Christmas in July 2021: A Very Barry Christmas (2005)

 

Happy Christmas in July! It's Day #30 of the Christmas in July party. All month long I'll be celebrating Christmas TV episodes, specials, and movies with a FUN IN THE SUN attitude. Expect a run of Christmas in July stories, tropical yuletides, and island themes. Just a little something different and a way for me to show off the diversity of holiday stories I've collected in the encyclopedia Tis the Season TV (the updated and expanded 2nd edition being released later this year). 

For today's Christmas in July discussion, let's return to where we started with another holiday story set Down Under, in Australia where Christmas takes place in the summer time. Do you remember the 2005 stop motion animated TV special A Very Barry Christmas?

 

A Very Barry Christmas - Trailer from Distribution 360 on Vimeo.

A look-alike, Australian Outback wild animal tour guide named Barry accidentally gets switched with Santa Claus, jeopardizing the Christmas Eve annual toy delivery. Mrs. Claus keeps the mix-up a secret while she works to get Barry ready to fill-in while she waits for the real Santa to find his way back to the North Pole. A wanna-be reindeer named Nutmeg helps Barry learn to commandeer the sleigh while Santa desperately tries to get a kangaroo, a platypus, a koala, and a crocodile in the Outback to believe him when he claims to be St. Nick.

Viewers can tell the look-alike from the real Santa because the Australian has a yellow mustache!

This hour-long TV special was created by Cuppa Coffee Studios, and includes comedic actor Colin Mochrie as the voice of Barry.

Just one more day of the month-long celebration of FUN IN THE SUN Christmas programs. Have you followed along all month? Feel free to leave comments down below.

 

Joanna Wilson is a TV researcher and book author specializing in Christmas entertainment. More about the TV programs mentioned on this website can be found in her book "Tis the Season TV: the Encyclopedia of Christmas-themed Episodes, Specials, and Made-for-TV Movies." Her latest book "Triple Dog Dare: Watching--& Surviving--the 24-Hour Marathon of A Christmas Story" was released in 2016. She is currently updating and expanding the encyclopedia for a 2021 release. Her books can be found at the publisher's website: 1701 press.com

*Support this website and its research by purchasing the books at 1701 press.com