What to Watch at Christmas

When Christmas rolls around, everybody in the world seems to get into the spirit, especially Hollywood and TV writers. There is always a "special" Christmas show on most shows in some way, way, shape or form. Here are my choices for the top ten Christmas shows and specials (in no particular order):

Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Amends" (orig. air date 12/15/1998)-everyone in Sunnydale is gearing up for Christmas (except of course Willow who is Jewish). Angel however is not having a merry Christmas as he is being haunted by his past and the people he tortured and killed. Buffy is stuck in her own pain, still trying to adjust to being back home after killing Angel and dealing with Faith the new slayer whom her mother wants her to get closer to especially since it is Christmas. Buffy discovers Angel is being tortured when as a result of her sometimes prophetic dreams she is taken back to visit his past with him. With the help of Giles and Xander she finds out that he is being tortured by the First into either killing Buffy who claims that will end his suffering. He decides to commit suicide and Buffy finds him atop a hill, waiting sunrise. In a true Christmas miracle, the heat wave that had previously been upon Sunnydale ends in a freak snowstorm, blocking out any hope of the sun ending Angel. I like this one because we get a glimpse into Angel's past and see exactly why is he so tortured but you also see why Buffy and Angel's love story is so tragic because they can never really be together. Plus with the snowstorm at the end it just shows how amazing thing seem to just happen at Christmas.

Full House "Our Very First Christmas Show" (orig. air date 12/16/1988)-the entire Tanner household gets snowed in an airport on Christmas Eve with a whole bunch of other holiday travelers who aren't pleased to be there including one particularly grumpy man (who Michelle relieves of his toupee). The boys try to make it special for the girls even though they're not at home on this day but Stephanie is still worried that Santa won't find them. At the end though, there are presents, everyone is in a good mood, and there is even a special message from good Old Saint Nick. This makes the list because it was the first Full House Christmas show and as corny as it is now, I loved this show growing up. And this one always puts a warm feeling in my heart whenever I see it now so it is always special. Besides, what kid doesn't sympathize with Stephanie's worry that Santa won't find her since she's not where she has been every other year? A definite Christmas classic.

Family Matters "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel" (orig. air date 12/11/1992)-after spending an exhausting day Christmas shopping Laura is waiting for the bus. Steve shows up and offers her a ride but in typical Urkel fashion, ends up accidentally breaking the expensive gift she just bought for her mother. Furious Laura tells him to get lost and says she wishes he could know what it was like to be her. Her guardian angel shows up and grants her wish but in a backwards way; since Steve will know what it is like to be her, she will know what it is like to be Steve. I like this episode because it is the first one to really show what Steve feels, albeit through Laura. When she was the annoying nerdy neighbor all she felt was love to Steve (in his Laura counterpart) and just wanted to be around him. It is just one of those situations where one person was put in another one's shoes and while it didn't immediately fix their relationship, it certainly made Laura a little more patient with Steve after he broke her gift when she was able to relive that part again. This episode shows that you need to love your fellow man even if you don't always like them or the way they act, all year but especially at Christmas.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (orig. air date 12/9/1965)-fed up with the commercialism of Christmas, Charlie Brown seeks to find the true meaning of Christmas by becoming the director of the Christmas program. However it proves to be a very frustrating task with no one listening to him or wanting to do what they needed to do and even the little tree he picks out for a Christmas tree seems to fall apart. However with the help of Linus Charlie Brown, as well as the whole Peanuts gang figure out the true meaning of Christmas, which has nothing to do with what you can buy at a store. This is a true Christmas classic, standing up to the test of time (here it is over forty years later and it is still shown on TV) and who can resist the Peanuts gang and Snoopy, dancing and singing at the end of the show?

Shrek the Halls (orig. air date 11/28/2007)-this half hour Christmas special shows Shrek trying not only to adjust to having three new babies, but celebrating Christmas for the first time in his life because it is what Fiona wants. Trying to follow the instructions in a book he found however doesn't help Shrek much especially when Donkey intervenes and tries to help and of course in true Donkey fashion makes it harder. What I like about this is that it is a new classic for the kids of nowadays to grow up with and show their own kids. There has been a definite lack of good Christmas specials for the younger generation and this one could be one that can stand the tests of time.

A Garfield Christmas Special (orig. air date 12/21/1987)-this is another classic from my childhood when Lorenzo Music was still the voice of America's favorite orange fat cat. It shows Jon, Odie, and Garfield heading to Jon's family for the holidays where they have to deal with the dysfunction that sometime goes hand in hand with family. A lot of hijinks ensue while everyone is trying to find a gift for everyone else and most of the sentimentality is cut down by Garfield's cynical outlook. Nevertheless this is a great Christmas special and if you are a true child of the 80's you grew up watching this as well as Charlie Brown.

Saved by the Bell "Home for Christmas Parts I and II" (orig. air date 12/7 & 12/17/1991)-you know you know all the words to the theme song of this show. Everyone watched it growing up and I am one of those people who can tell what episode it is within the first five minutes. I like these episodes because it shows the Bayside gang working at the mall to make money for Christmas and also shows them banding together to help a less fortunate teen. It's a cute episode that, yes, with a little bit of corniness, shows you that helping out your fellow man is what helps to make Christmastime so special.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (orig. air date 12/18/1966)-another true Christmas classic is this animated version of the beloved Dr. Seuss book complete with Boris Karloff as the narrator and voice of the main character. This is a great story about how a miserly character who hates the noise of the Whos celebrating Christmas tries to stop it only to discover that Christmas is something more than getting or giving gifts when the Whos still celebrate Christmas even when they wake up and find all their gifts and tree trimmings gone. I am one of the people who also enjoys the live action version of this tale starring Jim Carrey but of course the animated one will always have a special place in my heart and it is something everyone should see at Christmas if only to remind them of what we are really celebrating.

The Simpsons "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (orig. air date 12/17/1989)-Homer gets no Christmas bonus and has to resort to taking a job as a mall Santa to help make the ends meet so the Simpsons can have a great Christmas. Meanwhile, Marge has to use all of the family's shopping money to get a tattoo removed from Bart. Desperate he ends up at the dog track to win some money and bets on Santa's Little Helper thinking it is a sign. However the dog loses so Homer loses all his money but on the way out Bart and he notice the race track owner about to abandon the dog so they decide to take him home because this is a gift that the whole family can appreciate and give their love to.

A Claymation Christmas Celebration (orig. air date 12/21/1987)-okay I know I said this list wasn't in any particular order. However this is my absolute favorite Christmas special. With the California Raisins (really the Temptations) singing "Rudolph" to a jazzy version of "We Three Kings" complete with two bickering dinosaurs as your hosts what isn't there to love about this special? Also, no matter what, claymation is a pretty amazing thing when you think about it because of all the work it takes to get it done. T doesn't really come on anymore I don't think however it is just the best to me and I love the music, I love the animation, I love everything about this special.

There you have it my top ten Christmas specials. Maybe you find something new in this list or just remembered old favorites whatever the case enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!