5 Tapes To Get You In The Christmas Spirit!
2 weeks away from the big day. How are you feeling? Happy? Sad? Feeling down? Hey, I understand. This can be a stressful time of year for a lot of people and sometimes it can lead to the loss of the spirit of the season. I love creating a new tradition but to get into the Christmas spirit, sometimes you gotta rely on the classics and today I have some fine selections of classic Christmas movies and specials that will be a surefire way to get you back in the holiday mood.
ZIGGY'S GIFT:
Ziggy is a character that is made for one reason: to make you to smile. There's not a bad bone in that little guy and this special proves it. Ziggy becomes a Santa for the season while working with others who took up the Santa mantle for their own greed and dishonesty. Staying true to who he truly is and never losing his trademark smile, Ziggy teaches others the true spirit of Christmas. While not the most memorable or cherished holiday special, it is a very heartwarming one. I recommend it only if you wish to fall back in love with the character of Ziggy and need a cry or two.
A HOBO'S CHRISTMAS:
Oh boy, another one that'll tug at your heart strings...well, maybe not. It may just make you laugh for all the wrong reasons. In this 90 minute tear jerker, an old hobo comes back to his hometown to reunite with his son who wants nothing to do with him and in the meantime learns a lot of his mistakes came back to bite him on his old smelly, hobo butt. This was a made-for-tv movie airing on CBS and it definitely shows. I don't exactly know how else to sell this movie to you other than Gerald McCraney and the grandfather from Lost Boys are in it and at their all time corniest. But that's ok because the producers of this movie knew what they were doing and the audience they were going after. It's hokey, silly, but it reminds you of watching bad Christmas movies with your family while eating Christmas cookies. So in the end, not so bad.
REN AND STIMPY HAVE YOURSELF A STINKY LITTLE CHRISTMAS:
One of my favorite Ren and Stimpy episodes ever and not just because it's a special Christmas tape either. This was one of the funniest episodes where Stimpy let's out a nasty fart who names "Stinky" and heads out on an adventure to find him after he goes missing. What could make this tape even better, you ask? Add on two music videos featuring awesome Christmas songs sung by the gross duo that belong on everyone's Christmas playlist. It was pretty common for these Nickelodeon releases in the 90s to contain music videos and extras, all of which were made specifically for the tapes themselves, and were all pretty great. But what if I told you this tape had a reason to be even MORE amazing and gave you even more reason to drop money on a show you've seen a million times on tv and probably even recorded the episode (you dirty pirate!)?
Yup. A gift set! Featuring an awesome gift box and a fun plush Stimpy so you can cuddle up with your favorite gross cat and enjoy this fantastic tape. One last thing that you MUST know about this set...
Yup. The doll even has a fanny flap. What else would you expect?
SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 2:
I've said and done a lot involving my friend and star of the movie Eric Freeman, but I very rarely speak about the movie itself. If you're not aware of this ultimate cult classic, it's known for it's low budget, cheesy acting and ridiculous action. While it's easy to point to it and laugh at the production values but it does tell a fun story of Ricky (the little brother of Billy, the killer in the first movie) going through life, despite watching his older brother being killed in front of him. Is it worthy of an Oscar? Nah. But is it a fun watch and a movie that did have a charm. It may be a giant pile of...ahem...garbage...but it's infamy lives on through every viewing. Despite not ever receiving a bluray release, new fans are discovering this movie every year and falling in love with the main star and his memorable line delivery...
PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
One of the best Christmas specials ever. Pee Wee plans a Christmas party with a lot of famous friends including Little Richard, Oprah, the lovely Del Rubio Triplets, Cher, CHARO and more! PeeWee gets a little greedy though and asks Santa for a LOT but then realizes that receiving his Christmas wishes would affect the wishes of other children across the world. Thankfully, PeeWee comes to his sense and realizes it's better to give than recieve, so demands Santa gives all his presents to other children. A beautiful ending to a magnificent Christmas special! Oh and bonus, this is where I learned the Dradel Song from!
Now, I gotta tell you guys, watching this special as a kid was HUGE. I was obsessed with Pee Wee Herman, despite my brother absolutely HATING him to the point that he would just get angry walking into the room when I was watching it. Oh well. It's not my fault he can't appreciate the greatness of Cowboy Curtis. Be that as it may, when I found out we were getting a Christmas special as a kid, I couldn't miss it. Missing it would be out of the question. The night it aired, my father had recorded it for me and I was able to watch it the next day. It was a pretty big event for me. Watching it the next day? I was in heaven. The silly songs, the over the top ridiculousness that we'd all come to love, the characters, the guest stars. I couldn't get enough. So many great skits and segments that if you were to watch today, you'd still love them. It may not be remembered in the same vain as A Charlie Brown Christmas or a movie like It's A Wonderful Life, but for me as a kid, this was bigger than any viewing of Miracle On 34th Street. Revisiting it in recent years, I've fallen in love with it all over again and continue to watch every year with as much enjoyment as I did as a child.
I don't know how to end this article any better than with the inclusion of a childhood (and adulthood) favorite. Honestly, they're all favorites and great additions to your yearly Christmas viewings. I hope you get to enjoy them just as much as I do ever year!
-Chad
ZIGGY'S GIFT:
A HOBO'S CHRISTMAS:
Oh boy, another one that'll tug at your heart strings...well, maybe not. It may just make you laugh for all the wrong reasons. In this 90 minute tear jerker, an old hobo comes back to his hometown to reunite with his son who wants nothing to do with him and in the meantime learns a lot of his mistakes came back to bite him on his old smelly, hobo butt. This was a made-for-tv movie airing on CBS and it definitely shows. I don't exactly know how else to sell this movie to you other than Gerald McCraney and the grandfather from Lost Boys are in it and at their all time corniest. But that's ok because the producers of this movie knew what they were doing and the audience they were going after. It's hokey, silly, but it reminds you of watching bad Christmas movies with your family while eating Christmas cookies. So in the end, not so bad.
REN AND STIMPY HAVE YOURSELF A STINKY LITTLE CHRISTMAS:
One of my favorite Ren and Stimpy episodes ever and not just because it's a special Christmas tape either. This was one of the funniest episodes where Stimpy let's out a nasty fart who names "Stinky" and heads out on an adventure to find him after he goes missing. What could make this tape even better, you ask? Add on two music videos featuring awesome Christmas songs sung by the gross duo that belong on everyone's Christmas playlist. It was pretty common for these Nickelodeon releases in the 90s to contain music videos and extras, all of which were made specifically for the tapes themselves, and were all pretty great. But what if I told you this tape had a reason to be even MORE amazing and gave you even more reason to drop money on a show you've seen a million times on tv and probably even recorded the episode (you dirty pirate!)?
Yup. A gift set! Featuring an awesome gift box and a fun plush Stimpy so you can cuddle up with your favorite gross cat and enjoy this fantastic tape. One last thing that you MUST know about this set...
Yup. The doll even has a fanny flap. What else would you expect?
SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 2:
I've said and done a lot involving my friend and star of the movie Eric Freeman, but I very rarely speak about the movie itself. If you're not aware of this ultimate cult classic, it's known for it's low budget, cheesy acting and ridiculous action. While it's easy to point to it and laugh at the production values but it does tell a fun story of Ricky (the little brother of Billy, the killer in the first movie) going through life, despite watching his older brother being killed in front of him. Is it worthy of an Oscar? Nah. But is it a fun watch and a movie that did have a charm. It may be a giant pile of...ahem...garbage...but it's infamy lives on through every viewing. Despite not ever receiving a bluray release, new fans are discovering this movie every year and falling in love with the main star and his memorable line delivery...
PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL:
One of the best Christmas specials ever. Pee Wee plans a Christmas party with a lot of famous friends including Little Richard, Oprah, the lovely Del Rubio Triplets, Cher, CHARO and more! PeeWee gets a little greedy though and asks Santa for a LOT but then realizes that receiving his Christmas wishes would affect the wishes of other children across the world. Thankfully, PeeWee comes to his sense and realizes it's better to give than recieve, so demands Santa gives all his presents to other children. A beautiful ending to a magnificent Christmas special! Oh and bonus, this is where I learned the Dradel Song from!
 |
| Credit: I-Mockery.com (Check out my buddy RoG's great review of this special!) |
Now, I gotta tell you guys, watching this special as a kid was HUGE. I was obsessed with Pee Wee Herman, despite my brother absolutely HATING him to the point that he would just get angry walking into the room when I was watching it. Oh well. It's not my fault he can't appreciate the greatness of Cowboy Curtis. Be that as it may, when I found out we were getting a Christmas special as a kid, I couldn't miss it. Missing it would be out of the question. The night it aired, my father had recorded it for me and I was able to watch it the next day. It was a pretty big event for me. Watching it the next day? I was in heaven. The silly songs, the over the top ridiculousness that we'd all come to love, the characters, the guest stars. I couldn't get enough. So many great skits and segments that if you were to watch today, you'd still love them. It may not be remembered in the same vain as A Charlie Brown Christmas or a movie like It's A Wonderful Life, but for me as a kid, this was bigger than any viewing of Miracle On 34th Street. Revisiting it in recent years, I've fallen in love with it all over again and continue to watch every year with as much enjoyment as I did as a child.
I don't know how to end this article any better than with the inclusion of a childhood (and adulthood) favorite. Honestly, they're all favorites and great additions to your yearly Christmas viewings. I hope you get to enjoy them just as much as I do ever year!
-Chad
