Christmas telly

If you’re going to watch one Christmas show on TV this Christmas season, don’t be dim. Here are four shows worth keeping the kids up and phoning the neighbours for:

Scrooge (AKA: A Christmas Carol) (1951) – The only version of Dicken’s short-story A Christmas Carol that’s really worth watching. Alistar Sim is the only guy who has ever nailed the part of Ebenezar Scrooge and for some reason the English are the only ones who can really catch a true feel for Victorian London. My favorite scene is when Scrooge wakes up and realizes that he has not missed Christmas and then capers around like a total loony. Excellent. Twenty stars out of ten! The movie is best viewed in black and white even though some creep colourized it a few years back. Now there’s someone who should be, in a totally festive and Christmassy sort of way, boiled in oil and fed to ugly dogs. Ho ho ho.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – I don’t know if this was the first Christmas cartoon produced for TV, but it should be. A Bible reading, dancing, jazz, an ugly tree and Snoopy. What more do you need?

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) – Based on the Dr Seuss children’s book and directed by Chuck Jones (of the Warner Brothers Chuck Joneses), how can you go wrong? Actually I guess they could have pretty easily, but they didn’t. Chuck brought along his usual manic style, and tossed in some Boris Karloff and a totally cool song, “You’re A Mean One, Mister Grinch”. Stylin’.

Trailer Park Boys Christmas Special (AKA: Dear Santa Claus; Go F*** Yourself) (2005) – Good clean fun with lots of liquor, dope, stealing stuff and a little bit of swearing. Typically Canadian, eh.

Anyway… Humouroceros