December in the 80's was a magical time of year to be a kid. Not only did we get all the fantastic toys for Christmas, but every year, throughout the holiday season, the television would segue from regularly scheduled programing to air animated holiday specials. They'd come on just late enough that it could be a family event, but early enough that we'd get to enjoy it just before bedtime.
Each half hour block was special. Perfectly crafted with just the right number of advertisements to remind us of all the toys on store shelves, the treats to be had from local restaurants and grocery stores, and all other manners of consumption in between. But at the heart of it was that cartoon which would come out of hiding just once a year, fill your eyes with wonder, bringing smiles, laughter, action, adventure, drama, but at the root of it, a classic holiday message of peace, giving, love, and joy.
It's become my own personal tradition each year to pull a holiday special off the DVD shelf each day to enjoy. It's a ritual which not only has become my way of counting down the twenty-four days of December leading up to my favorite holiday, but my way of reminding myself that no matter what's happening in the world, my day-to-day grind of work, life, health, trials, and tribulations, that for a moment, all of that can be put a side, and I can simply become a kid again, even if it's just at heart.
While I wish I could share the actual special with all of you, be it by inviting you all to my home to join me in front of the fireplace with a bowl of popcorn, sadly, that's just not feasible. However, between sites such as Youtube, Arhcive.org, Dailymotion, and Vimeo, you can probably find them to watch. Of course, for those of you so bold, you could also pick them up on DVD yourself, something I would highly recommend. If not for yourself, for your children.
It is Christmas time in the Smurf Village, and they are happily preparing for the holiday celebration, hanging wreaths, stockings, and ornaments on the big tree in the middle of the village. Harmony is practicing his horn solo, but Smurfette, Grouchy, Greedy, and Brainy don't want to hear him play it, so he plays for Lazy while he's sleeping and dumps a pile of snow on top of him. Jokey is busy loading up a sled with his Christmas "surprises", but when Harmony tries to play his solo for him, one of them erupts in his hand. Papa Smurf watches his little Smurfs working together with their Christmas preparations, saying that this could be the best celebration they will ever have. Brainy catches Greedy sneaking a taste of the smurfberry pudding and goes on nagging endlessly to him until Papa Smurf gets him to stop. Then he tells him that the pudding isn't complete until they add the final ingredient - the last walnut. Unfortunately, Greedy has eaten it, so Papa Smurf tells him that he will go get another one from a squirrel.
Meanwhile, in his castle, Gargamel groans about how miserable Christmas is, knowing that the Smurfs are spreading their love and good cheer. When Azrael accidentally knocks over a stack of books, Gargamel finds "Mother's Old Recipe for Making Life Miserable" in one of them and believes it could be the perfect way to destroy the Smurfs. Unfortunately for him, the recipe backfires as soon as he adds the last ingredient.
Out in the forest, an old man is riding in a sleigh with his two grandchildren, William and Guinevere, telling them about Santa Claus, who brings children presents every Christmas Eve. Suddenly, they are attacked by a fierce wolf, with a stranger in a purple cloak (who is never named but is heavily implied to be the Devil) watching. While the Smurfs are busy getting another walnut from the squirrel, the children seek out help for their grandfather, who is buried underneath the wrecked sleigh. They come across Gargamel's castle and ask him if he could help rescue him. He asks them if they have any money, and when they say no, he slams the door in their faces, so they go looking for someone else to help them. In a chateau near a human village, a man fusses that his niece and nephew should have arrived hours ago and tells one of his servants to organize a search party immediately.
Gargamel is visited by the stranger seen earlier, saying that he will give him the power to destroy the Smurfs, but all he wants in return is the two children who are lost in the forest. When asked why, he answers that he wants revenge on their uncle who, by his good nature, would meddle in his affairs. He offers him a scroll that will tell him how to find the Smurf Village and what he should do when he gets there, but he won't give it to him until he finds the children. As he goes out into the forest to find do so, he comes across their uncle, who is also out looking for them. The uncle asks him if he's seen them, saying that their grandfather is all right, and is offering ten gold coins for their safe return. This makes Gargamel happy, seeing that he can get a reward for finding them and get his hands on the Smurfs.
Near a tree, William and Guinevere huddle close together to keep themselves warm and to comfort one another so that they won't be scared being all alone in the forest. Guinevere sings "Silent Night", which attracts the attention of both the wolves and the Smurfs who were just passing through on their way home. However, the wolves find them first and are ready to attack when Papa Smurf intervenes. William thinks that he is Santa Claus, and after the wolves depart, Guinevere tells him and the other Smurfs about their grandfather. He tells Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy to find the sleigh, then tells Smurfette to go back to their village to get help for the children. He stays with them, finding himself a little uncomfortable answering William's question if he was Santa Claus.
Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy find the overturned sleigh, but they see no trace of the grandfather who was buried underneath it. Clumsy spots a note that the children's Uncle Edgar left for them, telling them that their grandfather is all right, so Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy return to tell Papa Smurf. In the village, the children are being cared for by the Smurfs as they allow them to eat the smurfberry pudding, much to Greedy's dismay. Papa Smurf offers them presents in addition to his hospitality. Hefty, Brainy, and Clumsy show up, telling him and the children that they have found the sleigh and the note from their Uncle Edgar. After Papa Smurf leads the Smurfs into a song they sing every Christmas, they return to the spot of the wrecked sleigh with the children in high spirits. Unfortunately, Gargamel drops in and kidnaps the children. Smurfette wonders what he wants with them, and Papa Smurf says they must go after him.
In Gargamel's castle, the stranger again shows up, asking about the children, which Gargamel then turns over to him. The Smurfs watch from a window as Gargamel makes the exchange for the promised scroll, with Papa Smurf noticing something about the stranger. Gargamel is so happy to get the scroll with which he can destroy the Smurfs that he immediately heads for their village as the stranger takes the children away. Vanity wonders what they are going to do about their village, but Papa Smurf tells him that rescuing the children comes first.
Upon reaching the village, Gargamel is disappointed to find that the Smurfs aren't around, but he decides to go ahead with reciting the incantation on the scroll, causing everything in the village to wither away until everything is left in ruins. After the scroll vaporizes, Gargamel cackles in glee, seeing that the Smurfs will be miserable this year, and then returns to the forest to collect his ten pieces of gold. Meeting with Edgar and his men at the wrecked sleigh, he tells them that he saw the stranger take the children away. Edgar sets off to find him, saying he will only pay Gargamel when the children are found. Then the stranger shows up, telling Gargamel that he has broken their contract. He is rather fearful when the stranger says he will now come with him, and when he and Azrael back away from him, he turns a tree into a bunch of snakes, forcing them to surrender.
Goodness makes the badness go away The Smurfs sing "Goodness Makes the Badness Go Away" in order to save the children and even Gargamel. Tracker leads the Smurfs onto a trail of human tracks and cat paw prints in the snow, which means that the stranger now has the children, Gargamel, and Azrael in his clutches. In an open barren field, he is ready to take his captives on what he calls "their final journey" and surrounds them with a ring of fire to prevent their escape while he summons a portal that will take them all to his home. The scene is so frightful that even Gargamel is on his knees begging for mercy. The Smurfs, who have found the ritual starting, wonder what they can do to combat such evil. Papa Smurf says there is one thing that can overcome it, the power of love, and so he directs his little Smurfs into singing their song, singing it loudly enough so that the children could hear and sing along. The stranger, getting upset by this, warns the Smurfs that they're dealing with a power they know nothing about. But the singing continues, with even Gargamel reluctantly joining in. This eventually overpowers the stranger to the point where he and his ring of fire disappear.
As the Smurfs cheer, William and Guinevere hear their Uncle Edgar and grandfather calling for them. They turn to see that their grandfather is all right and safe, riding in their Uncle Edgar's sleigh. Gargamel demands his payment, saying that he helped rescue them, which William refutes by saying that he was mean to them. However, Guinevere says not to hurt him because Christmas is a time for forgiving, even the likes of him. After he fearfully departs, William and Guinevere tell their Uncle Edgar that they met Santa Claus. As they ride off, the children wave goodbye to the Smurfs, who are hiding on a precipice.
Upon returning to their village, the Smurfs are all huddled around outside in blankets, looking at the devastation Gargamel left behind. Papa Smurf says that while they don't have all the nice things about Christmas or even the comfort of warm beds, what they do have is each other, which most of them can agree with. Harmony offers to play his solo, and as he does so, something miraculous happens: the tree lights up, fully restored, and so does the village. Papa Smurf is not sure how that could happen, but he is sure that anything can happen on Christmas.
The Smurfs have always been one of my favorite cartoons, and I'm really bummed that the full series never came to DVD in the USA. Fortunately, their Christmas specials were both included on the Holiday Triple feature. Don't let the title fool you, it actually contains four specials, two from the Smurfs, A Flintstone Christmas Carol, and Yogi's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper. All of these remaining ones will come up later in the month.
This one not only features a heartwarming story where even Gargamel can be nice, but who doesn't want that classic holiday song stuck in their head all day long?
Goodness makes the badness go away
Goodness makes you happy every day
Badness cannot start if there's goodness in your heart
Goodness makes the badness go away
Wanting to get a little more holiday joy, I pulled out a couple more DVD's and enjoyed some random Christmas themed episodes. Today's picks were:
- Jetsons Christmas Carol from the Jetsons
- Comfort and Joy from Justice League
- The Christmas Episode from Mike Tyson's Mysteries
- The First Christmas, the 1975 Rankin / Bass classic
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