Christmas Specials: 10 Weird Things That Make No Sense

When it comes to Christmas specials, most are delightful, sugary sweet affairs with bright twinkling lights, Santa Claus, and more than a few carols in the air. That’s all well and good, but just because some of them are your run-of-the-mill festive frolics, there are more than a few oddballs in the mix.

Some specials venture on stereotype, but others are just unclassifiable. It might be due to strange characters, nonsensical plot, or simply because they have weird concepts and deliveries in general. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Have a look at these weird Christmas specials that make no sense.

10 Twas the Night Before Christmas

Rankin/Bass is without a doubt the undisputed king when it comes to holiday specials. So it’s not surprising that the minds behind Rudolph, Frosty, and the Little Drummer Boy have a few entries on this list. This animated outing isn’t weird in concept, but in the plot. When a young mouse insults Santa Claus in his Christmas letter, it wrecks a whole town’s holiday.

Let’s get this straight… One letter from a nonbeliever is enough to get Santa Claus to give an entire town the cold shoulder? That doesn’t exactly sound like St. Nick. It’s not a bad special, but it kinda puts Santa’s reputation into question.

9 Olive the Other Reindeer

This quirky little special might have fallen out of streaming in recent years, but it’s still an enjoyable, but odd, little special featuring Drew Barrymore as an adorable little dog who wants to save Christmas. That’s all well and good, but throw in a penguin con-artist, a vengeful mailman, and a bar full of bikers and things get a bit strange.

Due to a misunderstanding over the radio, a spunky little dog named Olive ventures to the North Pole to help Santa when one of his reindeers is injured. What proceeds is one of the strangest road-to movies we’ve ever seen, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t enjoy it.

8 Christmas Comes to Pac-Land

Pac-Man is one of the most beloved and recognized video game characters in the world, so it makes sense that he would have his own animated series at some point, but this Christmas special from his Hanna-Barbera series is definitely a bit on the strange side. The ghosts try to steal Santa’s gifts after wrecking his sleigh and a standard save-Santa plot ensues.

The plot might be standard, but we find ourselves asking other questions. Does Santa make deliveries to other planets? If there are ghosts, is Pac-Land some sort of weird afterlife? Explain yourself, Pac-Man!

7 The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

Ever wonder what it would be like if J.R.R. Tolkien created Santa Claus? This little number from Rankin/Bass reinvents the origins of Santa based on a fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum. We’re getting some serious Middle-Earth vibes with its presence of elves, immortal beings, and even orcs known as Awgwas.

This version of the holiday gift-giver is definitely the most interesting we’ve ever seen, but it does feel strange to see Santa Claus surrounded by these marvelous creatures and supernatural beings. Definitely give this one a watch if you’re wanting something unique.

6 The Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold

Here’s something we didn’t know we asked for, a Rankin/Bass Christmas special we can also air at St. Patrick’s Day. When a young sailor is washed ashore on a magical island, he accidentally frees an evil banshee who seeks the gold of a clan of leprechauns before Christmas morning turns her to tears and water.

It is indeed a strange and curious tale, but what do leprechauns, shamrocks, and pots of gold have to do with Christmas morning? Even St. Patrick makes an appearance in this mixed up special. We’ve heard about green Christmases before, but this is kind of ridiculous.

5 Frosty Returns

Definitely an underrated gem in our book, but still a bit nonsensical and bizarre for something featuring Frosty the Snowman. In his original animated adventure, we saw him try to outwit a dastardly magician, but now we see him take on the head of an evil corporation wanting to eliminate snow.

Read that last sentence again, can you honestly say that’s something you’d expect out of Frosty the Snowman? As nonsensical as the plot might be, at least we have an impressive voice cast. Especially with John Goodman as Frosty and Johnathan Winters narrating this weird wintry tale.

4 The Town That Santa Forgot

Don’t let the warm and cheery narration from Dick Van Dyke fool you, this is definitely one of the strangest Christmas stories we’ve ever heard. The focus of this animated adventure is a bratty kid named Jeremy Creek who has an insatiable greed for toys and screams to get what he wants.

If that wasn’t infuriating enough, it’s later revealed that there is a town called Jeremy Creek who has never received a visit from Santa. Seriously, Santa has literally been neglecting a town full of children for years. This doesn’t exactly paint either main character in the best light, and it definitely rubs us the wrong way.

3 Christmas With the Joker

Unless you’re thinking of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, Gotham’s Dark Knight and Christmas aren’t exactly two elements you would normally combine. That didn’t stop the popular animated series, though. In this adventure of the Caped Crusader, Batman and Robin must spend the holiday trying to stop the Joker’s latest scheme.

When the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum threatens to murder a trio of hostages on a live broadcast, it’s up to Batman and Robin to find the Clown Prince of Crime before midnight on Christmas Eve. Though it’s not exactly the best way to get that holly jolly feeling, we can’t deny it’s wonderful weirdness.

2 He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special

Can we all just admit that He-Man and She-Ra are both incredibly weird? Throw a Christmas special at them and things get cranked up to ten when Orko brings two human children from earth to bring Christmas to the land of Eternia.

In short, He-Man, She-Ra, and the rest of the Masters of the Universe must face off against Skeletor, Horak, and the rest of the baddies to save their happy holiday. It’s one of those specials that just has to be seen to be believed. If nothing else, it’s a great slice of ’80s kitsch.

1 Star Wars Christmas Special

And now we come to a Christmas special so infamously strange and notoriously bizarre it ventures into stereotype status. We’re talking about the sci-fi shlock fest from a galaxy far, far, away. It’s the Star Wars Holiday Special. Before the Empire had a chance to strike back, we got to spend Life Day with Luke, Leia, and all of our favorite Star Wars characters.

With the exception of the introduction of Boba Fett, great performances from Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur, and an appearance from Jefferson Starship, this special is a mishmash of madness surrounding a galactic holiday. Hard to believe this thing didn’t wreck the trilogy.

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