris Kringle (he was taken in by elves with the surname Kringle) and how he found his calling as a toymaker (it was the Kringle family business, naturally). As an added bonus, the special features one of the most iconic, evil and awesomely named villains in Christmas history: Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), who makes it illegal for the children of Sombertown to play with toys. Sounds like naughty-list material to us.

5. ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’ (1983)

Charles Dickens’ immortal 1843 classic gets the Disney treatment, with — who else? — Scrooge McDuck playing hard-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge. Other Disney stalwarts also appear in the humorous, kid-friendly take on the tale: Mickey Mouse as a downtrodden Bob Cratchit, Donald Duck as Scrooge’s nephew Fred, Goofy as Jacob Marley and Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Present. If you need any more incentive to check this one out, consider this: It was nominated for the best animated short Oscar in 1984.
Photo by: Walt Disney Productions

4. ‘Frosty the Snowman’ (1969)

In this tale that’s narrated with panache by Jimmy Durante, the titular snowman comes to life when schoolchildren place a magician’s discarded hat atop his head. Life for Frosty and his pals is a hoot for a while, until rising temperatures threaten to literally melt their fun. And so Frosty, a girl named Karen and a rabbit named Hocus Pocus set out for the perennially cold North Pole — with the magic hat’s greedy owner, Professor Hinkle, in hot pursuit. Guaranteed to make you want to exclaim, “Happy birthday!”

3. ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ (1964)

This was Rankin/Bass’ first foray into stop-motion-animated holiday fare — and it’s also the production company’s best. Jolly Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives) tells the tale of Rudolph, a reindeer embarrassed by his nose so bright, and Hermey, a toy-making elf who’d rather perform root canals, and how they team with bumbling prospector Yukon Cornelius to save Christmas from an Abominable Snowman and an impenetrable fog. It’s got plenty of peppy musical numbers and a positive message to boot (being different is good!). Fun fact: The ending where Santa and Rudolph return to the Island of Misfit Toys to rescue Charlie-in-the-Box and his pals wasn’t part of the original special; it was added in 1965 after viewers demanded to know the Misfits’ fate.

2. ‘Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ (1966)

The Grinch’s heart might be full of unwashed socks at the outset of this Boris Karloff-narrated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ 1957 children’s book, but it grows three sizes by the end — and that’s what we dig about the ugly little green dude! Though the Grinchy Claus certainly does his darnedest to keep Christmas from coming to Whoville, his timely transformation reminds viewers of Christmas’ uncanny ability to change people (even those with souls full of garlic) for the better. Consider this required viewing, both before and after you’ve carved the roast beast.

1. ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ (1965)

For many, the holiday season hasn’t truly arrived until they’ve watched this Emmy-winning special, which features an iconic jazz soundtrack courtesy of Vince Guaraldi — and was the first-ever TV appearance for Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts gang. A staggering 50 percent of televisions in America tuned in to the 1965 debut, and it’s no wonder: Charlie Brown’s quest to get past the commercialization of Christmas to find its true meaning — with a little help from his pal Linus and a scraggly pine tree — still resonates 46 years later.