I can't believe it's already Christmas. Last time it was Christmas, it was...well, 12 months ago. It's like we've been sleeping in Cryogenic Tubes our whole lives.

So anyway, it's that time of year again. Holiday depression, awesome deals at our favorite stores, slightly bigger paychecks, and re-runs of your favorite, over-aired Christmas specials aired on your favorite channels along with the ones that aren't your favorite because they suck and are cliche at this day and age and try to modernize a story like that one on Cartoon Network, the hip-hop, damn flop "The Nightmare B4 Christmas", that dumb old "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", and the worst of them all: That "Class of 3000" Christmas special. I HATE YOU ALL! YOU ALL SUCK!!! but I digress.
So anyway, I was just in the spirit to make another article this year about some of the other great Christmas Specials of our time. Oh and By the Way...I will not mention "Mickey's Christmas Carol" since I never saw it, and never will. Just not interested. But hey, at least you have one more show to throw into your article if you're making one as well.

So here it is, three of my favorite specials I've luckily stumbled upon this year.

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This is something I haven't seen in a long time. The last time I saw it was on a VHS on which it was recorded and I would watch it multiple times when I was 11. Ah, good times.

This special was definitely true to its word. It was an hour-long, two-episode, sans-music video Christmas special that parodied two famous Christmas Stories, each followed by a segment of "Letters to Santa Butt-head".

In
Beavis is featured in a parody of "A Christmas Carol". It's a heartwarming and gutbusting story of Asst. Manager Beavis leaving Principal McVicker to work late at Burger World on Christmas Eve.
In this dream episode, Beavis is visited by a somehow deceased, in cool chains, Butt-head warning him of the approach of the three ghosts played by Tom Anderson, Mr. Van Driessen and Coach Buzzcut. The ghosts tell Beavis that he has been wasting his whole life by sitting on the couch and watching pornography, which is why he never scored and will end up that way if he doesn't change. After much hilarity and a glimpse of the future with Terminator Beavis, Beavis learns a valuable lesson...working on Christmas Eve is cool, and the future is gonna be alright.


The second part the people of Highland desperately pray to God that Beavis and Butt-head "just go away", and McVicker adds "It wouldn't be His fault." After hearing their prayers, He sends out the boys' guardian angel, Charlie.
Charlie tries everything to get a hold of them and is able to get them away from the TV. He eventually leads them to an old bridge, giving him the opportunity to make them slip, fall but fails to do so and falls into the river himself. He survives and confronts the boys to convince them that their deaths will benefit the good of mankind. Of course, the boys refuse 'cuz they might, like...die. Then it hits him, and Charlie takes Butt-head to an alternate reality where he doesn't exist. They see that Highland is a bit more cheerful and full of more people this Christmas Eve without Butt-head around. Mr. Anderson's yard is fully decorated for the holiday season over a green lawn and trimmed hedges surrounding his house, since Butt-head wasn't there to ruin it.
There are a lot more people, even children, having fun at the Burger World since he wasn't there to drive them away. And then they see Daria and McVicker caroling outside the school with the other students. McVicker has a full head of hair, and Daria smiling next to a boy since he was never there to make him lose it and ruin her view of boys.
Still unconvinced, Charlie shows Butt-head where Beavis is: At the homeless shelter with Stewart. Hoping to see a bum Beavis, it turns out he's serving food to bums.
Another difference is Beavis is nicer and has never heard the word "bunghole" before. Butt-head approaches him and pulls him away from the kitchen but Beavis fears for his life. The nearby bums pull Butt-head away and throw him in the gutter. Walking back to the bridge, Butt-head wishes to return to the his world where he exists. His wish is granted, and learns a valuable lesson. "This Christmas sucks...But even though the world sucks, it would probably suck even worse without us". Learning this, he and his buddy walk back home leaving Charlie, who was left falling off the bridge again and is carried away by the rapids.

It's Christmas in Springfield, and a new TV commercial reaches Bart's eyes revealing a new game called "Bonestorm".

The commercial insists that he buys one or go to hell. Much to the disapproval of his parents, he walks around and tries to find a way to get his hands on it. He notices Milhouse has a copy,

but Milhouse is too obsessed to share.

The local comic book store is selling it for 99c, and by selling I mean renting it out, but all that's left are copies of Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. He then walks into a Try-N-Save hoping that pretending to look sad in front of the game, someone will feel sorry for and buy him a copy. He meets up with Jimbo and Nelson shopping with "four-finger discounts".


After a small cameo moment with two Italian guys, a gorilla, Lee Carvallo and some fast talking thing,


he does the same and gets out scot-free, so he thinks until he is caught by Detective Don Brodka.

After a little conference in his office and a phone call to his parents' answering machine, Bart rushes back home and replaces the machine's tape with "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh". Bart's in the clear, until Marge announces a plan to get their traditional family Christmas photo at the same Try-N-Save. Fearing for his life, he tries to put on disguises and hides from the cameras.

Before the picture is taken, he is caught by Brodka and he reveals the shocking surveillance tape showing Bart shoplifting.
He is badly scolded by Homer, and Marge thinks that Bart's been smothered too much and has grown up, then decides to let him live his own way.

Bart approaches the store again and goes back home with another thing hidden under his jacket. Marge catches him this time expecting another shoplift, but finds something completely the opposite.

After that, she decides to give Bart an early present in return. It's a video game that she was told what a lot of boys's have always wanted.


With that one out of the way, I have one more special to talk about. This was the most special I've seen this year, as it was just broadcast, and recently discovered on ABC Family recently. Its lack of dramatic tension was a good break from all the others seen here and other specials. No one runs away, no one gets mad, no one ruins anything, and none of that Christmas=presents crap that most specials over-emphasize.



Garfield wakes up one morning, and remembers something very important: It's Christmas, and that means presents! Lots and lots of presents! And he can't start Christmas on an empty stomach so Jon dishes out six trays of breakfast lasagna lined up towards the Christmas tree,

and receives his gift.

A mechanical Santa that reads his thoughts and brings him whatever he wants! YAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!


Then he wakes up.


Jon reminds Garfield that it's time to spend Christmas at the farm with his family. Jon reminisces of Christmases past and how much fun they'll have with the cooking, preparing and unwrapping, while Garfield dreads all that work they're going to do on Christmas.

After arriving, they sing songs, have a nice dinner, and prepare the tree with Garfield given the dangerous task of putting the Star on top of the tree. He has a little trouble but pulls it off without a hitch.

Later that night, Garfield sits on Grandma's lap while she talks about her late husband.

How he was a proud man, how he was a great provider, how he showed he never cared for Christmas, but she could see it in his eyes that he did. This was the day she missed him the most, as it may also have been her husband's most favorite time of year.

In the middle of the night, while Jon and his brother Doc Boy wake up their dad to open their presents (since after midnight, it's technically Christmas morning), Odie goes to the barn and builds something. Garfield curiously follows and knocks over a box of letters which look like they were written 50 years ago.


Later that morning, everyone is opening their presents and that's the end of that. But Garfield has one more present for Grandma. It turns out the letters were of their late Grandpa's old love letters to Grandma.

She reads some of them, tells Garfield that this is the best present she ever received and gives him a big thanks with a pat on the head.

But wait! There is one more present from Odie to Garfield, and a nice little monologue right after.