With the Christmas season being ripe and all right now I thought I’d take a little time and present to you one of my favorite things about Christmas; the Christmas TV specials of course! Now of course a lot of my favorites aren’t really aired anymore, but I still have a VHS tape or two hanging about that has some childhood memories stored away. So without further ado, I present to you, “Captain Jimmy’s All-Time Favorite Christmas TV Specials!”

10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) – At the number 10 spot we have the holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This basically makes my list because I needed a tenth item and it isn’t near as bad as Christmas Comes to Pac-Land (1982) or The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). It’s a nice memory I suppose but not really too much of a favorite.

9. Frosty the Snowman (1969) – Ahh Frosty! Who doesn’t know that guy?! I always liked the goofy evil magician. Maybe because as I child I delved into the art of prestidigitation, but the whole story just seemed like a nice epic. My favorite quote of the movie: “So I put these 3 eggs into my hat and ‘abracadabra’ to coin a phrase. Hahaha. And we have . . . messy messy messy.”

8. Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus (1974) – At number 7 is the little known classic Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus. The viewers of my generation probably have no idea what the crap this is and it’s only because my mom’s name is Virginia and this is her favorite Christmas special that I know of this. In this Technicolor animation, little Virginia is told by her friends that there isn’t a Santa Claus. So to prove them wrong she writes to the editor of the Chicago Sun newspaper for the real answer. I’m sure you can guess what he says based off the name of the special. Definitely a message for adults more so than children.

7. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) – Everyone’s favorite Christmas classics made its way to the number 7 spot on my list. Honestly who doesn’t like Charlie Brown and Snoopy besides serial killers and feminist Nazis? And I’m venturing to guess even some of them love A Charlie Brown Christmas!

6. He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special (1985) – Those that fall in the older-than-20-but-less-than-30 category know about the He-Man/She-Ra Christmas Special, or at least they should. What little boy didn’t look up the sword welding He-Man and what little girl didn’t enjoy the likes of the sexy female warrior She-Ra (the brother of He-Man of course). In this holiday adventure Orko makes his way to Earth on a spy-glider and brings two Earth children back to Eternia where Horde Prime and Skeletor try to ruin Christmas for them. If you remember He-Man this is a must see! Yeah I'll admit it, I'm a giant loser for remembering all the character's names.

5. Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974) – You’ve got to remember the little mice that ruin and save Christmas! Of course this little animation has countless musical sing-a-longs and did I mention talking mice that interact with humans (nothing at all like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mice though) and reference Copernicus. What’s not to like?

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) - Dr. Suess was amazing and this holiday classic was a perfect example of his work. Rhymes flowed so seamlessly that I’m sure any child could recite at least a third of the special. I haven’t seen the movie but I doubt Jim Carrey could have done half as good a job as the Doc. This holiday classic is sure to make your heart grow three sizes. And who (pun intended) doesn’t like the song “Fa Who Dor-Eh?” Eh?

3. Ziggy’s Gift (1982) – Kicking off the top 3 is Ziggy’s Gift. Such a simple special but it emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas. Sure to bring a tear to your eye, Ziggy displays to children, policemen, and thieves alike how giving and loving we should, and can all be on Christmas. If you don’t know who Ziggy is, read the Sunday Comics!

2. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) - I actually just purchased myself a copy of this classic. Every kid watches Sesame Street and while the characters have changed over the years (with Elmo becoming popular and Cookie Monster now eating vegetables so I’m told) the loving spirit of the families, friends and monster that live there have not. Big Bird wrestles with the concept of Santa fitting down the skinny chimneys, Ernie and Bert shadow The Gift of the Magi, and there’s an ice-skating scene where the world was introduce to the song Felice Navidad. Sometimes I miss the good old days of Sesame Street.

1. A Muppets Family Christmas (1987) – Watch that icy patch! Nothing beats A Muppet Family Christmas. This ain’t no Christmas carol! This is a Muppet Christmas spectacular! All the Muppets are here including the Sesame Street gang, and Fraggles (along with Doc and Sproket). In this hilarious extravaganza Fozzie decides to surprise his mom by coming home to the farm for Christmas and brings his Muppet friends with him. The Sesame Street gang shows up caroling while Kermit and his nephew discover some Fraggle tunnels in the house. The Swedish Chef is hilarious as he attempts to cook the Christmas turkey until he discovers the “Ooodie birdie humungo!” aka, Big Bird. Sure to cover all the emotions of Christmas, if you haven’t seen this Christmas special then you really haven’t experienced the Christmas season, or The Captain’s list of favorite Christmas TV specials!