December 11th, 2020 
Michael Lyons 
Several years ago, a friend of mine shared a moment from his childhood that he jokingly referred to as “traumatic.” It was the mid-1970’s and he was grocery shopping with his parents, when he suddenly though to ask what time it was. After his parents told him, he did some quick elementary school math as he stared at the nearby clock. His heart sank as he realized he would never make it home in time to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which was airing that night on TV.
A full-on meltdown proceeded in the middle of the supermarket, as he pleaded with his parents to cut their shopping short and do what they could to start making their way home to see Dr. Suess’ seasonal tale of Whoville. If they didn’t get him home, he would have to wait another year to see The Grinch again.
That’s the way it once was with the animated TV Specials that are now hallmarks of the season. Missing their annual broadcast on one of the three major networks was indeed a “one night only” engagement.
Compare that to 2020, where, thanks to multiple viewings on cable channels, DVD and Blu-Ray and even streaming services, classic TV Christmas specials, that have been handed down from generation to generation, can now be watched anytime, or even multiple times, whenever one pleases.
Seems like a perfect world, right? Like an electronic genie in a bottle that grants any wish at the push of the “Play” button, right?
Well, not always. This season’s controversy around the fact that the A Charlie Brown Christmas would be available exclusively on the AppleTV+ streaming service, led to a move to make it available on PBS (and therefore to a wider audience). This truly shows that families still hold these shows somewhat sacred, even if many are now available on multiple platforms.
Two of the first, and most popular specials were Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), from the Rankin/Bass Studio (who would become synonymous with the Christmas season) and the aforementioned A Charlie Brown Christmas, from 1965, which celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. Technically, the very first TV Christmas Special was Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol in 1962, which, although excellent, never received the ratings or the lasting impact of other specials.
As we know, both Rudolph and Charlie Brown were tremendous successes. In fact, on its debut, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on CBS and was watched by 45% of those watching television that evening, ranking at number 2 in the overall TV ratings behind NBC’s blockbuster Western at the time, Bonanza.
The networks immediately saw not just the benefit of this popularity (as did sponsors, with Coca-Cola sponsoring Charlie Brown and GE sponsoring Rudolph), but also realized that these were “events.” The two specials were “scheduled TV” for many and families sat down together to watch these.
Both specials have aired every year on a network of some sort, since their debut. Additionally, their popularity started a trend that would become an annual tradition among the networks. In fact, the 1960’s and 1970’s would become a golden age of TV Christmas specials.
Another iconic special would make its debut in 1966, when Chuck Jones adapted Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which was another special that had an immediate bond with audiences as well as perennial returns.
Additionally, during this time, the Rankin/Bass Studio became a “Santa’s Workshop” of sorts, turning out no less than 17 Christmas specials in the span of 21 years.
Among them, The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970) and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
These and the other Christmas specials not only brought everyone the joy of their yearly return, they also offered us animation in a variety of styles, at a time when most TV animation was somewhat limited and static.
A Charlie Brown Christmas recreated the look of Charles Schulz’ comic strip and made the flat panels “animatable.” The Grinch employed fuller animation and clever sight gags that were hallmarks of Chuck Jones’ best loved work at Warner Bros. and MGM.
And at Rankin/Bass, the majority of their stories came to life through their own form of stop motion, dubbed “AniMagic,” which created incredibly detailed worlds that looked like Christmas decorations come to life.
There were so many specials created at this time that many have slipped into anonymity since their initial debut. Anyone remember The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas from 1973, 1979’s A Family Circus Christmas or even Yogi’s First Christmas (1980)?
Whether familiar or not, the excitement these specials would bring each year would build in the world of “kid-dom” through a series of well-placed TV commercials and TV Guide ads. And, if it was a brand-new Christmas special, well the cafeteria at school was “abuzz” for days prior.
When we would sit down to watch these specials, usually crossed legged, too close to the TV screen, with the Christmas tree glowing nearby, it was like being at a Hollywood movie premiere.
By the time we heard the familiar “regular programming will be pre-empted this evening” announcement, our hearts would beat faster. Networks also had their own “Special Presentation” logo that aired just before that provided one last note of excitement (CBS’ promo, with its spinning graphics and upbeat, calypso-like music, is especially memorable).
As the 1980’s rolled around, VHS became part of our lives, which gave way to the concept of watching these specials at any time. This led to only a choice few of these specials still being aired on the networks and some actually disappeared from regular rotation for a number of years.
As the proliferation of home video and now streaming has become such a large part of our lives, it has allowed for these specials to become even more a part of our Christmas traditions. Thanks to a wider audience and multiple viewings many of these specials have become woven into our collective holiday pop culture (merchandise for specials like Rudolph and The Grinch is seemingly everywhere now, which wasn’t even the case when the specials first debuted).
For fans of classic Christmas Specials, this easy access truly is a gift that can continue to give throughout the Holiday Season. For those traditionalists, who grew up with these specials, it makes them seem, at times, just a little less…well…special.
Although, at least it stopped any potential meltdowns in supermarkets.
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