Nothing against today's holiday specials, but the old-school shows of our childhood are still our favorite. From Frosty to Rudolph to Snoopy, these timeless classics still bring us back to (and in some cases, show our kids) a kinder, simpler time when we didn't even know what a recession was.
And the funny thing is that, for many of our editorial staff, our favorite holidays shows were pretty old even when we were kids. Here's a list of our top picks, but please add your own using the Talkback feature below.
Molly Snyder Edler
Staff Writer
"A Gumby Christmas"
I'm a big fan of the original stop motion clay animation Gumby Christmas cartoons that ran on television in the '50s and '60s. I own a DVD collection of them, and really never tire of the bendy, high-voiced Gumby or his abused red clay pony, Pokey. The stop-motion style produced some of the most enjoyable animated visuals of all time, and continues to be an appealing retro style of animation today. (It's used in the new AT&T gingerbread man commercial featuring the voices of Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald.) I like the Eddie Murphy '80s version of "A Gumby Christmas" that appeared on "Saturday Night Live" almost equally as much as the original cartoons. Murphy plays a cranky, semi-profane Gumby famous for saying, "I'm Gumby, damn it!" 'Member?
Julie Lawrence
Staff Writer
"Frosty the Snowman"
I'd always wondered which came first: the song or the TV special. As a little kid growing up in the ‘80s, I was hit with both the jolly little jingle and the old-school cartoon at the same time whenever winter rolled around. It's long been my favorite amongst its Christmas contemporaries -- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I think it was that magic top hat that brought Frosty to life that really sealed the deal for me (I spent a significant portion of my childhood insisting that I was going to be a magician when I grew up ... or an astronaut.) Today, thanks to Wikipedia, I find yet another reason to love the iconic ice ball even more: Songwriter Walter Rollins told Life magazine in an 1972 interview that his original idea for the song "Frosty the Snowman" was written as a cautionary tale pertaining to the scare of "nuclear winter" and initially it was said that nuclear fallout mixed with the snow and children's dreams of a world without war were what brought Frosty to life, but the publishers and Gene Autry thought that the song would have more commercial value as a children's Christmas song. Ha!
Drew Olson
Senior editor
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Far and away my favorite Christmas special. I watched it every year between age 1 and 16 and rediscovered it a few years ago. The animation is rudimentary. The dialog from child actors is cobbled together (most of the kids were too young to read), but the thing is absolutely brilliant and I wouldn't want it to change. It has one of my favorite lines, when Charlie Brown yells at Violet "Don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?" I feel that way a lot.
Bobby Tanzilo
Managing Editor
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Thanks to the great Vince Guaraldi piano music, the fabulous variety of cool dances that the characters do and the sad-sackness of old Chuck, I love any and all of the Peanuts holiday specials. From the great pumpkin to that poor sapling of a Christmas tree that Charlie Brown selects, the shows are great. That the voices of the adults are indecipherable makes perfect sense for a show aimed at kids, too.
Jeff Sherman
President
"John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together"
If you can find it on DVD, "John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together" is an old-school 1979 classic. Denver plays himself as he sings his way through traditional tunes and some fun stuff like Animal, Dr. Teeth and the band cranking out "Little St. Nick." In addition, it's one of the few specials that actually discusses and embraces the meaning of Christmas. And, if nothing else Denver's glasses are so crazy big that you can't help but crack a holiday smile. I also really like "Olive, the Other Reindeer." Drew Barrymore voices Olive the dog, who thinks she is a reindeer and goes on a quest to help Santa after one of reindeer can't. There's enough "adult" humor and music (Michael Stipe sings a few tunes) too. DVR it or buy it on DVD.
Andy Tarnoff
Publisher
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"
I had to consult with my sister on this one, because Christmas shows always made me feel melancholy as a kid. As a Jewish child, I never believed in Santa (though I was sworn to secrecy to never reveal his status to my Gentile friends), so these wonderful shows and stories made me feel a little left out. I remember enjoying "Frosty" and "Peanuts," by my sis claims we loved "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." We were enamored by the choppy, stop-motion animation, and we giggled with glee when the adorable little nose of Rudolph lit up. Even though it wasn't our tradition, we made sure to watch the show every year.
