Top 10 Christmas TV Specials

There’s no better way to start off our list than with Mr. Bean, a man of few words and lots of laughs. We never get tired of seeing him make the best of a string of Christmas lights, wreak havoc on a department store, conduct a Salvation Army band and prepare a humongous turkey

This story tells the story of a pessimistic young shepherd whose life is changed when he learns to play the drum. He then meets the Three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. Accompanied them with his animal companions, the drummer boy plays for the Baby Jesus, since he has “no gift to bring."

There have been countless adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic tale, but among the most heart-warming regular telecasts is this 26-minute short film by Disney. This tale includes all of our favorite characters, and fittingly showcases Scrooge McDuck in the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge, his real-life namesake and inspiration.

In this production, Mrs. Claus tells us about the time that her husband caught a cold and had to stay in bed. Her story is centred on two elves that went out to to find children in order to convince Santa to keep on trucking. Instead, they ended up encountering with the Heat and Snow Misers, resulting in Southtown, USA, getting an unexpected white Christmas.

Debuting in 1965, this once Coca-Cola sponsored program has remained a festive staple of the holidays. Ironically, despite its origins in advertising, the special is focused on Charlie Brown’s disgust of commercialism, and attempts to find the true meaning of Christmas.

Including all of the characters from all four major Henson-produced Muppet Franchises, this special saw the casts of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Muppet Babies unite at Fozzie Bear’s mom’s house in the forest to wild festivities.

Based on the whimsical writings of Dr. Seuss, this music-filled television special tells the tale of a grumpy monster that can’t stand the happiness of others. Disguising himself as Santa Clause, he steals the presents from the town of Whoville. However, he soon discovers that that cheer doesn’t come from from gifts, but the company of others.

In this stop-motion classic, a mailman decides to find the answers to the most common questions about jolly old Saint Nick. As a result, his journey to the North Pole reveals the origins of Santa Clause, including how the gift giver managed to melt the heart of an evil wizard named Winter.

There must have been some magic in that ‘ol silk hat they found, for when they placed it on his head he began to dance around! Everybody knows this tune, and for good reason, Frosty’s special just as synonymous with Christmas as the snow he’s made from.

Taking the top spot on our list is the 60s stop-motion animation based on Santa’s reindeer with the brightest nose. Originally made fun of and rejected by the other reindeer, Rudolph befriends an elf that wants to be a dentist.

Together, they not only discover the abominable snowman, but an entire island filled with rejected toys. Returning to Santa, Rudolph uses his nose to light Santa’s way through a dense fog, not only saving Christmas, but showing that everyone is special in their own way.