# Recommendations for Weird/Off-Beat Christmas Specials? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2018, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327 "2018-11-30T08:52:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/1 "2018-11-30T08:52:52Z")
Every year I have a Christmas get together with friends and family and decide to run programs in the background in my living room of just bizarre Christmas related stuff nobody has ever seen or is stuff you’d rarely see at a Christmas party nowadays. For example a few years ago I just had every Mystery Science Theater 3000 Christmas episode playing on loop which granted isn’t that obscure but nobody I knew had seen them. Last year I decided to play extremely serious “Christmas specials” including the dual Peace on Earth/Good Will to Men shorts (which are animated shorts about Christmas Eve after humanity has killed itself in war) and various 80’s sitcoms whose Christmas specials took themselves WAY too seriously (including the Happy Days one, the ALF one, the “For Better or For Worse” special, and A Very Brady Christmas) This year I’m planning on doing Christmas episodes of video game cartoons and so far I have - Christmas Comes to Pac-Land - Sonic Christmas Blast - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show’s “Koopa Klaus” - Super Mario World’s “The Night Before Cave Christmas” - Donkey Kong Country’s “The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights” - Donkey Kong Jr. “A Christmas Story” Any other suggestions or themes I could use? Note, I’m looking for stuff that would make people pause and go “What the hell is this I’m watching?” I don’t want stuff that’s deliberately supposed to be funny or ironic, so no Simpsons or Family Guy deliberate parodies nor do I want modern stuff. Another avenue I like to approach are bizarre Christmas episodes from places that don’t celebrate traditional Christmas, so basically Christmas shown in Japanese anime or live action shows. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/2 "2018-11-30T14:37:16Z")
I guess since somebody will mention it I might as well - Star Wars 1978 holiday special from CBS TV. Never officially released on DVD or VHS/Beta tape but rumor has it that it’s out there on various websites if you look for it. [Star Wars Holiday Special - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Holiday_Special) ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/3 "2018-11-30T15:06:37Z")
There are a ton of Rankin Bass lesser-known holiday specials outside of the usual 3 that most people know (Rudolf, Santa origin story, heat miser/snow miser) I recall one about Jack Frost, one about the little drummer boy, and I’m pretty sure there was one about a Christmas donkey. [Link](https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/all-19-fun-festive-utterly-bizarre-rankinbass-chri.html) On another note, I remember a cartoon from the 80s featuring a dog voiced by Rodney Dangerfield, singing a song about how [dogs don’t piss on Christmas trees](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RLbz9ccBUI). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/4 "2018-11-30T16:36:46Z")
_'Twas the Night Before Bumpy_ > **['Twas the Night Before Bumpy (TV Movie 1995) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1443787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)** > > 'Twas the Night Before Bumpy: Directed by David Bleiman Ichioka, Ken Pontac. With Jim Cummings, Cheech Marin, Gail Matthius, Rob Paulsen. It's the night before Christmas, and Mr. Bumpy is determined to get all the presents in the world! On YT. Sure to satisfy the OP’s “What the hell is this I’m watching?” criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/5 "2018-11-30T17:34:26Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Another avenue I like to approach are bizarre Christmas episodes from places that don’t celebrate traditional Christmas, so basically Christmas shown in Japanese anime or live action shows. Not quite matching this (as Christmas is probably more-or-less standard in Canada) but you might want to conciser [_A Cosmic Christmas_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cosmic_Christmas). ([Youtube link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wxKQR9kTmo).) As for anime, [your](https://myanimelist.net/featured/1056/20_Best_Christmas_Anime__Which_will_you_ask_Santa_for_this_year) [choices](https://www.thetoptens.com/anime-christmas-episodes/) [aren’t](https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/christmas-anime-crunchyroll/) [limited](https://thedailyfandom.com/8-anime-for-christmas/). ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/6 "2018-11-30T17:42:12Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > There are a ton of Rankin Bass lesser-known holiday specials outside of the usual 3 that most people know (Rudolf, Santa origin story, heat miser/snow miser) A [page](https://christmas-specials.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Rankin/Bass) with all 31 listed. There are five featuring Rudolph. That includes the “classic” Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/7 "2018-11-30T18:08:47Z")
“A Wish For Wings That Work”-The Bloom County Christmas Special “Blackadder’s Christmas Carol” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/8 "2018-11-30T18:48:05Z")
This is your mother lode: Mill Creek Entertainment’s “[Holiday Family Favorites](https://www.millcreekent.com/holiday-family-favorites.html)” Classic Christmas Cartoons The Candlemaker - Short Christmas Comes But Once A Year - Short A Christmas Dream - Short Christmas Fairy Tale - Short Christmas Night - Short A Christmas Visit - Short The Christmas Visitor - Short The Elf and Mr. Little - Short The First Christmas - Feature Hector’s Hectic Life - Short Howdy Doody’s Christmas - Short Jack Frost - Short Jingle Bells - Short The Little Lamb - Short The Little Match Girl - Short Merry Christmas - Short The Night Before Christmas - Short O’ Come All Ye Faithful - Short O’ Little Town of Bethlehem - Short A Present for Santa Claus - Short Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer - Short Santa and the Fairy Snow Queen - Feature Santa and the Three Bears - Feature Santa Claus Story - Short Santa in Animal Land - Short Silent Night: Story of the Christmas Carol - Short Snow Foolin’ - Short Holiday Movies Beyond Tomorrow A Christmas Without Snow The Great Rupert Little Women: Jos Story Little Women: Meg’s Story The Littlest Angel [Miracle on 34th Street](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_on_34th_Street_(The_20th_Century_Fox_Hour))(this is a one-hour made for TV version with Thomas Mitchell). The Nativity The Pilgrimage Play Santa Claus Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Scrooge ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/9 "2018-12-01T00:16:59Z")
Stroker and Hoop: I Saw Stroker Killing Santa Claus. Funniest parody of “A Christmas Carol” ever! ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/10 "2018-12-01T01:32:47Z")
If you can get your hands on “Christmas in Acidland” (there is a DVD floating around, but it’s hard to find), it should nicely fit your weird-Christmas-video jones. [Here’s a thread I started](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb//showthread.php?t=675474&styleid=12) about weird Christmas vids back in 2012 when we first saw it. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/11 "2018-12-01T01:40:20Z")
The Tick Loves Santa! //i\ ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/12 "2018-12-01T03:12:45Z")
Some weird British stuff for you. _The Snowman / Father Christmas_, by Raymond Briggs _The Box Of Delights_ _Quincy’s Quest_ _The Wombles:_ The Snow Wombles _Joe 90:_ The Unorthodox Shepherd _Terrahawks:_ A Christmas Miracle _A Non-Denominational Spitting Image Holiday Special_ And any episode of _The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year_. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/13 "2018-12-01T05:48:04Z")
My favourite X-Mas thing was [Ringo, with a Little Help From His Friends.](http://ultimateclassicrock.com/35-years-ago-ringo-tv-special-airs/)('78) If any of you were unfortunate enough to see it, surely you’ll remember the awesome young surfer dudes with the hideous toupees, tormenting Ognir (Ringo, backwards - the sullen main character). Or Jackie Gleason doing an awesome job as Ognir’s sadistic drunk dad, or Micheal Douglas dragging poor Ognir out to Ringo’s kit on stage to have a go at it in front of unsuspecting millions. The last scene, in particular, was excessively beautiful. Definitely one of those snuggle-with-SO-in-front-of-fireplace-with-egg-nogs-and-x-mas-tree-nearby kinda Christmas flicks. Warm. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/14 "2018-12-01T05:49:45Z")
Hard to beat the “Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!” episode of _South Park_. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/15 "2018-12-01T07:22:36Z")
How about “Olive, The Other Reindeer”? The book is a sweet children’s story; the TV show is definitely adult themed with some S&M overtones. > **[Olive, the Other Reindeer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive,_the_Other_Reindeer)** > > Olive, the Other Reindeer is a 1999 American 3D computer-animated Christmas comedy musical film written by Steve Young, based on the 1997 children's book by J. Otto Seibold, and directed by Academy Award-nominated animator Steve Moore (credited as "Oscar Moore"). The feature was produced by Matt Groening's The Curiosity Company and animated by DNA Productions. Drew Barrymore voices the title character, and she is credited as an executive producer on the special. > The special first aired on Dece... [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s54sLlRNmHc/hqdefault.jpg "Olive the Other Reindeer (1999)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s54sLlRNmHc) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/16 "2018-12-01T16:35:38Z")
Also fun: Bernard and the Genie [Bernard and the Genie (TV Movie 1991) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101435/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/17 "2018-12-01T19:30:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hard to beat the “Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!” episode of _South Park_. Except for not being a video game series, not being foreign, not being not parody, and not being not modern. The OP’s criteria, which nobody is paying attention to: > [@](#): > > This year I’m planning on doing Christmas episodes of video game cartoons and so far I have > > … > I don’t want stuff that’s deliberately supposed to be funny or ironic, so no Simpsons or Family Guy deliberate parodies nor do I want modern stuff. Another avenue I like to approach are bizarre Christmas episodes from places that don’t celebrate traditional Christmas, so basically Christmas shown in Japanese anime or live action shows. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/18 "2018-12-02T00:12:13Z")
There’s a Youtube reviewer that I follow, Chad Rocco, who has something of a running series on [weird or forgotten Christmas Specials](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGl8ykRK1YrI89pBztA-PPMOwll4G4aDd), which has quite a few gems. Mind you, “gems” includes diamonds like [_A Wish For Wings that Work_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLccxrDgi5U), and venomous shards of the Loc-nar like [_The Christmas Tree_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlFtMxG6mnY). If you really want offbeat, of course, you might as well just go with the Christmas special that Ralph Bakshi (_Fritz the Cat, Wizards, Cool World_, etc.) made, [Christmas in Tattertown.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoiLlwH_YD0) (It’s actually not THAT off-kilter at all, really—I remember seeing it on Nick-at-Nite as a kid.) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-weird-off-beat-christmas-specials/825327/19 "2018-12-02T02:04:59Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _'Twas the Night Before Bumpy_ > > ['Twas the Night Before Bumpy (TV Movie 1995) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1443787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) > > On YT. Sure to satisfy the OP’s “What the hell is this I’m watching?” criteria. Mr. Bumpy rules. I need to go back and watch some episodes. I guess Pee-Wee’s Christmas Special doesn’t meet the “not supposed to be funny” qualification.