About Christmas TV History

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Christmas in July 2018: Tom Beiter

from 1992's Muppet Christmas Carol

Christmas in July 2018: Tom Beiter, http://garagesalin.blogspot.com/


1) Name your favorite Henson's Muppet Christmas program and why.

It has to be Muppet Christmas Carol.  I didn't see it until a few years ago, but it may be the best (and closest) adaption to the story I've seen.  The interaction between Michael Caine and the Muppets is entirely believable.

2) Which decade produced the bulk of your favorite Christmas entertainment?



That's a hard one.  The '60's gave us the standards with Rudolph, Charlie Brown, and Frosty, but the '70's expanded so much upon Christmas specials, not mention it was the decade of my childhood. I'm going to have to give it to the '70's.

from the 1971 TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story


3) Imagine the entertainment behind your ideal Christmas Eve dinner. Name the appetizer, entré, and dessert.

Appetizer: The House Without a Christmas Tree
Entré: The Homecoming (The Waltons)
Dessert: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Mid-evening Snack: An American Christmas Carol
Late Night Snack: A Christmas Story



4) What Christmas episode, special or movie doesn't exist--that you wish did? Feel free to get creative.



That's a tough one.  Some of my ideas have already been proposed (like a special on department store windows), but I'll go with one devoted to the Toys of Christmas, 1900 through the 1980's. The History Channel touched a little on that a few years ago with their Christmas through the Decades mini-series (on which I got to be featured in the '70's episode with a home movie of my Mom and I having a tug-of-war with Stretch Armstrong on Christmas Eve of 1976), but I'd like to see one devoted entirely to toys.


from 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas


5) If one Christmas movie, special or episode was to be selected for a time capsule to opened in 1,000 years, which title do you think should be included?

I'm struggling over A Charlie Brown Christmas which best represents the meaning of Christmas and A Christmas Story which best represents the reality of Christmas in America, not to mention childhood in general. I refuse to decide. They both go in!



1 comment:

  1. YOU WERE IN "Christmas Through the Decades!?" That's fantastic! I like your suggestions for the ideal Christmas Eve dinner entertainment too--what a heart-warming evening to share with family and friends. Thanks for joining the fun :)

    ReplyDelete