Braddy's Favorite (Unconventional) Christmas Specials

When I was a kid, I always got super excited for Christmas time because of all the STUFF that got shown on TV. Every day, there were at least a half-dozen Christmas specials I tried to make time for. You probably know the list - classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, A Year Without a Santa Clause, and a bunch of other "not quite as good as Claymation" shows.

As an adult... I don't like 'em.

That's not to say I don't like any of the classic Christmas specials - I quite enjoy White Christmas and, despite its (many) failings, the musical adaptation of Scrooge manages to bring a tear to my eye. Most of the standard Christmas fair, though, leaves me feeling a bit unfulfilled, like a kid who didn't get his Red Rider BB Gun on Christmas morning.

Thankfully, with the plethora of Christmas specials out there, there's always something, perhaps just off the beaten path, that helps me to get in that Christmas spirit. Maybe there's something wrong with me, I dunno, but I think I like some of these better... even if they have almost nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas.

Here are my favorite "B side" holiday specials.

"Donald's Snow Fight"

Really, this is more of a "winter" special than a true "Christmas" special, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. Donald and his nephews get in an ever escalating snow fight, starting with the usual snowballs, and ending with mousetraps, ice missles, and... um... fire arrows? It's a lot of fun, and, like a lot of the classic Disney shorts, it holds up well.

Doctor Who, "A Christmas Carol"

The Doctor takes on the role of the Ghosts of Christmas in an attempt to change the heart of a miserly old man. There's a lot of time travel, space ships, and the usual Doctor goofiness. Oh, and there's also some absolutely lovely Christmas music. Really, I think this is quite heartwarming.

The Office, "Christmas Party"

No, seriously - I kinda tear up at this episode of The Office. The awkward comedy is still present ("YAANKEEE Swap!"), but there's a lot of genuine Christmasy spirit here - especially in the Jim/Pam story arc. The Office did a few Christmas specials, but I think the first one got it best.

Hellboy, "A Christmas Underground"

There's a fun little redemption plot that runs through this story, where a woman is actually saved from eternal torment because of a gift from her mother. The same old woman also mistakes Hellboy for Santa Clause, though. That's pretty funny.

Detective Comics #826, "Slayride"

One of my favorite Joker stories ever, and a surprisingly excellent story for Robin, as well (who's not as lame as everyone says he is). The Joker kidnaps Robin, ties him up with Christmas lights, and then drives around town running people over. Robin manages to escape by starting up a conversation about the Marx Brothers.

You know, because Christmas.

What? You expected EVERYTHING to be all "Peace on Earth" and stuff? Man, if you want that, maybe you should, like, read your Bible or someth... Oh, wait.

Bedtime Stories for a Busy Week

Geez... I don't know about anyone else, but I'm POOPED.

Month-end is always a busy time at work, and, since we've been short-staffed for several months, I've been more stressed out than usual. All I want is to curl up in bed after drinking a tall glass of milk with cookies and have someone read me bedtime stories while I go to sleep. Is that too much for a grown man to ask?

Apparently not - I've seen several reports this week (but mainly this one) about a series of bedtime stories that air on CBeebies, a children's network in the UK. The program (or programme, if you will) garnered a bit of attention for regularly featuring the stars of Doctor Who - a show of which I'm a HUGE fan. I sat down last night and gave some of these a listen, and... well, they're darn cute. It reminds me of the good old days when I could sit on the carpet and watch Reading Rainbow.

I was the luckiest teenager ever.


David Tennant, who played the Doctor for a good three-four years recently (and also played Barty Crouch in one Harry Potter movie or another) reads a story called "Miki" which, while it's not my favorite story, provides ample opportunity for the delightfully hammy Tennant to pull out some great voices.


Freema Agyeman also delivers a pretty fun tale called "That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown". Her voices aren't quite as funny as Tennant's, but the sincerity of her indignation when the naughty queen tries to take Emily Brown's rabbit from her is just... well, it's adorable.


Far and away, though, my favorite story was "Crocodiles Need Kisses, Too." The story's something of a riff on "Are You My Mother," but with an adorable little crocodile that scares all the other animals. A good story needs a good storyteller, and Alex Kingston does a fantastic job, imitating animal voices with great skill all while maintaining a suitably hushed, peaceful tone that could easily lull a body to suh-suh-suh-*yawn*-sleep.

Excuse me, I'm getting tired now. Going to sleep - see y'all Monday.

Top 10 New Doctor Who Episodes (So Far)

Since we're now all about owning up to our interests and not being ashamed...

As a kid I watched old episodes of Doctor Who with my brothers and dad. Of course, the series went off the air right around the time I turned five, so I don't really have a whole lot of memories of the classic series.

Recently I've managed to watch (thanks to some generous brothers and the Salt Lake City Library System) the complete new series of Doctor Who that started back up in 2005. With the sixth series starting up on Saturday, now seemed like a good time to think back on the best of the revamped series and pick my favorites... because why not?

10 – The Lodger


Quote: "No, I'll fix it, I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I'm the Doctor, don't call me the Rotmeister." - The Doctor

Matt Smith picked up the role of the Doctor last year and, even though he's done a spectacular job, I haven't really taken to the new direction the series has gone in. My pick for the best Series Five episode is the one-shot joke-filled story where the Doctor - an infinitely wise space-faring time-traveller - signs up for a flatshare and lives like a normal human being for a few days. The Lodger is funny, well-written, and, unlike other one-shot joke-filled episodes, contains no references to romantic relationships with blocks of concrete.

If you don't know, you're better off. Trust me.

9 – School Reunion


Quote: "May I introduce... Miss Sarah Jane Smith?" - Mr. Finch

Even though I don't have a lot of connection to the original run of Doctor Who, even I could grasp the significance of reuniting the Doctor with one of his companions from an earlier time. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this episode also features a legion of voracious bat-monsters led by an uber-creepy Anthony Head.

8 – Midnight


Quote: "Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes, I am. Thank You." - The Doctor and Sky Silvestry

Doctor Who's fourth series didn't do a whole lot for me. Sure, there were a few solid episodes, but most everything else was pretty bland. However, Midnight is a stand-out exercise in terror, pitting the know-it-all Doctor against a terrifying monster he'd never encountered before.

You know that thing you did when you were a kid where you'd repeat everything somebody else said? The monster's like that, except replace the "annoying" with "frightening."

7 – The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances


Quote: "Are you my Mummy?" - The Child

Doctor Who fans place a lot of confidence in now head writer Steven Moffat, and with good reason - his episodes definitely feature some of the strongest character work the series has seen (I've put four of his stories on this list). The Empty Child and its companion episode turn a lonely orphan child into a force of terror, all while showcasing the great range of sadly short-lived Doctor Christopher Eccleston.

6 – Dalek


Quote: "EXTERMINATE!" - Dalek

Daleks have long been a staple of Doctor Who stories - allegedly so frightening that children watched the show from behind the couch cushions. I'd never understood what made these creatures so terrifying...

...until now.

Again, actor Christopher Eccleston does a brilliant job portraying the fear the Doctor feels when he encounters his ancient enemy. The tension between the two is so thick that you WILL believe that an upside-down garbage pail with a wire whisk and plunger taped to it can be scary.

Promise.

5 – Human Nature/The Family of Blood


Quote: "I dream I'm this adventurer. This daredevil, a madman. The Doctor, I'm called." - The Doctor/John Smith

On the run from a family of mercenaries, the Doctor suppresses his alien characteristics and takes on the life of a normal human. Unlike The Lodger above, though, these episodes find a Doctor who no longer remembers who he is. David Tennant has been a fan-favorite as the Doctor, and this episode shows the primary reason for his popularity - he's just a darn good actor.

4 – The Shakespeare Code


Quote: "Banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee... Expelliarmus!" - William Shakespeare

It's been a pretty common theme of the new Who series to tell stories about classic monster and give them an extraterrestrial twist. While this formula hasn't worked great for most monsters (vampires are actually giant space fish?), the witches the Doctor faces in The Shakespeare Code seem to work. The spells they wield are built around a science founded in words rather than numbers.

Hey, I know the science is shaky, but if you're watching a series about a time-travelling, shape-shifting alien, you don't ask a lot of questions about it.

Basically, this episode can be boiled down to "The Doctor and Shakespeare team up to fight witches," and that's cool.

3 – The Girl in the Fireplace


Quote: "I just snogged Madame de Pompadour!" - The Doctor

I watched a couple of episodes of Doctor Who with interest, but it wasn't until I saw The Girl in the Fireplace that I thought the series was anything special (and it's a Steven Moffat episode, natch). The clockwork courtisans that make up the episode's villains are a visual treat, the "historical guest star" Madame de Pompadour is played with a lot of heart, and the Doctor... gets drunk and invents the banana daiquiri.

2 – Blink


Quote: ""Don't Blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn
your back. Don't look away. And don't Blink. Good Luck." - The Doctor

Steven Moffat excels at turning childhood fears into powerful storytelling tools - everything from darkness to voices under the bed to cracks in the wall are given terrible significance when Moffat's holding the pen.

Blink is basically an entire one-hour episode dedicated to exploring that creepy sensation you get when you think you see something moving out of the corner of your eye, complete with off-putting statues and a strong female protagonist (the episode barely features the Doctor, and you don't really miss him).

***

Now, I'm pretty sure my choice for number one is probably not going to line up with any other Doctor Who fan, but... oh, heck with it.

1 – A Christmas Carol


Quote: "Oh then, what's this? Big flashy lighty thing, that's what brought me here! Big flashy lighty things have got me written all over them. Not actually. But give me time. And a crayon." - The Doctor

Given my well-documented love of A Christmas Carol, I really had no choice.

Although none of the regular season episodes featuring Matt Smith's Doctor did anything for me, his latest outing, where he has to prevent a spaceship from crashing by convincing a bitter old man to just BE NICE for a change, is just about everything I want from a feel-good Christmas story. There's snow, childhood frivolity, a strong yet subtle endorsement for "peace on earth" and all that jazz, and some beautiful Christmas music.

Plus, kudos go to writer Steven Moffat for actually taking a fresh approach to the age-old Christmas special gimmick of visiting angry octogenarians with the Ghosts of Christmas.

I found this particular episode to be full of heart, charm, and enough good surprises to keep me interested. I'd been worried about Matt Smith's Doctor from the beginning, but, with this show under his belt, I've got high hopes for the future.