ALONG COMES MARY

So, I decided to do today’s installment of 12 Days of Christmas Movies a bit differently. There won’t be a feature-length film today, yet, some of my favorite animated specials that have some beautiful, maybe obscure, overlooked songs within these shows usually aired a few times on TV this time of year. While I will only mention one favorite song per series, make sure to check out the entire episode as these soundtracks are little wonderful works of art! Enjoy! xo

LET THERE BE SNOW, FROSTY RETURNS

This one is certainly a bit silly, but, I absolutely loved Frosty Returns growing up. Fun fact: a very young Elizabeth Moss of Mad Men fame stars as the little girl in this special!

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

Probably the most known, & beloved, song on this list. The music from A Charlie Brown Christmas, written by long time Schultz collaborator, Vince Guaraldi, is a combination of classic tunes like Fur Elise & Hark! The Harold Angels Sing, & original pieces like Linus & Lucy, & Christmas Time is Here. The season just never feels official to me, until I hear this song.

EVEN A MIRACLE NEEDS A HAND, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

A bit of an obscure cartoon special from the 1970’s, Twas the Night Before Christmas stars Tony award winner, Joel Grey, as a town clock maker whose town’s christmas is jeopardized when Santa Claus is offended by a letter in the town’s newspaper that no one believes in him anymore. Cool tidbit: If you’re a South Park fan like me, the guys sang this song verbatim in a Christmas episode, no jokes, gags or cussing!

THERE’S ALWAYS TOMORROW, RUDOLPH THE REINDEER

I have always loved the hopefulness to this song from the 1964 classic. A lot of great, classic songs are actually from Rudolph. Have A Holly, Jolly Christmas & The Island of Misfits are just a few others, too.

ITS RAINING SUNSHINE, RUDOLPH’S SHINY NEW YEAR

The holidays can definitely not be a happy time for us all; for some, December is a reminder that things are not merry in your life. I like the innocence and happiness to this song.

What songs did I miss? What are your favorites from holiday movies/specials? 🙂