Christmas Television Specials
The celebration of Christmas is a little different for every generation. One of the unique aspects of Christmas for baby boomers was the creation and viewing of the television "Christmas Special".
In the 1950's and 60's many of the iconic recording artists and some former movie stars had their own weekly television shows and annual Christmas special. For many of us those shows represented some of our most memorable holiday moments.
Variety Specials
Whether it was Andy Williams, Nate King Cole, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Perry Como or Red Skelton, the Christmas show was a big deal. In fact, I vividly recall as a kid looking forward to Red Skelton's holiday show because one of his many characters, Freddie the Freeloader, always had a funny and poignant Christmas sketch. (see video below)
If you loved holiday music then it was tough to beat Andy William's or Perry Como's specials. Andy Williams's rendition of "Oh Holy Night" or Perry Como's "Beginning to look a lot Like Christmas" became classics and are still heard on the radio today.
For me, as a kid I always paid close attention to the detail of the sets and staging. The more realistic the scene the more I was riveted to the screen and the imaginary world it created. The likes of Dean Martin strolling through a forest of snow covered pines, arm and arm with Ann Margaret, singing "Let It Snow" or Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" while strolling down a mock street of store fronts still sticks out.
Animated Specials
The 1960's also saw the creation of some of the most enduring animated specials of all time in "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer", "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "The Grinch". These highly popular programs became very big nights of TV viewing! Most kids waited for the commercials promoting when those programs would air and then the buzz would carry through the schools and neighborhoods.
Unlike today, where kids have access to DVDs and can watch their favorite program over and over, in 1965 once the 30 minutes of Rudolph ended it was gone for another twelve months. After two or three years of viewing, the programs became etched in the minds of young and old viewers alike. Plus, the musical sound tracks featured songs that have now become a part of the regular Christmas radio play lists.
Different Times
There was a reason why those programs back then held such a dear spot in our hearts growing up. Forty or fifty years ago the holiday came much later. Christmas obviously was still celebrated on December 25th, but the pre-Christmas pageantry didn't start in October as it does today.
Christmas commercials, decorations, songs on the radio or anything Christmas didn't start until after Thanksgiving. Back then people didn't decorate their houses until the first or second week of December. So, we eagerly anticipated the TV specials because they each signaled a sign that the big day was drawing closer.
The way it worked was the brand new or lesser known specials would air the first week of December. As Christmas drew nearer, the programs became better known and more popular. The biggest variety stars usually had their programs air the week of Christmas or close to it.
In my house, when "Rudolph" was on TV was a big, big night. I'm taking must see TV as the saying goes! I remember it usually aired on a Sunday night for some reason and we were all hunkered in around the TV set. Some of us may have had black and white TV sets and might have visited a friend or relative with a color set to get the maximum viewing experience. Whatever the case, Christmas would not have seemed the same without that yearly fix of our favorite holiday specials.
Lasting Appeal
It's amazing to me that over forty years later many of these programs still have mass appeal. The various kids programs have been available on VHS and now DVDs for years and yet they still receive high ratings on the nights they air on TV. Of course I think part of that is because Mom and Dad still enjoy watching them as much as their small children do.
For the past several years public television has run a special that features highlights of the many Andy Williams Christmas TV programs. While many of the stars featured on those clips have left us, the musical segments are still classics. Today we have hundreds of TV channels, but few variety programs that offer that type of entertainment.
In my household I still pay close attention to the airing dates of my favorites and you can bet my DVR box will record those that I can't watch live. Below are some of the favorites:
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Featuring narration and songs sung by Burl Ives
A Charlie Brown Christmas
The whole gang is here to celebrate the meaning of Christmas
The Grinch That Stole Christmas
Narrated by horror movie icon, Boris Karloff.
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Featuring narration and songs songs by Fred Astair
Year With Out A Santa Claus
Featuring the voice of Mickey Rooney as Santa
Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Red Skelton takes a whirl as the vocal artist
Frosty The Snowman
Jimmy Durante narrates this holiday classic
'Twas The Night Before Christmas
Narrated and performed by Broadway legend, Joel Gray
The Little Drummer Boy
Not seen on commercial TV in years
The Teddy Bears' Christmas
The prequel to The Teddy Bears Picnic
