Least favorite Christmas specials/episodes?

You poor soul:D.


As for me, I'm going with GregX's answer: the sappy ones. You can have good sappy, granted (animated Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, most of Rankin-Bass' output, Pinky and the Brain Christmas), but most bad Christmas specials overload on the sap and end up being colossal bores.
 
I meant to post in this thread last year but didn't. Now that's brought back, I better give my 2 cents while this thread is still around.

Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer: What happens when you have a company that wants money and tries to imitate the success of Rankin-Bass' specials based off Christmas songs but not capture the spirit of said specials? You get this uninspired cliche riddled piece of fruitcake. It's so bad, I want to see the Nostalgia Critic must review this.

Frosty Returns: This unncecessary sequel to a holiday classic was a bad idea. The Rugrats sounding music was out of place, as was the Peanuts-esque design of the characters. The voice acting is the only thing I liked, that's only because Brian Doyle Murray has that great angry old man voice.

The Simpsons, Miracle On Evergreen Terrance: I will admit Barney saying Jesus was rolling in his grave was a chuckle, but everything was mindblowingly mean. I can't help but laugh at this however.

Dexter's Lab, Dexter Vs Santa Claus: I just couldn't get into it. Maybe because I'm to used to the normal specials. And I don't like it the ending with the supposed meaning being the presents. I know it's satirical to the Christmas formula, but I didn't like it. I guess it's just me. :shrug:

Morel Orel, The Best Christmas Ever: I may be in the minority, but I don't like this show and this pilot helped shaped my opinion of the show. Depressingly boring and slow, this first impression left a bad impression on me.
 
"Yogi's First Christmas" is a rather lengthy special that would have been much better at half it's running time.

"I Want a Dog For Christmas, Charlie Brown" is also much too long and a poorly compiled collection of Peanuts skits. Much of it's length is to re-introduce the mostly forgotten Peanuts characters of "Re-run" and Spike.

"Shrek the Halls" was a very poor attempt to create publicity for the DVD release of "Shrek the Third" without much of the clever writing of the three Shrek movies.

All those South Park Mr. Hankey shows...the first one almost made me sick literally. Is a talking piece of poo really worth repeating every year?
 
You're not alone. Nothing about this show sits well with me at all. Religious themes + TV-MA rating = utter discomfort for me.

By the way, it's Moral Orel. The show isn't about a type of mushroom. :-P
 
Well, in "Frosty's Winter Wonderland", he was only revived without his hat for a few moments, thanks to Crystal---long enough before Jack Frost inadvertently tossed Frosty's hat back on his head... so I'm willing to give it a pass, since I liked it anyway. :-p

Though this one's truly a generic "winter" themed special---no mention of Christmas or such is made, with the action centering solely around winter elements. Which might explain my vague memory of having once seen it as a kid airing during January or February...

As for that link to the person who hated "Wonderland", I stopped reading when he said his favorite Frosty special was "Frosty Returns"---what I consider the nadir of Frosty's various specials. As the poster above said, this one sucks---hatless (and pipe-less) Frosty with a dopey bow tie, resembling a "Peanuts" special more than a Rankin-Bass one, etc.

-B.
 
On the contrary. I thought it was much better than Shrek 3. But that's another post for another day.




Ah, but yes. You forget one thing. Frosty the Snowman isn't even a Christmas song. As is Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, and Baby it's Cold outside. No where in the song is Christmas mentioned, and yet it was incorporated into Christmas music just for the simple fact they have a winter setting and snow in it. At this point, I'd like to add that Christmas only happens about 4 days into winter. So the special could easily have taken place during January.
 
As DrTooth pointed out, most people prefer this special over Shrek the Third

Considering how Mr. Hankey is an "adult" version of those holiday specials that air every year (i.e. Rudolph, Frosty), then yeah.
 
"Christmas Every Day" (FOP) - Just about all the half-hour/hour-long episodes of this show tank. They strain for story and Timmy's singing voice is, to be charitable, unlistenable.

"The Fright Before Christmas" (DP) - Danny hates the holidays (given his parents' argument and getting urinated on by a dog...well, that'd sour anyone). Because of his little accident, he's stuck in a story until he gains some Christmas spirit...and nothing says gaining holiday spirit quite like having the whole town turned against you for ruining the holidays.

Woodland Critter Christmas (SP) - Unfunny and dull. Not to mention one of the best examples of how the show has come to lean way too strongly on the whole 'Cartman hates Kyle' thing.

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (PPG) - The idea of Princess Morebucks (whom I cannot stand) switching the nice and naughty lists was a moderately interesting one. Unfortunately, the lesson that 'Grim Adventures of KND' just barely learned, completely escaped the makers of this: if you're going to have a story where people just accept something that anyone with a brain realizes to be false, don't draw it out unnecessarily. This story should've been over and done in a half-hour, if not 15 minutes.

And "Xmas Story" is a classic. There's no earthly reason for it to be here.
 
Oh man, I forgot all about Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Terrible special. And I hate the Cartoon Network insists on showing it every year.
 
I'm frankly shocked no ones mentioned the Star Wars Christmas special yet, or did you all just repress that from your memories.
 
I think the reason why no one has mentioned this special yet is because:

1. Most people here have to seen portions of it;

2. Save for the short that introduces Boba Fett, this is not an animated special.
 
Remember they talk about in taking place in December and that Frosty was made from the "Christmas snow". They also altered the song so that Frosty says he'd be back on Christmas.
 
I didn't mind that part. Everybody has their share of guilty pleasures. And you know, I'd like to mention one part of that link that I strongly agree with.



I share that view. I don't buy that whole "it's okay if it's badly written since it was made for kids." To me, saying that is an excuse. A poor excuse I might add.
 
Can't think of any episodes off hand, but in terms of Christmas specials, I don't like a lot of those older stop-motion ones, like Rudolph. Just something about them; not sure what it is.
 
Night B4 Christmas -I had to turn it off after two minutes. I had seen enough.

Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer -I like the song and all but its the kind of song that doesn't need to be made into a movie.
 
Exactly. it was MADE into a Christmas special. It never was intended as a Christmas song. So I think Frosty Returns is fitting, especially since it was produced outside of Rankin Bass, and is non-Canon.
 
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