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The Dengler Domain: Christmas Specials

Christmas season is upon us, and it is a wonderful time of year. In preparation of the season, gifts are being bought, lights are being assembled, and the Christmas tree has been erected! Other traditions exist around Christmas time, too, like making eggnog or singing Christmas carols.

But one tradition rose with the dawn of the television, and it is Christmas specials. Most people think of “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a common Christmas special, but I am interested in the specials put on by entertainers. These specials are an amazing creation, and they are predominant part of television history. These past Christmas specials are important to discuss because I found a few gems from digging through the depths of the internet.

The first Christmas special I want to see his any of Johnny Cash’s Christmas specials, which aired from 1976-1979. The Man in Black singing Christmas tunes sounds like a delight. Plus, stars like Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a young Steve Martin, make appearances. Hearing the collection of singers in this setting would be amazing to hear because this is not a genre they are closely associated with.

Another great Christmas special to watch would be any of Bob Hope’s Christmas specials. Regarded as on the best comedians of all time, I would expect nothing less on a Bob Hope Christmas special. The biggest stars came out for these specials like Raquel Welch, Don Johnson, and Redd Foxx. These specials would be entertaining to watch, and the comedy would be phenomenal. The man’s a comedy legend, and Christmas is cheery. Nothing is better than a cheery comedy legend on a Christmas special.

Dean Martin’s Christmas specials would be another great special. Old Deano has always fascinated me because his onscreen suave and charisma is outstanding. Add this to the Christmas spirit, and this makes for a heck of a time. Dean is also buddies with Frank Sinatra so it can only be assumed Old Blue Eyes shows up. These specials would hopefully be full of Dean’s crooning and smoothness because I’ll enjoy the Christmas spirit even more.

The last Christmas special I want to see is the Star Wars Holiday Special. This special is looked at as being the worst thing the Star Wars universe invented. For this reason, it would be an amazing watch. This special was only shown once in the United States and was never aired again. It also was never released on DVD. This creates a special aura around this infamous special. This terribly renowned special is a well deserving example of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure.

This is my list of what specials are most important for me to watch: 1) Star Wars, 2) Bob Hope, 3) Dean Martin, and 4) Johnny Cash. Comedy is a main part of my life, and the potential for humor derived from the awfulness of Star Wars holidays special takes the cake. The other three are class acts, and they would be almost as entertaining as Star Wars. A comedian, a crooner, and a rebel are not a bad Christmas special hosting combination. But a Christmas special with Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker sounds even better.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com

The Dengler Domain: Christmas Specials

Christmas season is upon us, and it is a wonderful time of year. In preparation of the season, gifts are being bought, lights are being assembled, and the Christmas tree has been erected! Other traditions exist around Christmas time, too, like making eggnog or singing Christmas carols.

But one tradition rose with the dawn of the television, and it is Christmas specials. Most people think of “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a common Christmas special, but I am interested in the specials put on by entertainers. These specials are an amazing creation, and they are predominant part of television history. These past Christmas specials are important to discuss because I found a few gems from digging through the depths of the internet.

The first Christmas special I want to see his any of Johnny Cash’s Christmas specials, which aired from 1976-1979. The Man in Black singing Christmas tunes sounds like a delight. Plus, stars like Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a young Steve Martin, make appearances. Hearing the collection of singers in this setting would be amazing to hear because this is not a genre they are closely associated with.

Another great Christmas special to watch would be any of Bob Hope’s Christmas specials. Regarded as on the best comedians of all time, I would expect nothing less on a Bob Hope Christmas special. The biggest stars came out for these specials like Raquel Welch, Don Johnson, and Redd Foxx. These specials would be entertaining to watch, and the comedy would be phenomenal. The man’s a comedy legend, and Christmas is cheery. Nothing is better than a cheery comedy legend on a Christmas special.

Dean Martin’s Christmas specials would be another great special. Old Deano has always fascinated me because his onscreen suave and charisma is outstanding. Add this to the Christmas spirit, and this makes for a heck of a time. Dean is also buddies with Frank Sinatra so it can only be assumed Old Blue Eyes shows up. These specials would hopefully be full of Dean’s crooning and smoothness because I’ll enjoy the Christmas spirit even more.

The last Christmas special I want to see is the Star Wars Holiday Special. This special is looked at as being the worst thing the Star Wars universe invented. For this reason, it would be an amazing watch. This special was only shown once in the United States and was never aired again. It also was never released on DVD. This creates a special aura around this infamous special. This terribly renowned special is a well deserving example of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure.

This is my list of what specials are most important for me to watch: 1) Star Wars, 2) Bob Hope, 3) Dean Martin, and 4) Johnny Cash. Comedy is a main part of my life, and the potential for humor derived from the awfulness of Star Wars holidays special takes the cake. The other three are class acts, and they would be almost as entertaining as Star Wars. A comedian, a crooner, and a rebel are not a bad Christmas special hosting combination. But a Christmas special with Chewbacca, R2-D2, and Luke Skywalker sounds even better.

Email Sean with your thoughts and ideas for future columns at: sean.h.dengler@gmail.com