Gourdy here! If I ever received fan mail, I’m sure it would have asked WHY I’ve been so quiet lately! Well, I’ll tell you: I’ve been binge-watching holiday specials … since last December! Yup, that’s 13 straight months in my basement, bleary-eyed and smelling like a canned yams, sustaining myself on nothing but ribbon candy and eggnog. But I also carefully studied EVERY holiday special ever created! So tell me: Anything else happen this year?
If your family is like mine, you’ll be gathering around the family Christmas TV this year, enjoying the best the season has to offer. So, as a gift to you, I’d like to share with the full bounty of my research. Drum roll, please! Da-Da-DUM! Gourdy’s Top 10 GREATEST holiday specials!!!
Wait. You say you’ve already heard of Star Wars Holiday Special and Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever? Sigh. (Can I get a do-over?)
Drum roll, please! Da-Da-DUM! Gourdy’s Top 10 WEIRDEST holiday specials!!!
Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas SpecialWhoa! If you thought the endless supply of fruitcakes Pee-wee receives are over-preserved and strangely sweet, then check out his guest list! There’s Frankie Avalon, Grace Jones, Charo – even Magic Johnson!
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
I’ve been watching these Rankin/Bass Christmas specials ever since I was a little gourd – and this was the last one ever made!
Mr. T & Emmanuel Lewis Christmas SpecialWhen the title includes the names “Mr. T” and “Emmanuel Lewis, ” don’t you think it’s overkill to subtitle it “A Christmas Dream”? Obviously, this pairing of TV titans is EVERYBODY’S dream!
Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas CelebrationWhen a special beats out my personal favorites – the Garfield Christmas Special AND The Brave Little Toaster – for an Emmy award, you’ve got to give it props.
We Wish You A Turtle Christmas
My personal favorite information source, the Christmas Specials Wiki, says this is a “poor quality production with a barren, nonsensical story.” What more could you ask for?!
The Munsters Scary Little Christmas
As the longest-serving intern at AtmosFX – and most adorable, obviously – why wouldn’t I LOVE something that combines scary monsters and Christmas? That’s a no-brainer!
The Nights The Animals Talked
This is EXACTLY like George Orwell’s Animal Farm, except here, the stable is showered with light from the star that guided travelers to the Christ child, and now all the animals can talk and their interactions spell out some of the problems of mankind!
Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa
Some of the worst computer animation you have ever seen! You’re welcome!
The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold
Art Carney voices Blarney Kilakilarneywho, a leprechaun who tells us the tale of how Dinty Doyle freed the banshee Old Mag the Hag by digging up a Christmas tree and … yeah, I don’t understand it either! You’ll just have to watch this Rankin/Bass special yourself.
Jack Frost
You know what my rankin’ is for the bass-addest Christmas special of the all? (Get it? That’s a HINT!) It is Buddy Hacket as the groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete, who sings “Me and My Shadow” and then tells the tale of Jack Frost and Hail Brothers and Snow Gypsies in yet another obscure Rankin/Bass holiday special!
What are YOUR favorite weird holiday specials? Share them to us on any of our social media channels, like Twitter and Facebook! Not only do I want to hear your opinion – I need posts to share!
