The 25 best Christmas TV specials

We would say that there is a quartet of Christmas specials that make up the true canon in America. One of those is “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The quintessential Rankin/Bass special, we might argue that Rudolph’s continued existence as a staple of the holiday’s lore is because of this special and the fact it airs every year and has for decades.

The other iconic Rankin/Bass special, though this one is traditionally animated instead of being a defining example of its medium like “Rudolph.” You know about the titular snowman. His hat, his two eyes made out of coal, and, of course, his catchy theme song.

Charlie Brown and the gang have a few staple specials. With all due respect to the Great Pumpkin, the Christmas special is the most indelible of the bunch, even if it does get a little religious at one point. A couple of the songs are burnt in our brains forever, and who doesn’t occasionally bust out some of the dance moves from “A Charlie Brown Christmas?”

Both of the feature-length film adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ story we can take or leave, even if 2018’s The Grinch is the highest-grossing Christmas mover ever. On the other hand, the TV special is the last of the Big Four specials we mentioned. More than the book, this special made the Grinch a true holiday icon. How do we know it was the special? Well, the Grinch isn’t green in the book.

Garfield has been ubiquitous for decades, even if it feels like he is largely tolerated and never loved. And yet, being around so long and in so many avenues, he has infiltrated our culture time and time again. Naturally, the orange cat who loves lasagna got a Christmas special. If you are of a certain age, you remember watching “A Garfield Christmas” as a kid.

Elf , the live-action film starring Will Ferrell, quickly entered the Christmas movie canon. Many years later, there was a musical adaptation for the stage, which helped get us to the point where we got this special in 2014. It’s a musical, and it’s animated. However, Ferrell did not return, with Jim Parsons voicing Buddy instead. Ed Asner did play Santa again.

A lot of folks back in the day would do regular Christmas specials on TV. We’re talking about the Osmonds, Bing Crosby, Dolly Parton, and so on. However, those were annual and felt ephemeral. Other than David Bowie singing with Bing that one time, there is nothing we really remember. “A Very Murray Christmas” is a riff on those specials, but it sits on Netflix to be watched yearly. Bill Murray is excellent at the center of the action, and Sofia Coppola did the directing.

Charles Dickens’ story has been adapted into feature films several times. However, it has also been adapted multiple times for television. We wanted to choose one of them, and we are going with the 1984 version. Why? Because it’s considered the best one. It helps that George C. Scott, one of his generation’s best actors, plays Ebenezer Scrooge.

Rudolph couldn’t have all the reindeer love forever. Enter Olive, voiced by Drew Barrymore, in a TV special produced by Matt Groening. Indeed, the show was produced by many people who worked on The Simpsons, which speaks to the impressive skills that went into making “Olive, the Other Reindeer.”

“Christmas in Tattertown” was supposed to be a pilot for the first animated original show for Nickelodeon. It was created by Ralph Bakshi, no stranger to animation success. However, the show wasn’t picked up, and Nickelodeon turned the “Tattertown” pilot into a Christmas special.

Another Rankin/Bass special, but not as iconic as the first two we mentioned. This one was done in the “Animagic” style as well. It features a character named Burgermeister Meisterburger. And the Winter Warlock. That’s good enough for us.

Rankin/Bass. Stop-motion animation. A store based on the gamed Christmas song. You know the drill. “The Little Drummer Boy” is a bit more somber and muted, but it was still critically well-received and is remembered fondly by many.

This Rankin/Bass special (this company dominates Christmas media) is the one that gave us the Heat Miser and the Snow Miser. It featured Mickey Rooney as the voice of Santa Claus. The special was remade in 2006 in live-action form. Michael McKean plays Heat Miser, and Harvey Fierstein plays Snow Miser. We haven’t seen it, but it sounds wild.

If you want gentle, feel-good entertainment, “Winnie the Pooh” is usually a safe choice. Winnie and company keep it family-friendly and just kind of chill. Of course, like literally dozens of children’s and family entertainment, Winnie got a Christmas special.

The Toy Story movies are about toys, and Christmas is synonymous with toys. As such, a Toy Story Christmas special makes sense. However, it didn’t happen until 2014. When it did happen, Tim Allen and Tom Hanks were around to voice Buzz and Woody, so that’s cool.

It’s always amusing when Stone Age stories involve Christmas. Dinosaurs and cavemen celebrating Christmas even though, you know, they lived before the birth of Jesus? That doesn’t make any sense, but that’s the charm. Anyway, that’s what the Flintstones and Rubbles are doing here. There are a handful of songs and everything.

We kind of have to accept that Ice Age is a massively popular movie series. That feels weird because it doesn’t feel like it ever grabbed the zeitgeist, but several films and a ton of box office success don’t lie. The film series got a Christmas special, which speaks to its ostensible popularity. Plus, the whole pre-Jesus Christmas special thing again!

Why did Jim Henson want to bum us out so much? And why did we watch Emmet Otter? Well, we were kids, and whether you watched it when it first aired in 1977 or the 1990s on Nickelodeon, you watched because it was on. Even though this is a Christmas special about puppet otters with a family band, it always felt weirdly solemn. We will never forget it.

Now, onto Jim Henson’s most iconic creations. They have done several Christmas things, including a feature adaptation of A Christmas Carol. This 1987 TV special is loaded with classic Christmas songs and features crossovers with Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street.

Stephen Colbert did something truly incredible with The Colbert Report. That includes when he did a Christmas special in character. Much like “A Very Murray Christmas,” this special is a riff on the celebrity-heavy holiday specials of yore but with the edge and satire that Colbert’s alter ego provided.

Pinky and the Brain were breakout characters from Animaniacs, so much so that they got their own series. They also got their own Christmas special. Brain, as per usual, is trying to take over the world. This time, it involves taking advantage of Santa Claus to make it happen.

We admittedly were only tangentially aware of Prep & Landing, but the series must have had its fans. Yes, series. After Prep & Landing aired on ABC in 2009, sequels were made in 2010 and 2011. Perhaps if you are of a certain age, you have fond memories of Wayne the elf and friends working for the Prep & Landing organization that prepares homes for Santa’s arrival.

Pee-wee Herman had to have a Christmas special. And, of course, it’s weird. This special aired in 1988 and was packed to the brim with celebrity cameos. Charo, Grace Jones, and Little Richard all showed up. It was a very Pee-wee thing.

Frankly, the only surprise is that there was only one Shrek Christmas special. You would have thought they completely squeezed every drop of blood from this ogre stone. Instead, we have to settle for only “Shrek the Halls,” which justifies its existence on the title alone. Also, the voiceover actors from the film worked on the special.

The MCU has a Christmas special now! Naturally, it’s the Guardians that did it. James Gunn wrote and directed, and all the key cast members are there. Also, Kevin Bacon. Slightly riffing on the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special,” there is a nice mix of irreverence and heart in the “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.” It’s a worthy addition to the canon for both the MCU and Christmas.