Ryan Fan Club - Ryan's Favorite Christmas Shows & Specials

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My Favorite Christmas Shows & Specials
As promised, here is my list of my Favorite Christmas Shows & Specials. I included Christmas movies into this list because we really only see them at Christmas time. I watched Will Ferrel's Elf last May and it just wasn't the same. Hopefully there will be some on this list that bring back some great memories. And if you're outraged as to why Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas isn't on this list, ask my friend Chris about how he ruined that holiday classic forever.

	#14 - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas Here's the first of a few Holiday Specials that don't seem to be on TV anymore. Made by Rankin-Bass (the guys who have practically shaped the present-day understanding of Christmas), this story features a Santa Claus who might not show up because kids are not believing in him anymore. A local man and his mouse lure Santa to town with the city's clock tower, and faster than you can say 88 Miles Per Hour Christmas is saved. It's a cute story, and a damn shame that it's not on TV anymore.
	#13 - A Charlie Brown Christmas It's entirely possible that this is the Christmas cartoon that set the standard by which all others are judged. It has singing, dancing (which is the most fun thing in the world to imitate), and a great moral at the end. From Shroeder's several renditions of Jingle Bells for Lucy, to that wonderful little welfare tree we all wish we had, you can't go wrong watching Charlie and the gang. It's the most innocent of all the holiday specials, and in turn comes out as the most powerful too.
	#12 - Christmas With The California Raisins Okay, I've only seen this once in my life, and I was in grade three at the time. So I was roughly eight years old. I don't know if it's ever been on again. I don't care. I have incredibly fond memories of it as a child. So fond, that I can still remember my one viewing of it to this day. Without a doubt, the stop-go animation of the California Raisins produced my very favorite rendition of We Three Kings. Ain't nothin' like a singing camel.
	#11 - A Very Brady Christmas Imagine if the Brady Family didn't get along. Yeah, crazy eh? Well, in the Brady Bunch Christmas special, not only is there tension, but there's a completely different Daddy Brady. Everyone in the family has grown up and they all come home for the holidays. They are all pretty much married with kids of their own now. Alice is still a looker though, so no worries there. So everyone pisses off everyone else in true Brady fashion, and the show ends with a building falling down on top of Daddy Brady. Does he survive? You'll have to watch the show to find out. (Hint: Yes, he effing survives)
	#10 - To Grandmother's House We Go Oh come on, you knew sooner or later there'd be some kind of Full House reference on here. Just be glad I'm not doing an entire article on the episode where the family is forced to spend Christmas in an airport because of the bad weather. Yeah, and everyone is in a bad mood until the Tanner family spreads their love and cheer to bring up the spirits of those who aren't as naturally happy as the Tanners. Don't tempt me to write it. So in this quick flick the Olsen twins (still cute at this point in their lives) run away to Grandmother's house for Christmas. Even though they don't once say "You Got It Dude", it's still a pretty cute movie.
	#9 - Home Alone The first time I tried to see Home Alone it was sold out and I was forced to watch a movie called Shripwrecked instead. True story. That was back when I was a kid and my dad would only take me to the movies on cheap Tuesday nights. It didn't matter if it was an event like Batman Returns or something random like Ace Ventura. Anyway, we all know the story of Home Alone so I'm not gonna recap it for you. I did watch it recently when YTV aired it and I was very upset that they cut out my favorite part where Kevin goes shopping and has the conversation with the cute cashier about shopping alone.
	#8 - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town Another Rankin-Bass Special, this one didn't grow on me until about two years ago when I actually sat down and watched it from start to finish. Kris Kringle is at his best in this one, and he even gets to hook up with that ultra-hot Miss Jessica. You may remember last year I did an article all about how she is a total babe. Another great element of this show is the Burgermeister Meisterburger, one of the greatest villains of Holiday Lore. Is it a biography? Or just a nice rendition of a story that was never told? We may never know, but I have no problem accepting this as the ultimate Santa Claus story.
	#7 - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer There's nothing I can say about this show that hasn't been said by everyone else. It's possibly the most famous of all Holiday Specials. I too have been known to jump up and down while shouting "I'm cude! I'm cude!" When I was a kid I used to be really scared of the Snow Monster, and would turn away from the TV when he was on the screen. And back in grade four, me and some friends used to throw icicles out into the snow and then lick them off and say "Nothin'" just like Yukon Cornelius did with his pick-thing.
	#6 - Ernest Saves Christmas Probably also the best Ernest movie, this one has the best special effects of the series, and Ernest's co-star is pretty cute. Too bad she never really did anything afterwards. I like that the version of Santa here has magic inside of his bag that makes the toys, even if it does totally defeat the purpose of elves up in the North Pole. Anyway, Santa is passing on his legacy to a new St. Nick and needs the help of Ernest P. Worrell to do so. Ernest does just what the title of the movie says he does, and then he goes on to be Scared Stupid a couple years later.
	#5 - Scrooged It's a twist on the classic story of A Christmas Carol which updates the Scrooge legend for a newer audience. Bill Murray is perfect in every way, and Carol Kane completely steals the show as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Hell, even David Johansen of the New York Dolls is in this movie, as the cab driving Ghost of Christmas Past. Add in the fact that it was directed by "Mr. Superman/Goonies" himself, Richard Donner and I'm practically in heaven.
	#4 - Gremlins Yup, it's a Christmas movie. Sure, it seems like it should be a Hallowe'en movie, but nope, it's a Christmas movie. Gizmo, the Mogwai, is a Christmas present to Billy. When that dummy messes up three simple rules (don't get Gizmo wet, don't put him in the light, and DON'T LET HIM EAT AFTER FRIGGIN' MIDNIGHT) cute little Gizmo multiplies and morphs into those awful, disgusting Gremlins. Gizmo (voiced by the awesome Howie Mandel) co-stars with Phoebe Cates and Corey Feldman. Now that's a dream come true.
	#3 - Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special I watched this one just last night to get re-accquainted with it. For the longest time the only way I could see it was at my buddy Peter's place. He taped it off TV as a kid. So every Christmas time we'd have a watching of it while eating his mom's cookies. Literally. Don't take that the wrong way. Everyone in the world guest-starred in this one, including Cher, Frankie and Annette, Magic Johnson (who is a distant cousin of the Magic Screen), Oprah, KD Lang, Grace Jones, Charro, and Joan Rivers. There almost isn't enough room for fun in the snow with Cowboy Curtis.
	#2 - He-Man & She-Ra - A Christmas Special Before this was released officially on DVD recently, I was forced to get a bootleg of it. It's just too good. The magic of Christmas can affect even the evil Skeletor. If you've never seen it, go rent it. Better yet, go buy it. The real star of the show is Skeletor, and he uses his Christmas spirit to help He-Man and She-Ra save the day. The real treasure is when Skeletor learns the meaning of Christmas, and the conversation he has with two small children who teach it to him. This show can warm the hearts of even the most naysaying Christmas (and He-Man) fans.
	#1 - Frosty The Snowman I went several years without seeing Frosty on TV. It's not that it wasn't on. I was just never home when it was on. Thanks to the power of DVD I can watch it whenever I want. It's not very long, but it's just the right amount of Christmas fun. The evil magician (Professor Hinkle) loses his hat to Frosty, and when the hat brings the snowman to life, Hinkle wants it back. He chases Frosty all the way to the North Pole, where he meets Santa Claus and learns the importance of giving. Sadly, there was a sequel called Frosty Returns and I hope to never see it again.