I can't believe I'm answering this over five months after Christmas, but that's Muppet fandom for you...
I agree with a couple of fellow MC members that
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas ought to be part of this poll. It's a Henson production (regardless of whether Kermit's in the edition you're watching) with nearly all of the regular Muppeteers, so it counts in my book.
So, with that in mind, here are my rankings:
1. John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together
2. Muppet Family Christmas
3. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
4. It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
5. Letters To Santa
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
Now, in saying this, I have to underline that it was a lot easier putting MCC at the bottom (with all due respect to all involved and to all the fans, this one has never really won me over) and putting
A Christmas Together on top than figuring out how to rank the rest. These are quality productions from both a Muppet and holiday perspective and I consider all of them to be part of my Christmas traditions (and I'm delighted that this is now the case for me and my wife in addition to my previous 36 years of single life).
The John Denver effort stands out for me partly because I love his music, singing and the approach he took with the Muppets. There's so much heart and warmth to go along with the laughs, and the pacing of
A Christmas Together is just right (as opposed to MFC, which occasionally seemed intent on cramming as many jokes and songs as possible into the timeframe). I'm also tickled by the great roles given to supporting Muppets (Robin on "When The River Meets The Sea," Scooter on "The Peace of Christmas Day," Rowlf on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"). One of my favourite Christmas specials, and albums, of all time.
That being said, I do indeed love the gang's-all-here approach to MFC, which I feel is the most successful meshing of the various Muppet universes (classic Muppets,
Sesame Street, and
Fraggle Rock, including Doc and Sprocket). I don't like the music as much as
A Christmas Together's soundtrack but I still enjoy it, and the writing is just spectacular - I think I'd watch the whole thing just for Ernie and Bert's "Sesame Street small talk" joke. And, of course, Jim Henson doing the dishes at the end - "I like it when they have a good time."
I recently rediscovered
Emmet Otter on DVD (my wife and I found it in a discount bin, of all places - SHAME!!!) and, having not seen the whole thing in over three decades, I was shocked at how well it holds up. The music is beautiful (especially "Our World" and "Where The River Meets The Sea"), the characters are engaging, and the storyline is so heartfelt it's hard not to fall in love with it all over again, Kermit or no Kermit.
At the risk of starting The Great VMX Debate all over again, I found it a well-written, snappy, and smartly-executed modern-day Muppet production that holds up well to repeated viewings. Apart from some genuine belly laughs (especially the "unwanted snowman narrator" and "I triple-frog dare ya!") and faithfully-produced Muppet moments in the "real" and "alternate" universes (the food-court Doc Hopper's gets me choked up every time), there are some wonderfully evocative moments, especially Gonzo and Kermit's duet on "Everyone Matters" and the lengths to which Fozzie goes to get the money to Rachel Bitterman, all because of his loyalty to Kermit. I know a lot of you have issues with VMX (to each their own) but I really like it.
Letters To Santa has its problems (particularly in pacing, a couple of "just off" character-moments, and one of the creepiest Santas I've ever seen) but I still enjoy it. Paul "The Cranky Elf" Williams wrote some wonderful music for this one, especially "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus," one of my favourite modern Muppet melodies. And this was the first special to truly make use of Matt Vogel and David Rudman, and their work helps re-establish some of the classic characters and drive home the group-effort feeling I missed in many post-Jim projects. And what can I tell ya...Nathan Lane and Bobo ("Ding-ding-ding"), Uma Thurman as the Arctic Air lady, and Jane Krakowski as Claire's mom, not quite sure to make about the Muppets living across the hall...it just works for me.
Maybe I'll warm up to
The Muppet Christmas Carol after I see it a couple more times. When I first watched it in theatres 20 years ago it seemed too dark and human-heavy, the music didn't really work for me, and having idolized Jim Henson and Richard Hunt through my childhood, I don't think I was quite ready to move on to new people voicing their characters. Perhaps time (and the knowledge that the Muppets are in good hands these days) will change that feeling for me the next time I watch it.
Final thought: Having finally picked up
A Green and Red Christmas last holiday season, I really wish there had been a companion TV special for this album. The newer Muppeteers really cracked one out of the park with this effort and it deserves to rank among the top Muppet holiday offerings of all time IMHO. I know Mrs. Otter and I will treasure it for years to come.
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