I absolutely remember seeing this. The interesting thing for me was, I hadn’t seen nor heard of “It’s A Wonderful Life” at the time I saw this on TV, so I didn’t know it was based on better material. My younger self thought it was very good. Of course, since I finally got to see Jimmy Stewart do his thing a few years later (and had the good fortune to play George Bailey onstage once myself!), I definitely feel a connection to “Wonderful Life,” but still have an appreciation for Marlo Thomas as my first exposure to the story.
On topic, before the advent of DVRs and DVDs, I used to record TV Christmas specials on VHS so our kids could watch them whenever they wanted. One of the ones we taped was the Claymation Christmas special featuring the California Raisins. That has some really, really fun moments (my personal favorite is the walrus skating dance, with the penguins getting in the way). You don’t see that one on TV any more, I don’t think.
Well, if we’re going Henson, how about The Christmas Toy, the hour-long Christmas special that Toy Story sorta kinda ripped off years later. Really, the plots are just about identical: the old favorite toy (Rugby the tiger) is about to be replaced by a new, space-themed toy (Meteora) that doesn’t understand at first that she’s just a toy.
Edit:
LOVED that special. Their version of “Carol of the Bells” is still one of my favorites.
There’s one that originated around the Philadelphia area–The Spirit of Christmas. It’s done entirely with marionettes. The first half is an enactment of The Night Before Christmas, with rather cartoony-looking (and somewhat creepy) puppets. But the second half is a dramatization of the Nativity with amazingly lifelike puppets and detailed sets. If you can get past it looking like The Gospel According to Thunderbirds it’s well worth watching.
My favorite Christmas movie is Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. They played it every year on PBS and I watched it…until they stopped. I eventually got it on VHS when I was in high school and then got it on DVD in the last 10 years. Now I have 3 copies on DVD.
There’s a newer special called Elmo Saves Christmas which I think is pretty good. It’s got a good premise and some very cute jokes. I don’t know how much it was on TV, but I was already 17 when it was made and I had it on VHS. I didn’t buy it on DVD.
There’s an even newer Christmas special from Sesame Street featuring Abby Cadabby but…meh.
Straight play. Our set was awesome - we had a bridge span soaring over a corner of the stage for the “contemplating suicide” scene. I didn’t know there was a musical version … Joe Raposo, you say?
I really liked this one! I probably have a copy in my old VHS collection.
I remember a very lengthy animated movie that aired on Cartoon Network a few times…I think it was called “The Life and Times of Santa Claus”. I only saw part of it; I think it was OK. The movie ends with Santa dying in his sleep, only to be brought back by some angel/fairy because he has so much to give to the world (or something like that).
Unless I’m mistaken, Friend Corgaigh is on the Emerald Isle. In such a situation, it’s entirely plausible that the Rudolph special was not an annual occurrence in the household.
Got it for my son years ago. Got lost in one of our many moves (cheaper than paying rent). For a few years it was a Xmas tradition for us to watch it together.
They don’t live in our stone age. They live in a future stone age following some dreadful apocalypse. Hence their efforts to copy half-remembered present day technology in stone/wood/live animals and their celebration of Christmas. You really didn’t know this?
