David Bowie and Bing Crosby on Crosby's Holiday TV Special
‘Tis the season when the TV gets all retro and nostalgic — just the way I like it. I don’t care if it’s maudlin, sappy, and dripping in holiday cheer, I say bring it on. Here is a brief sampling of some holiday classics, the TV specials you might already know and love, and a couple of my all time favorite episodes from Christmases past.
Bing Crosby’s a Merrie Olde Christmas (1977) – Classic crooner Bing Crosby sings “Little Drummer Boy” in duet with David Bowie, and 60s/70s ingenue, Twiggy, appears in a Charles Dickens sketch… say what? It’s a cheesy, staged version of holiday cheer, but it’s absolutely fascinating to watch this bizarre meeting of performers and indulge in a little Christmas nostalgia.
Charlie Brown Christmas – If you know it, you love it. If you don’t know it, you should. This Christmas special debuted in 1965 and is almost timeless in my opinion — no really! They just don’t make animated specials like they used to; The story is simple, quiet and true while the incredible jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi is probably the classiest Christmas music around. Perfect to revisit in the current era of Mad Men and mid-century modern obsession.
Juliana Hatfield as an angel in the My So Called Life Christmas special
My So Called Life “So Called Angels” – The obligatory Christmas episode as done by the hippest teen drama of the 1990s: it’s sad, it’s sappy, it’s full of angst, that’s what Christmas is all about. Plus, ’90s chanteuse, Juliana Hatfield plays a homeless angel.