Favorite Christmas episodes on dvd (1 Viewer)

[Gary OS]

I know it's a little late in the season, but I thought I'd start up a thread asking folks what some of their favorite Christmas-themed TV on DVD episodes are. I'm a fanatic on this topic and collect just about any Christmas-themed episodes from shows that ran in the 50's & 60's, and many from the 70's through the 90's. I know that many shows had multiple Christmas episodes during their run so if they did I'll name the episode I particularly like. If they only had one for the entire run, I'll just list the show. I actually own over 400 Christmas episodes, but many of them are not via official releases so I won't include those types. But of the shows that have been officially released on dvd, some of my absolute favorites are:

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
OZZIE & HARRIET (several Christmas episodes, "Busy Christmas" being my fave)
CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW ("Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II")
HONEYMOONERS
HAPPY DAYS ("Christmas w/the Fonz")
LASSIE (a bunch of Christmas-themed episodes)
FATHER KNOWS BEST ("Christmas Story")
BEWITCHED ("Visions of Sugar Plums")
HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL

Ok, that's enough to start with. There are so, so many more but...


Gary "Merry Christmas to everyone" O.

 

[Theodore J. Mooney]

These are my favorites ...

THE LUCY SHOW: Together For Christmas
THE LUCY SHOW: Lucy, the Choirmaster
HAPPY DAYS: Guess Who's Coming to Christmas
LAVERNE & SHIRLEY: Oh, Hear the Angel Voices
LAVERNE & SHIRLEY: Oh, Come All Ye Burns
THREE'S COMPANY: Three's Christmas
MORK AND MINDY: Mork's First Christmas
THE BRADY BUNCH: The Voice of Christmas
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW: Christmas Story
BEWITCHED: Humbug Not to Be Spoken Here
BEWITCHED: Santa Comes to Visit and Stays and Stays
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW: Not a Christmas Story
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: The Alan Brady Show Presents
I LOVE LUCY: The 'I Love Lucy' Christmas Special
MISTER ED: Ed's Christmas Story
GREEN ACRES: An Old Fashioned Christmas
THE ADDAMS FAMILY: Christmas with the Addams Family
THE JEFFERSONS: All I Want For Christmas

 

[Todd_W_Zimmrman]

THE AVENGERS episode "Too Many Christmas Trees". Plenty of suspense and humor, and there's a great inside joke in the scene where Steed and Emma are going through his Christmas cards.

 

[Craig Beam]

THE TWILIGHT ZONE - "Night of the Meek"
MOONLIGHTING - "It's a Wonderful Job"
THE X-FILES - "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas"

 

[Jefferson]

Some of mine have been mentioned...

BEWITCHED- Vision of SugarPlums
HAZEL- Hazel's Christmas Shopping
ANDY GRIFFITH- Christmas Show
BEVERLY HILLBILLIES- Christmas With the Clampetts
PARTRIDGE FAMILY and BRADY BUNCH....and I LOVE LUCY.

I also like the Christmas episode of the JUDY GARLAND SHOW.

 

[Gary OS]

Great, great picks here. I love almost every one of the episodes that have been mentioned thus far. Trying to stick to episodes that have been "officially" released (although I guess at least half my collection is the bootleg variety), I'll add:

COLGATE COMEDY HOUR (Christmas ep hosted by Abbott & Costello)
ADAM 12 ("Log 122")
BRADY BUNCH ("The Voice of Christmas")
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE ("Christmas at Plum Creek")
DAVEY & GOLIATH CHRISTMAS
DONNA REED SHOW ("A Very Merry Christmas")
LONE RANGER ("Christmas Story")
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA ("Long Live the King" )

Gary "keep up the good work, folks!" O.

 

[Charles Ellis]

The 1960 Jack Benny Program is an absurdist classic, reminiscent of the wild things Monty Python did later. The ending is a shocker- how did they pass the censor with that? Fortunately, it's freely available on DVD as it's a PD show. I recently discovered the Red Skelton Holiday Collection from Timeless, and it has the original color tape of his 1962 show with Cara Williams as Raggedy Ann in the "Freddie and the Yuletide Doll" sketch, as well as a 1964 color show with Greer Garson.

The Rankin/Bass shows still hold up, and the Garland show is a must-own (along with the rest of her variety show). However, the best holiday episode I've ever seen is available on DVD as part of the 3rd season of The Dick Van Dyke Show- they packed so much entertainment in a half-hour show! And when you consider that it was right after JFK was killed, it's even more amazing.

I've also gotta give props for the 1971 Gunsmoke episode "P.S. Murry Christmas" and the Honeymooners skit when all of the other Gleason characters show up at the Kramden's apartment.

 

[Bob Hug]

I always watch the original 1950s "Dragnet" episode titled "The Big Little Jesus" which I find poignant and true to the spirit of the season.

One of the most beautiful Christmas episodes that I've had the pleasure to watch is from "Amos 'n Andy." Unfortunately, this series will never likely see the light of day on any sort of official DVD release . . . . a real shame as it's a well written and acted episode.

 

[Gary OS]

Right you are, Bob - on both counts. I love the 50's DRAGNET Christmas episode. It really is true to the reason for the season and it's very touching. And I do have the AMOS & ANDY Christmas episode and agree with you on that one as well. A great episode, but sadly it will probably never get an official release.

Gary "thanks for contributing" O.

 

[Ockeghem]

Among my favorites are The Voice of Christmas (from The Brady Bunch); The Partridge Family episode (Keith had a couple of funny lines in this one; I also liked the 'old west' theme); and A Roswell Christmas (from Roswell).

 

[bmasters9]

One of my favorites is simply titled "Christmas," from "What's Happening!!" (at least, that's the way the episode guide in the #1 release lists it).

 

[WillG]

Married with Children "It's a Bundyful Life"

Unfortunately, on the DVD, it's the edited syndication version in two part format as opposed to the original hour long format.

 

[michael_ks]

Since "Night Gallery" S2 came out in time, I was finally able to see Rod Serling's Emmy nominated "The Messiah on Mott Street" after all these years. Gentle episode featuring Edward G. Robinson in one of his last performances.

 

[michael_ks]

"He's bluff-ing with a pair of SEV-ENS..."

 

[Ockeghem]

Michael,

Yep, that's one of them. And a couple of others (set to the same tune) are quite amusing.

Another I like is A Charlie Brown Christmas.

 

[LCD22]

MacGyver "The Madonna"
Early Edition "Christmas"
Home Improvement "'Twas the Flight Before Christmas"
Doctor Who "The Christmas Invasion"
Corner Gas "Merry Gasmas"
Touched by an Angel "The Violin Lesson"
Monk - I would put down "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa" but this year's Christmas special "Mr. Monk and the Miracle" is hands down the best one yet, IMO.
Psych "Gus' Dad May Have Killed An Old Guy!"
Frasier "Miracle on Third or Fourth Street" (Currently, I only own the first season but this gets special mention for being a well done Christmas episode.)
Due South "The Gift of the Wheelman"

 

[Gary OS]

"I'll lick my lollie later."

Gary "I love the ending rendition of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' in that episode - it's very well done" O.

 

[Ockeghem]

Chris,

I too loved Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa a lot. But Mr. Monk and the Miracle was very funny in parts, and a true gem of the series. I think Stottlemeyer was hilarious in his 'new found' role. And Disher with the 'stache--LOL!

 

[Stephen Bowie]

At the risk of playing Scrooge, aren't Christmas episodes an excuse for otherwise sharp, witty shows to become all syrupy and bland? More often than not they tend to be among the weakest segments of a series.

As a very biased David E. Kelley enthusiast, though, I'll concede that I enjoy the inevitable holiday episodes of his series, especially the lighter ones, like ALLY McBEAL. Kelley's major theme is that of surrogate families (the ones we form among friends, not the ones we're born into) and the Christmas episodes are always about affirming the bonds among characters that run as threads throughout the whole series. So the sentiment rarely feels gratuitous.

 

[Harry-N]

My favorite "inside" joke in that episode is the fact that the host, Brandon Storey, is played by Mervyn Johns, a "Dickens collector". Both Johns and MacNee were in the Dickens' film A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1951) playing Cratchit and young Marley respectively.

Harry