Day 17: Sitcoms and the Mandatory Christmas Special

All of the shows appear to have it written in the network contracts that an episode must include some Christmas themes. Alas, as witty and intelligent as television writers are (cough, cough), there seem to be three common stories that get recycled in a thirty minute sitcom Christmas show.

1) The Gift of the Magi- O. Henry is one of the better known southern story tellers.  Who doesn't burst into tears over the love these two have for each other?  Della sells her hair to buy a chain for her husband's beloved pocket watch.  But her husband Jim sells the watch for hair combs for the hair she doesn't have anymore.  If you have never read the story, the internet is wonderful: Voila!

Which shows used The Gift of the Magi-

1. The Very Brady Christmas-The parents were planning to surprise each other with vacations.
2. Sesame Street- Burt and Ernie give up their prize possessions for Christmas presents for each other.
3. At the beginning of Glee last week, they were all handing over their watches.  That was much better than acting out the whole story, AND I am impressed that some teenagers somewhere still wear watches.
4. Emmet Otter's Jug band Christmas.  Emmet puts a hole in his mom's washtub, and she sells his tool box to buy a dress.  Neither of them win the band contest-but it all works out in the end.
5. The best: The Simpsons-No Christmas bonus for Homer and no savings from Marge (she had to have a tattoo lasered off Bart) But-they got their greyhound!

2) A Christmas Carol-  I remember watching Mr. Magoo's Christmas carol over and over again.  I wonder what happened to it.  Then there was Mickey's version and the Muppets did one as well. BUT the best one was the one done by Family Ties.  Alex, the conservative with the hippie parents, was visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.  When he woke up to the error of his ways, the only thing open was a 7-Eleven and he bought his father coffee and Jennifer some cough syrup.

3) It's a Wonderful Life!-  You have to sit through a really long movie to get to the magic part. That is all I'm going to say.  It kind of makes sense or the good part doesn't work.  ANYWAY, lots of shows have taken this one and run with it.

1. The Simpsons-  This was the episode Bart started a fire and the town helped them out with money, thought it was a hoax, and they were left with a washcloth.
2. SNL- I know they are a sketch show and not a sitcom, but my favorite holiday sketch is the one where they figure out Mr. Potter took the money and the town jumps him.  I KNOW that is the wrong spirit of the season, but when Dana Carvey screams "Merry Christmas Mr. Potter!" and kicks him out of the wheelchair I just can't stop laughing.
3. Beauty and the Beast-Before Sons of Anarchy, Ron Perlman was Vincent.  What a horrible life it would have been to live under the streets of New York without a beast around to kick butt when necessary. 
4. Dallas-The series finale-An "angel" played by Joel Grey (Jennifer's dad) showed J.R. what life would have been like without him.  Loved those cliffhangers.
5. Married with Children- This was the best of the best.  Sam Kinison was the angel showing Al what life would have been like without him.  Everyone was much better off. 

Maybe I watched too much television.