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Bryan's BEARy Merry Christmas Holiday Reviews
- Thread starter BEAR
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BEAR
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Happy holidays, everyone! It’s time for my BEARy Merry Holiday Reviews. I’d like to start the series off with a “true blue” classic – Christmas Eve On Sesame Street.
BEARy Merry Holiday Review #1:
CHRISTMAS EVE ON SESAME STREET (1978)
Cast:
Linda Bove as Linda
Northern Calloway as David
Debbie Chen as Patty
Will Lee as Mr. Hooper
Loretta Long as Susan
Sonia Manzano as Maria
Bob McGrath as Bob
Chet O’Brien as Mr. Macintosh
Roscoe Orman as Gordon
Alaina Reed as Olivia
And Caroll Spinney as Big Bird & Oscar
Muppet Performers:
Jim Henson as Ernie & Kermit the Frog
Frank Oz as Bert, Grover & Cookie Monster
Jerry Nelson as The Count Von Count & Mr. Snuffleupagus
Richard Hunt
Also featuring the skaters from Holiday On Ice
The special opens up on the local ice skating rink where most of our friends from Sesame Street are having a wonderful time skating around a big Christmas tree. Even Oscar is there with his trashcan along with the Count, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert are joining in the fun playing different ice skating games, with the latter of the names being the innocent victim of the pranks. If you don’t have a hockey puck, the next best thing is a saddle shoe, right? Big Bird, who appears to be a little nervous to get his feet on the ice, eventually builds up the courage and confidence with the help of a little blonde girl, turning into the most incredible ice dances I’ve ever seen. (Note: All the Muppet characters in the ice skating scene are professional skaters in full-bodied costumes.)
Meanwhile, in another part of the rink, Cookie Monster proposes another skating game—“Snap the Whip”! He starts by acting as the center of the “whip” and is first joined by the Count, who decided to count each rotation. “One time around!…Two times around!…” Soon Ernie and Bert add on to the chain and finally, Bert grabs onto the handle of a trashcan which happens to be gliding by.
Oscar makes his way down several flights of stairs and through a wall until making his crash landing on the sidewalk outside the skating rink. Big Bird, with his friend Patty, a little girl played by Debbie Chen, find his can and set it up right. Is Oscar alright? “Alright? Let’s go back and do it again!” The grouch retorts sarcastically. Big Bird is so excited about the Christmas Eve night ahead of him when Santa Claus will be flying in his sleigh and delivering toys and presents to everyone on Sesame Street. Oscar, up to his old tricks again, poses a riddle to the big canary. “How does a guy like Santa Claus—who’s built like a dump truck—how’s he gonna get down all those skinny, little chimneys, huh?” If Santa can’t get down the chimney, then no one will get any presents on Christmas morning. Destressed by this, Big Bird is determined to solve the riddle and thinks of every kind of solution he can on the way back home to Sesame Street. On the way home, the gang begins the celebrations of Christmas and sing “True Blue Miracle,” a lovely number which becomes the anthem of the whole story, you’ll see later on.
Upon arriving back at his nest, Big Bird is greeted by none other than Kermit the Frog. The bird picks at his brain to see what he thinks, but even the wise and sage frog, the level-headed of all Muppets, doesn’t know, as he’s never really thought about it before, himself. Kermit, however, proposes that they survey those who know more about Santa than anyone. “Kids, that’s who?”
Meanwhile, Bert and Ernie have a dilemma of their own. They can’t decide what to get each other for Christmas. Without any money to their names, Bert decides to trade his prize paperclip collection for a soap dish for Ernie’s rubber duckie, while Ernie trades Rubber Duckie for a cigar box to store Bert’s paperclips. Uh oh! Later that night, Mr. Hooper, whom the boys traded with, stops by with some Christmas presents to give as well. He had gifted Rubber Duckie and the paperclips back to their rightful owners. Ernie and Bert could not be more relieved or surprised! This subplot is based on O. Henry’s story, “Gift of the Magi.” Bert and Ernie realize that Mr. Hooper did such a nice thing for them, but they didn’t get anything for Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper disagrees. “I got the best Christmas present ever. I got to see that everyone got exactly what they wanted for Christmas.” It was just before this scene where we learn that Mr. Hooper is Jewish and celebrated Hannukah. Hooper is touched that Bob remembers when they are in passing on the street. The storyline with Ernie and Bert shows that even someone from another faith understands and is capable of joining in the spirit of Christmas giving.
Even the Cookie Monster gets featured in a third little plotline. He is in the Fix-It Shop trying to get in contact with Santa Claus to tell him what he wants for Christmas. Why he is trying to write to Santa the night before Christmas is beyond me, but why question Cookie Monster’s logic. Each attemp fails as he gets carried away and ends up eating the pencil, type writer and telephone in the process. He fears that Santa will never bring him any cookies now. Gordon reminds him that Santa knows all about him and that there is nothing to worry about. He suggests that Cookie leave Santa something too. And Cookie is mind-boggled by Gordon's idea of what to leave.
In classic Sesame Street style, Kermit and Grover talk to the kids, in front of blue backdrop and all, about how they think Santa Claus gets down the chimney to deliver presents. Cute kids and no scripts, with the occassional ammusing responses from the cute and furry one, make this segment one of the most charming moments in the program. So many imaginative responses, including one boy’s belief that Santa brings the reindeer down with him. Kermit’s final report included such theories involving chimney stretchers, fishing poles and Santa hiding in the laundry on Thanksgiving. But with so many different responses, Big Bird was not satisfied and could not figure out which was the right one.
On to step 2: the Scientific Method (cue Snuffy!). Big Bird and Patty use scientific experimentation, along with Snuffy (played at this time by Jerry Nelson) as the “guinea pig” sporting a Santa hat. Big Bird wants to see how big Santa gets into a small chimney by watching Snuffy get into a barrel. After all four feet are in (they pretended he had a reindeer with him),Big Bird thought he knew until Snuffy asks, “Do we know how he gets out?” Big Bird’s take to the camera shows he has been defeated once again.
The next time we see Big Bird, it is a cold snowy evening and he is sitting in his nest with Patty. He tells Patty that she should probably get back home safe because it was getting late and snowy. Before Patty leaves, she tries to cheer up her depressed friend by telling them that even if they don’t know for sure how Santa does it, he’ll come down the chimney and everything will be alright. Big Bird isn’t convinced and slinks in his nest. “Merry Christmas?” she says, with nothing but a silence from the yellow bird. This was possibly the most gut wrenching and tear jerking moment of the whole movie. Poor Big Bird…poor Patty! One thing I always admired about Sesame Street, especially in the earlier years, is that even for a kid’s show, it was sophisticated beyond it’s years. They never skipped an emotional beat in it’s storytelling. They were always capable of being fun, entertaining and light-hearted, but also dramatic and real. The emotions from these characters were always genuine and it makes the audience relate and feel exactly what they do. Big Bird was almost always the character that the viewer felt and saw things through and this special was no exception. We feel what he’s feeling, we want to comfort and support him and see him succeed in this Christmas quest.
Alone in his nest, the poor bird sits and thinks of everything they have done and finally he gets a final idea! He’s goes up to the roof of 1-2-3 Sesame Street to see for himself and waits all night for Santa to arrive. Meanwhile, when the other residence discover that Big Bird is missing from his nest, they set off on a search party around the neighborhood to find him. Even Bird sees this from the roof but doesn’t think much of it. “They’re all running around. Someone must be lost. Well, I have more important things to worry about…” Big Bird tries to stay up all night on the roof, watching for Santa Claus, but falls asleep while the others frantically look for him. Icicles form on the end of his beak and he is getting so cold that he thinks he “froze his giblets.” So Big Bird goes downstairs to Gordon and Susan’s apartment to warm up. Once he gets there, Gordon makes sure he stays and shows him all the wonderful presents that have indeed been left around the brightly decorated tree. Gordon is always the voice of reason. Roscoe Orman has a way of making Gordon firm and fair, but gentle. He always knows how to handle things, especially when it comes to Big Bird. This scene is touching and poigniant. Gordon reminds Big Bird, and all of us, what really matters at Christmas time. I don’t think I can come up with any better way to describe the exchange in this scene, so I’ll just leave you to read the dialogue:
I absolutely love this special, and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without watching it atleast once. I’ve seen it every year since I was a baby. It’s got that classic 70’s feel to it with some wonderfully beautiful moments. It also has that wonderfully grungy look to the street. Until I get the Old School DVD set, this is the only time I have ever gotten to see Mr. Hooper. I was born in 1981 and he died only a couple years later, so my memories of him are fuzzier than the Cookie Monster. So, it’s wonderful that I get to know him here. He is such a legendary character and any younger kids should see this atleast to know some history of the Hooper’s Store.
I also enjoyed the brief scene between Maria and Oscar during the search for Big Bird, when she goes to the trashcan, opens it up, reaches her hand inside and pulls up Oscar by the fur of his neck. She
The cast could not be more wonderful! I just wish they would have used a few of the characters more, notably the Count. He was there at the opening in full-bodied costume form, and then in normal puppet form for “True Blue Miracle” but then that was the last we saw of him. Not even an appearance at the end. It’s possible that the writers just didn’t know how to incorporate the Count into the rest of the story, or Jerry Nelson’s time was limitted, as the only other performance we see from him is a little scene with Snuffy. I also find it interesting that Richard Hunt is creditted but none of his characters were featured. I believe he was only there to do “right hand” work on characters such as Ernie, Cookie Monster and Oscar, and possibly assist Snuffy as well. It is so wonderful to see Snuffy’s cameo. Proves he’s always on hand to help out his big yellow buddy even in the most ambitious schemes.
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a definite classic not just for Sesame Street fans, but anyone needing a little Christmas spirit. It’s a charming tale that will leave you smiling, laughing, and you might even shed a small tear or feel a knot in your throat as you watch your favorite Bird on his quest to answer one of the most puzzling mysteries of Christmas history. The story and it’s message are simple and gentle, yet very grown up and smart at the same time. It reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas.
Musical Numbers:
“Feliz Navidad” -- wonderful ice skating dance sequence by Big Bird (a professional skater in a Big Bird costume) and a little girl. Very impressive.
“True Blue Miracle” -- performed by Olivia, Susan, Bob, Gordon, David, Maria & Company. Classic Sesame Street ensemble number as they make their way home from the ice skating rink.
“Keep Christmas With You” performed by Bob, Linda & Kids. A group of kids are gathered at Bob’s apartment to rehearse a christmas song, but before Bob gets there, Linda is teaching the kids how to sign the words to the song. When Bob shows up, he starts the song and when it’s time for the kids to come in, they start signing, to Bob’s delightful surprise. He is blown away! It was Linda Christmas gift to Bob and he couldn’t be more pleased. I really like this song and it is the ultimate Christmas song of Sesame Street, as it’s been done on every Christmas special and album. It’s also usually led by Bob, who sounds just as beautiful as ever.
“I Hate Christmas” performed by Oscar the Grouch. Even grouches have their own way of having fun during the holidays. The grouch expresses how he feels about Christmas while wreaking havoc around town with the grownups on Sesame Street being the victims of his antics. One of the funniest moments was when Linda and Maria are handing out gifts to kids and dancing behind them is a broom which hits the awning and drops a snow on over the happy group. It’s well written and a great moment for our favorite Scrooge. While we would never call Oscar a villain, he is most certainly the nemesis. Wonderfully comedic moments with typical Sesame Street physical humor.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” performed by Bert & Ernie. This song has been sung by the Muppets more than any other Christmas song, but it never gets old.
“True Blue Miracle” (reprise) performed by Gordon. Gordon reminds Big Bird what Christmas is really about—being together.
Awards:
Christmas Eve On Sesame Street won an Emmy Award in 1979 for Outstanding Children’s Program/Special.
CHRISTMAS TREEVIA
To add a little more holiday fun, with each review I will give a little trivia about Christmas traditions, sometimes tying into the theme of the movie/special. The reason I put the definitions in quotes is because I am taking it directly from a special source which is not from my own words.
Santa Claus:
“Santa Claus is the American adaptation of St. Nicholas, a legendary European figure that brings presents to children on Christmas Eve. The name Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch, ‘Sinter Class’. Originally, St. Nicholas brought presents to children on December 6th, the feast day of St. Nicholas, but in the United States it was changed to December 25th. The main features of Santa Claus can be attributed to the Dutch. They said he came down the chimney and left switches for bad children instead of presents. The red suit trimmed with white fur and the red cap were copied by the Dutch from their Bishop’s cape and miter, or hat. The reindeer and sleigh originated in the poem by Clement Moore, ‘A Visit from St. Nick’.”
BEARy Merry Holiday Review #1:
CHRISTMAS EVE ON SESAME STREET (1978)
Cast:
Linda Bove as Linda
Northern Calloway as David
Debbie Chen as Patty
Will Lee as Mr. Hooper
Loretta Long as Susan
Sonia Manzano as Maria
Bob McGrath as Bob
Chet O’Brien as Mr. Macintosh
Roscoe Orman as Gordon
Alaina Reed as Olivia
And Caroll Spinney as Big Bird & Oscar
Muppet Performers:
Jim Henson as Ernie & Kermit the Frog
Frank Oz as Bert, Grover & Cookie Monster
Jerry Nelson as The Count Von Count & Mr. Snuffleupagus
Richard Hunt
Also featuring the skaters from Holiday On Ice
The special opens up on the local ice skating rink where most of our friends from Sesame Street are having a wonderful time skating around a big Christmas tree. Even Oscar is there with his trashcan along with the Count, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert are joining in the fun playing different ice skating games, with the latter of the names being the innocent victim of the pranks. If you don’t have a hockey puck, the next best thing is a saddle shoe, right? Big Bird, who appears to be a little nervous to get his feet on the ice, eventually builds up the courage and confidence with the help of a little blonde girl, turning into the most incredible ice dances I’ve ever seen. (Note: All the Muppet characters in the ice skating scene are professional skaters in full-bodied costumes.)
Meanwhile, in another part of the rink, Cookie Monster proposes another skating game—“Snap the Whip”! He starts by acting as the center of the “whip” and is first joined by the Count, who decided to count each rotation. “One time around!…Two times around!…” Soon Ernie and Bert add on to the chain and finally, Bert grabs onto the handle of a trashcan which happens to be gliding by.
Oscar makes his way down several flights of stairs and through a wall until making his crash landing on the sidewalk outside the skating rink. Big Bird, with his friend Patty, a little girl played by Debbie Chen, find his can and set it up right. Is Oscar alright? “Alright? Let’s go back and do it again!” The grouch retorts sarcastically. Big Bird is so excited about the Christmas Eve night ahead of him when Santa Claus will be flying in his sleigh and delivering toys and presents to everyone on Sesame Street. Oscar, up to his old tricks again, poses a riddle to the big canary. “How does a guy like Santa Claus—who’s built like a dump truck—how’s he gonna get down all those skinny, little chimneys, huh?” If Santa can’t get down the chimney, then no one will get any presents on Christmas morning. Destressed by this, Big Bird is determined to solve the riddle and thinks of every kind of solution he can on the way back home to Sesame Street. On the way home, the gang begins the celebrations of Christmas and sing “True Blue Miracle,” a lovely number which becomes the anthem of the whole story, you’ll see later on.
Upon arriving back at his nest, Big Bird is greeted by none other than Kermit the Frog. The bird picks at his brain to see what he thinks, but even the wise and sage frog, the level-headed of all Muppets, doesn’t know, as he’s never really thought about it before, himself. Kermit, however, proposes that they survey those who know more about Santa than anyone. “Kids, that’s who?”
Meanwhile, Bert and Ernie have a dilemma of their own. They can’t decide what to get each other for Christmas. Without any money to their names, Bert decides to trade his prize paperclip collection for a soap dish for Ernie’s rubber duckie, while Ernie trades Rubber Duckie for a cigar box to store Bert’s paperclips. Uh oh! Later that night, Mr. Hooper, whom the boys traded with, stops by with some Christmas presents to give as well. He had gifted Rubber Duckie and the paperclips back to their rightful owners. Ernie and Bert could not be more relieved or surprised! This subplot is based on O. Henry’s story, “Gift of the Magi.” Bert and Ernie realize that Mr. Hooper did such a nice thing for them, but they didn’t get anything for Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper disagrees. “I got the best Christmas present ever. I got to see that everyone got exactly what they wanted for Christmas.” It was just before this scene where we learn that Mr. Hooper is Jewish and celebrated Hannukah. Hooper is touched that Bob remembers when they are in passing on the street. The storyline with Ernie and Bert shows that even someone from another faith understands and is capable of joining in the spirit of Christmas giving.
Even the Cookie Monster gets featured in a third little plotline. He is in the Fix-It Shop trying to get in contact with Santa Claus to tell him what he wants for Christmas. Why he is trying to write to Santa the night before Christmas is beyond me, but why question Cookie Monster’s logic. Each attemp fails as he gets carried away and ends up eating the pencil, type writer and telephone in the process. He fears that Santa will never bring him any cookies now. Gordon reminds him that Santa knows all about him and that there is nothing to worry about. He suggests that Cookie leave Santa something too. And Cookie is mind-boggled by Gordon's idea of what to leave.
In classic Sesame Street style, Kermit and Grover talk to the kids, in front of blue backdrop and all, about how they think Santa Claus gets down the chimney to deliver presents. Cute kids and no scripts, with the occassional ammusing responses from the cute and furry one, make this segment one of the most charming moments in the program. So many imaginative responses, including one boy’s belief that Santa brings the reindeer down with him. Kermit’s final report included such theories involving chimney stretchers, fishing poles and Santa hiding in the laundry on Thanksgiving. But with so many different responses, Big Bird was not satisfied and could not figure out which was the right one.
On to step 2: the Scientific Method (cue Snuffy!). Big Bird and Patty use scientific experimentation, along with Snuffy (played at this time by Jerry Nelson) as the “guinea pig” sporting a Santa hat. Big Bird wants to see how big Santa gets into a small chimney by watching Snuffy get into a barrel. After all four feet are in (they pretended he had a reindeer with him),Big Bird thought he knew until Snuffy asks, “Do we know how he gets out?” Big Bird’s take to the camera shows he has been defeated once again.
The next time we see Big Bird, it is a cold snowy evening and he is sitting in his nest with Patty. He tells Patty that she should probably get back home safe because it was getting late and snowy. Before Patty leaves, she tries to cheer up her depressed friend by telling them that even if they don’t know for sure how Santa does it, he’ll come down the chimney and everything will be alright. Big Bird isn’t convinced and slinks in his nest. “Merry Christmas?” she says, with nothing but a silence from the yellow bird. This was possibly the most gut wrenching and tear jerking moment of the whole movie. Poor Big Bird…poor Patty! One thing I always admired about Sesame Street, especially in the earlier years, is that even for a kid’s show, it was sophisticated beyond it’s years. They never skipped an emotional beat in it’s storytelling. They were always capable of being fun, entertaining and light-hearted, but also dramatic and real. The emotions from these characters were always genuine and it makes the audience relate and feel exactly what they do. Big Bird was almost always the character that the viewer felt and saw things through and this special was no exception. We feel what he’s feeling, we want to comfort and support him and see him succeed in this Christmas quest.
Alone in his nest, the poor bird sits and thinks of everything they have done and finally he gets a final idea! He’s goes up to the roof of 1-2-3 Sesame Street to see for himself and waits all night for Santa to arrive. Meanwhile, when the other residence discover that Big Bird is missing from his nest, they set off on a search party around the neighborhood to find him. Even Bird sees this from the roof but doesn’t think much of it. “They’re all running around. Someone must be lost. Well, I have more important things to worry about…” Big Bird tries to stay up all night on the roof, watching for Santa Claus, but falls asleep while the others frantically look for him. Icicles form on the end of his beak and he is getting so cold that he thinks he “froze his giblets.” So Big Bird goes downstairs to Gordon and Susan’s apartment to warm up. Once he gets there, Gordon makes sure he stays and shows him all the wonderful presents that have indeed been left around the brightly decorated tree. Gordon is always the voice of reason. Roscoe Orman has a way of making Gordon firm and fair, but gentle. He always knows how to handle things, especially when it comes to Big Bird. This scene is touching and poigniant. Gordon reminds Big Bird, and all of us, what really matters at Christmas time. I don’t think I can come up with any better way to describe the exchange in this scene, so I’ll just leave you to read the dialogue:
Enter Oscar, who has also been searching high and low for the “big canary” after a confrontation with Maria. He says he is glad Big Bird is back because he had another query…How does the Easter Bunny hide all those eggs in one night. Boy, there’s a puzzle that’ll keep him busy for the next four months! At any rate, Gordon, Susan and Patty bring Big Bird outside to reunite with the rest of the Sesame Street friends and they celebrate the “happily ever after” Christmas.
I absolutely love this special, and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without watching it atleast once. I’ve seen it every year since I was a baby. It’s got that classic 70’s feel to it with some wonderfully beautiful moments. It also has that wonderfully grungy look to the street. Until I get the Old School DVD set, this is the only time I have ever gotten to see Mr. Hooper. I was born in 1981 and he died only a couple years later, so my memories of him are fuzzier than the Cookie Monster. So, it’s wonderful that I get to know him here. He is such a legendary character and any younger kids should see this atleast to know some history of the Hooper’s Store.
I also enjoyed the brief scene between Maria and Oscar during the search for Big Bird, when she goes to the trashcan, opens it up, reaches her hand inside and pulls up Oscar by the fur of his neck. She
The cast could not be more wonderful! I just wish they would have used a few of the characters more, notably the Count. He was there at the opening in full-bodied costume form, and then in normal puppet form for “True Blue Miracle” but then that was the last we saw of him. Not even an appearance at the end. It’s possible that the writers just didn’t know how to incorporate the Count into the rest of the story, or Jerry Nelson’s time was limitted, as the only other performance we see from him is a little scene with Snuffy. I also find it interesting that Richard Hunt is creditted but none of his characters were featured. I believe he was only there to do “right hand” work on characters such as Ernie, Cookie Monster and Oscar, and possibly assist Snuffy as well. It is so wonderful to see Snuffy’s cameo. Proves he’s always on hand to help out his big yellow buddy even in the most ambitious schemes.
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a definite classic not just for Sesame Street fans, but anyone needing a little Christmas spirit. It’s a charming tale that will leave you smiling, laughing, and you might even shed a small tear or feel a knot in your throat as you watch your favorite Bird on his quest to answer one of the most puzzling mysteries of Christmas history. The story and it’s message are simple and gentle, yet very grown up and smart at the same time. It reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas.
Musical Numbers:
“Feliz Navidad” -- wonderful ice skating dance sequence by Big Bird (a professional skater in a Big Bird costume) and a little girl. Very impressive.
“True Blue Miracle” -- performed by Olivia, Susan, Bob, Gordon, David, Maria & Company. Classic Sesame Street ensemble number as they make their way home from the ice skating rink.
“Keep Christmas With You” performed by Bob, Linda & Kids. A group of kids are gathered at Bob’s apartment to rehearse a christmas song, but before Bob gets there, Linda is teaching the kids how to sign the words to the song. When Bob shows up, he starts the song and when it’s time for the kids to come in, they start signing, to Bob’s delightful surprise. He is blown away! It was Linda Christmas gift to Bob and he couldn’t be more pleased. I really like this song and it is the ultimate Christmas song of Sesame Street, as it’s been done on every Christmas special and album. It’s also usually led by Bob, who sounds just as beautiful as ever.
“I Hate Christmas” performed by Oscar the Grouch. Even grouches have their own way of having fun during the holidays. The grouch expresses how he feels about Christmas while wreaking havoc around town with the grownups on Sesame Street being the victims of his antics. One of the funniest moments was when Linda and Maria are handing out gifts to kids and dancing behind them is a broom which hits the awning and drops a snow on over the happy group. It’s well written and a great moment for our favorite Scrooge. While we would never call Oscar a villain, he is most certainly the nemesis. Wonderfully comedic moments with typical Sesame Street physical humor.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” performed by Bert & Ernie. This song has been sung by the Muppets more than any other Christmas song, but it never gets old.
“True Blue Miracle” (reprise) performed by Gordon. Gordon reminds Big Bird what Christmas is really about—being together.
Awards:
Christmas Eve On Sesame Street won an Emmy Award in 1979 for Outstanding Children’s Program/Special.
CHRISTMAS TREEVIA
To add a little more holiday fun, with each review I will give a little trivia about Christmas traditions, sometimes tying into the theme of the movie/special. The reason I put the definitions in quotes is because I am taking it directly from a special source which is not from my own words.
Santa Claus:
“Santa Claus is the American adaptation of St. Nicholas, a legendary European figure that brings presents to children on Christmas Eve. The name Santa Claus is derived from the Dutch, ‘Sinter Class’. Originally, St. Nicholas brought presents to children on December 6th, the feast day of St. Nicholas, but in the United States it was changed to December 25th. The main features of Santa Claus can be attributed to the Dutch. They said he came down the chimney and left switches for bad children instead of presents. The red suit trimmed with white fur and the red cap were copied by the Dutch from their Bishop’s cape and miter, or hat. The reindeer and sleigh originated in the poem by Clement Moore, ‘A Visit from St. Nick’.”
redBoobergurl
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- Messages
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*Applause* Wonderful review Bryan! Like you, I've been watching this special since I could barely talk, it's been tradition for me forever. I even remember when I was real little watching it in the middle of the summer (I had it on a tape) because hey, we're supposed to "Keep Christmas with us all through the year!" I agree about how nice it is to see Mr. Hooper because being the same age as you, I really don't remember him at all other than on this special. As a huge Cookie Monster fan I think it's nice that he gets featured in a subplot and it's just so hilarious to watch and of course, his moment at the end is comedy gold as well.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this classic Christmas special! I look forward to what else you'll be sharing with us in the weeks to come. Now I gotta go home and dig this one out!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this classic Christmas special! I look forward to what else you'll be sharing with us in the weeks to come. Now I gotta go home and dig this one out!
BEAR
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Glad you liked it, Beth! Thanks! Yeah, I didn't mention the tag with Cookie and the tree. I left it out by accident. I'm glad you are digging out your tape. That's what I hope some of these reviews will do. I'd also like to mention that you can get Christmas Eve On Sesame Street on DVD. I had the VHS until I bought the 3-Disc Sesame Street holiday set, which also includes Elmo Saves Christmas and Elmo's World: Happy Holidays.
theprawncracker
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Woo! I love it Bry! Really awesome! I have GOT to get that special...
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Mmm, memories... Used to stay up and watch this on PBS when I was younger, trying to catch it from the beginning because every year I watched it after it had already started. That's one of the benefits of now having it on VCD in my library.
I'll always remember clear as a 1080I picture David and María in the subway car with my namesake handling a hockey stick during True Blue Miracle on the ride home.
And Olivia and the cast just sort of bursting from off-screen back onto the street... That's the sort of warm and fuzzy feeling I was hoping to create when we had the hope of the figures and Street set facade pieces.
Oh well... Great review Bry, look forward to whatever's next.
Gonzo: I'm ready.
No, just go back and nag Ryan for more commentary or more story.
Gonzo: Ok... Come on Camilla, let's go peck and call Ryan out for more fanfic goodness.
*Both leave.
I'll always remember clear as a 1080I picture David and María in the subway car with my namesake handling a hockey stick during True Blue Miracle on the ride home.
And Olivia and the cast just sort of bursting from off-screen back onto the street... That's the sort of warm and fuzzy feeling I was hoping to create when we had the hope of the figures and Street set facade pieces.
Oh well... Great review Bry, look forward to whatever's next.
Gonzo: I'm ready.
No, just go back and nag Ryan for more commentary or more story.
Gonzo: Ok... Come on Camilla, let's go peck and call Ryan out for more fanfic goodness.
*Both leave.
BEAR
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I agree, Ed! That's exactly what I was hoping for with the Palisades figures too. Oh well...atleast I have my old Sesame Street playset building from when I was a kid. I'll take it out and decorate it for Christmas along with some of my non-Palisade Sesame figures as I get my room all set up for the holidays.
Thanks for the review of my review! I kinda feel like I put in too much plot summary that you all don't care to read. it's just my way of sparking some Christmas spirit here at MC. Plus, I love to hear your responses and memories about the different specials if you've seen them. This is thread for sharing and what better time to share than Christmas!
Thanks for the review of my review! I kinda feel like I put in too much plot summary that you all don't care to read. it's just my way of sparking some Christmas spirit here at MC. Plus, I love to hear your responses and memories about the different specials if you've seen them. This is thread for sharing and what better time to share than Christmas!
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Actually, the review was just perfect. Bit of typos need to be cleaned up by proofreading next time, but the review was great.
So you have the one from FP with the Oscar in the pop-up trashcan activated by a button on the street corner? Hmm, a friend used to have that, don't think they do anymore. Seen it on eBay a few times this year when casually browsing their listings.
Are you going to include the 1993 New Year's special in this pack of reviews? Cause I have a bit of a good memory of when I watched it the first time.
So you have the one from FP with the Oscar in the pop-up trashcan activated by a button on the street corner? Hmm, a friend used to have that, don't think they do anymore. Seen it on eBay a few times this year when casually browsing their listings.
Are you going to include the 1993 New Year's special in this pack of reviews? Cause I have a bit of a good memory of when I watched it the first time.
BEAR
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The Count said:
That's the one alright! It's even gotten a little dirty and dusty over the years from being packed away, so it's got even more of that old school grungy look. Oh, I used to play with it all the time as a kid, and now is the perfect time to bring it back out (along with the character figures I have) for display. That's for another thread though...
As for the Sesame Street New Year special...I've been considering it, yes. I'll probably wait and add that as a bonus closer to when the appropriate time comes, like after Christmas. Thanks for asking about it though. Your interest helps me decide whether to include it or not as it does go along with the big winter holidays. Plus, it's one of my favorites!
