About Christmas TV History

Monday, July 29, 2019

Christmas in July 2019: Anson Sage Jr.



Christmas in July 2019: Anson Sage Jr.

1. What is your favorite Saturday Night Live Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's sketch?

Chris Farley as 45-year-old divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley playing Santa Claus at a local mall. Every time I read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, I can't help but hear Farley's version:

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the van
Your ol’ buddy Matt fell asleep behind the can.
His children were nestled two time zones away,
With his first wife and her husband, in sunny L.A.
Matt woke up and realized with a chill and a quiver
That he was living in a van down by the river!“


2. Do you most look forward to watching holiday episodes from series? Specials? Movies? Animation? or, all of it?

I'm always looking forward to new Christmas animation of any kind. I'm currently looking forward to Netflix's Klaus, hopefully by Christmas of this year. Back when I watched more TV, I was a fan of watching the yearly Doctor Who Christmas special on Christmas Day, but overall I most look forward to the yearly animated specials like How The Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas.




3. What's your favorite soundtrack from a holiday program? (it doesn't have to have been officially released as an album--just what program features your favorite collection of music?)

Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas will always be number 1. A close second would be 1966's How The Grinch Stole Christmas, followed by John William's score for Home Alone. "Somewhere In My Memory" always brings a tear to my eye.


4. What one program are you patiently (or impatiently) waiting for me to review on this blog?

I'd love to see a review of "The Husbands of River Song," the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas special.


5. What change in Christmas entertainment have you noticed over the years? Do you like the trend?

I'm noticing more Christmas entertainment geared toward a more adult, cynical view of the holiday, with families being dysfunctional and argumentative, and more sex, drugs and alcohol for the sake of comedy and shock value. Personally, I'm not a fan.



1 comment:

  1. I've never seen the Matt Foley Christmas skit, but being a fan of the character and Chris Farley, I'll definitely look that one up. I'm not familiar with Netflix's "Klaus", but looks good and I'll definitely check that out when it comes out. And good choice for the soundtrack. I couldn't agree more.

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