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.
On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge (Scrooge McDuck), a cruel and sadistic moneylender of Victorian era London who hates Christmas, refuses to give money to a panhandler outside his counting house, declines his nephew Fred's (Donald Duck) invitation to Christmas dinner, and uses questionable logic to turn away two gentlemen (Rat and Mole) fundraising aid for the poor. His overworked and underpaid employee, Bob Cratchit (Mickey Mouse), requests to have half of Christmas Day off; Scrooge reluctantly agrees, but without pay. That night, the shackled ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley (Goofy) appears to Scrooge and warns that three spirits will visit Scrooge during the night, and that he faces a worse fate if he does not change his wicked ways.
Later that night, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Jiminy Cricket), who shows him visions of a past Christmas party hosted by Scrooge's old boss Fezzywig (Mr. Toad), where the young Scrooge fell in love with Isabelle (Daisy Duck). Flashing forward to the counting house, Isabelle mentions buying a honeymoon cottage for when Scrooge agrees to marry, but Scrooge forecloses on the cottage, marking the moment he loved money more than her.
Scrooge next meets the gigantic, merry Ghost of Christmas Present (Willie the Giant), who takes Scrooge to Bob Cratchit's house. Scrooge sees that their Christmas dinner for their family of five consists of barely enough food to feed one person, and becomes especially concerned when he sees Cratchit's ill son Tiny Tim (Morty Mouse).
As Scrooge asks about Tiny Tim's fate, this ghost disappears and the Ghost of Christmas Future (Pete) takes Scrooge to a cemetery in the near future to see the Cratchits mourning Tiny Tim's death. As Scrooge asks the spirit if the events can still be changed, they see two gravediggers (Weasels) remarking how no one came to mourn the man they are burying. After they leave, the Ghost reveals the tombstone bears Scrooge's name, and shoves Scrooge down into the grave while dubbing him "the richest man in the cemetery." Falling into his own coffin which opens to show the flames of Hell, Scrooge vows to change his ways before finding himself in his bedroom on Christmas Day.
Filled with glee, Scrooge begins spreading happiness and joy around London, donating a sizable amount of money to the gentlemen's charity and reconciling with Fred. At the Cratchit house, Scrooge puts up a front acting like his old cruel self, then surprises everyone with gifts of a prize turkey, toys, and giving Cratchit a substantial raise along with making him his business partner, as Tiny Tim declares "God bless us, everyone."
Yes, all day long, and yes, a thousand times more. This is my all time favorite Christmas cartoon special, and the one, I could watch over and over. I actually have to force myself to limit this one to the holiday season. Mainly because I'd overplay it, and I dare not risk burning out on it. Instead, just like Christmas day, I want to squirm like a little kid, anxiously waiting for Christmas Eve to roll around. The day when I pop it on each and every year.
For me, it has to be the version which I saw as a kid on the original white clamshell release. Mainly because it contains four extra cartoons which are a must have for me, and which play prior to the main feature. Those being: The Hockey Champ (starring Donald Duck, Huey, Louie, and Dewey), The Art of Skiing (starring Goofy), Corn Chips (starring Donald Duck, Chip, and Dale), and Pluto's Christmas Tree (starring Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Chip, and Dale). Fortunately, the 30th Anniversary DVD preserves this format.
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:
- Pinky and the Brain Christmas from Pinky and the Brain
- It's A Wonderful Tiny Toon Christmas from Tiny Toons
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
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