Brief spoilers ahead.
Long before The Disney Channel became a basic-cable channel that solely catered to the "'tween" crowd, it was a pay-cable station that rebroadcast, among other things, classic holiday specials from Rankin-Bass. "A Year Without a Santa Claus" is arguably the best Rankin-Bass special Disney has aired for any holiday, whether it be Christmas or Easter. The plot will certainly amuse children, what with Santa being too sick to make the rounds one Christmas, which forces Mrs. Claus to save the day. This is not really all that special, but this special is timeless for two very good reasons: Heatmeiser and Snowmeiser. These characters are certainly the most colorful and interesting characters you will find in ANY Rankin-Bass production. Their theme songs are very catchy and memorable, and many grown-ups today will fondly remember them and still hum them to themselves every Christmas. The naughty nature of the two "Meisers" will make this special not only palatable for grown-ups, but downright fun to watch.
Aside from the "Meiser" songs, the kids might enjoy the mix of old favorites with original songs, such as "Snow in Dixie," "You're Too Old for Santa Claus," and, of course, "Blue Christmas." Watch the scenes which feature "Blue Christmas:" they were parodied, to hilarious effect, on "South Park," in the episode where Kyle wrote a letter to Fidel Castro.
Long before The Disney Channel became a basic-cable channel that solely catered to the "'tween" crowd, it was a pay-cable station that rebroadcast, among other things, classic holiday specials from Rankin-Bass. "A Year Without a Santa Claus" is arguably the best Rankin-Bass special Disney has aired for any holiday, whether it be Christmas or Easter. The plot will certainly amuse children, what with Santa being too sick to make the rounds one Christmas, which forces Mrs. Claus to save the day. This is not really all that special, but this special is timeless for two very good reasons: Heatmeiser and Snowmeiser. These characters are certainly the most colorful and interesting characters you will find in ANY Rankin-Bass production. Their theme songs are very catchy and memorable, and many grown-ups today will fondly remember them and still hum them to themselves every Christmas. The naughty nature of the two "Meisers" will make this special not only palatable for grown-ups, but downright fun to watch.
Aside from the "Meiser" songs, the kids might enjoy the mix of old favorites with original songs, such as "Snow in Dixie," "You're Too Old for Santa Claus," and, of course, "Blue Christmas." Watch the scenes which feature "Blue Christmas:" they were parodied, to hilarious effect, on "South Park," in the episode where Kyle wrote a letter to Fidel Castro.