Christmas TV Specials Tier List: Every Classic Ranked
Every December the same question comes up: what's actually worth watching this year? We went through 25 Christmas TV specials, from the stop-motion Rankin/Bass stuff your grandparents grew up with to weirder modern entries like a Marvel superhero holiday variety show. Some of these are untouchable. Some are nostalgia propping up something pretty rough.
The ranking below reflects what fans and critics tend to agree on across forums, reviews and holiday watch threads, with our own call added where the arguments get heated. Disagree? That's half the fun of a tier list. Make your own.
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SS Tier: The untouchables
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Vince Guaraldi's piano score alone earns this a permanent spot at the top. Linus reciting the nativity story on a bare stage, in a kids' cartoon that was never supposed to work according to the network executives who hated it, is still one of the most sincere moments in TV history.
About A Charlie Brown Christmas
A 1965 animated special based on Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, centered on Charlie Brown's search for the meaning of Christmas. Famous for its jazz score by Vince Guaraldi and its use of child actors for the voice cast.
- Released
- 1965
- Studio
- Bill Melendez Productions
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Boris Karloff's narration and Thurl Ravenscroft's growl on 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' turn a simple Dr. Seuss book into something genuinely menacing and funny at once. Twenty-six minutes, zero wasted frames.
About How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
A 1966 animated special based on the Dr. Seuss book, narrated by Boris Karloff, about a grouchy creature who tries to cancel Christmas in the town of Whoville.
- Released
- 1966
- Narrator
- Boris Karloff
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The stop-motion animation looks creaky by modern standards and that's part of the charm. The Island of Misfit Toys subplot gives it an emotional weight that a lot of Christmas specials never bother reaching for.
About Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
A 1964 stop-motion special produced by Rankin/Bass, following a reindeer with a glowing nose who is mocked until his light saves Christmas.
- Released
- 1964
- Style
- Stop-motion animation
AA Tier: Christmas classics, no argument
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Twenty-five minutes is a tight window to do 'A Christmas Carol' but putting Scrooge McDuck in the title role is such an obvious, perfect bit of casting that it makes the whole thing work. Still one of the better Dickens adaptations, full stop.
About Mickey's Christmas Carol
A 1983 Disney animated short adapting Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' using Disney characters, with Scrooge McDuck in the lead role.
- Released
- 1983
- Studio
- Walt Disney Productions
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
A Jim Henson production that's quietly devastating under all that banjo music. The talent show subplot and the sacrifice-for-each-other ending hit harder than almost anything else on this list, it just never got the marketing push to become a household name.
About Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
A 1977 Jim Henson television special about a poor otter and his mother who each secretly enter a talent contest to win money for the other's Christmas gift.
- Released
- 1977
The Snowman
No dialogue, just Howard Blake's score and 'Walking in the Air,' and somehow that's enough to make a boy and a snowman flying over England feel genuinely magical. The ending still stings every single time.
About The Snowman
A 1982 British animated special without dialogue, based on Raymond Briggs' picture book, following a boy whose snowman comes to life.
- Released
- 1982
- Country
- United Kingdom
Frosty the Snowman
Jimmy Durante's narration carries this one as much as the animation does. It's simpler and goofier than Rudolph, but the magic hat and the melting threat give it real stakes for a kids' special.
About Frosty the Snowman
A 1969 animated special about a magical snowman brought to life by a silk hat, narrated by Jimmy Durante.
- Released
- 1969
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Fred Astaire as a singing mailman narrating Kris Kringle's origin story is the kind of casting choice you can't plan for, you just get lucky. The Burgermeister Meisterburger is an unexpectedly great villain for a Rankin/Bass production.
About Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
A 1970 Rankin/Bass stop-motion special narrated by Fred Astaire, telling an origin story for Santa Claus.
- Released
- 1970
- Narrator
- Fred Astaire
A Muppet Family Christmas
Every Muppet property in one house for the holidays, Kermit's family, Fozzie's mom, Miss Piggy crashing through a window. It's chaotic in the best way and it's the rare crossover special that actually earns its own existence.
About A Muppet Family Christmas
A 1987 television special bringing together the Muppets, Sesame Street characters, and Fraggle Rock characters for a holiday gathering at Fozzie Bear's mother's farmhouse.
- Released
- 1987
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Heat Miser and Snow Miser are the whole show here, two musical numbers that completely overshadow the actual plot about Santa losing his Christmas spirit. Nobody remembers the plot, everybody remembers the brothers.
About The Year Without a Santa Claus
A 1974 Rankin/Bass special in which Santa, feeling unappreciated, decides to skip Christmas, best remembered for the Heat Miser and Snow Miser characters.
- Released
- 1974
BB Tier: Reliable, comfortable, still worth it
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
This one matters more for what it started than for how it plays today. It was the first animated Christmas special made for network TV, and that historical weight carries it even though the Magoo comedy bits feel dated now.
About Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
A 1962 animated TV special presenting the nearsighted Mister Magoo performing 'A Christmas Carol' on stage, often cited as the first animated Christmas special made for television.
- Released
- 1962
A Garfield Christmas
Lower key than the usual Garfield cynicism, with a genuinely warm visit to Jon's family farm and Grandma's story about her late husband. It's a sweeter special than the lasagna jokes would suggest.
About A Garfield Christmas
A 1987 animated special in which Garfield, Jon, and Odie visit Jon's family farm for Christmas.
- Released
- 1987
The Little Drummer Boy
Stop-motion animation with a genuinely sad setup (an orphan boy who hates people) before it swings hard into reverence at the manger. It's earnest to a fault but the song has outlived most of its competition.
About The Little Drummer Boy
A 1968 Rankin/Bass stop-motion special about an orphan boy who journeys to Bethlehem and plays his drum for the newborn Jesus.
- Released
- 1968
A Flintstone Christmas
Fred moonlighting as a department store Santa and then actually having to deliver presents for the real guy is a solid premise. It's comfort-food television, nothing groundbreaking, but it holds up fine for a family rewatch.
About A Flintstone Christmas
A 1977 animated special in which Fred Flintstone takes a job as a department store Santa and later has to fill in for the real one.
- Released
- 1977
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Big Bird trying to figure out how Santa fits down a chimney is simple, sweet, and exactly the kind of gentle problem-solving Sesame Street always did best. Not flashy, just reliably kind.
About Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
A 1978 television special in which Big Bird tries to understand how Santa Claus will fit down the chimney on Sesame Street.
- Released
- 1978
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
A later Peanuts special that recycles bits from earlier shows (the Christmas play, the school pageant) without the original's spark. Fine as a lesser companion piece, but it's riding on the first special's coattails and most fans know it.
About It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
A 1992 Peanuts animated special in which Charlie Brown and the gang prepare for a school Christmas play and a snowball fight competition.
- Released
- 1992
Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean
Rowan Atkinson's physical comedy translates well to a holiday setting, turning gift-wrapping and turkey dinners into slapstick set pieces. It's slight but it's genuinely funny in a way a lot of these specials aren't even trying to be.
About Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean
A holiday episode of the British sitcom Mr. Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson's mostly silent physical comedy character navigating Christmas preparations.
- Country
- United Kingdom
Toy Story That Time Forgot
A post-Christmas special about toys confronting a new kid's dinosaur action figures who don't know they're toys. Clever Pixar premise, solid execution, but it's a minor entry compared to the actual Toy Story films surrounding it.
About Toy Story That Time Forgot
A 2014 Pixar television special in which the Toy Story characters encounter a new kid's dinosaur toys who don't realize they are toys.
- Released
- 2014
- Studio
- Pixar Animation Studios
Prep & Landing
Disney's take on Santa's operation as a military-style logistics unit is a genuinely fun idea, elves running tech support for sleigh deployment. It never became a must-rewatch tradition for most people, but it's well made and underrated.
About Prep & Landing
A 2009 Disney animated special about an elf team responsible for the logistics of Santa's Christmas Eve deliveries.
- Released
- 2009
- Studio
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
CC Tier: Fine once, not a tradition
Merry Madagascar
The Madagascar crew accidentally takes over Santa's sleigh. It's harmless, forgettable, the kind of special that plays fine in the background but nobody's requesting it by name every December.
About Merry Madagascar
A 2009 animated television special in which the Madagascar characters end up taking over Santa's sleigh after he's injured.
- Released
- 2009
- Studio
- DreamWorks Animation
Olive, the Other Reindeer
A dog who thinks she's a reindeer heads to the North Pole to save Christmas. It's got a decent voice cast and a weird premise that could've gone somewhere, but it never quite becomes more than a curiosity.
About Olive, the Other Reindeer
A 1999 animated special about a dog named Olive who believes she's a reindeer and sets off to help Santa on Christmas Eve.
- Released
- 1999
Shrek the Halls
Shrek trying to throw a normal family Christmas while Donkey and the gang crash the ogre's swamp. It's fine, it's mildly funny, but it feels like a DVD extra that got a holiday timeslot rather than something built to last.
About Shrek the Halls
A 2007 animated television special featuring the Shrek characters attempting to celebrate a traditional Christmas in the swamp.
- Released
- 2007
A Very Murray Christmas
Bill Murray and a pile of celebrity cameos trapped in a hotel during a blizzard is a fun idea on paper. In practice it's uneven, more a mood piece than an actual special, and it splits people hard between 'charmingly weird' and 'just kind of boring.'
About A Very Murray Christmas
A 2015 Netflix special starring Bill Murray in a loose variety-show format set in a New York hotel during a snowstorm, featuring numerous celebrity guests.
- Released
- 2015
- Platform
- Netflix
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Kraglin and Drax on a mission to get Peter Quill the perfect gift is a fun enough bit, with a Kevin Bacon cameo that earns its laughs. It's a solid watch once but it's really a footnote to the main Marvel movies, not a stand-alone tradition.
About The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
A 2022 Marvel Studios special in which Mantis and Drax set out to find a perfect Christmas present for Peter Quill, featuring a Kevin Bacon cameo.
- Released
- 2022
- Platform
- Disney+
FF Tier: The one everyone agrees is a disaster
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Lucasfilm has spent decades trying to make people forget this exists, and for good reason. A barely coherent Wookiee family drama padded out with variety show musical numbers, it's legendary now only as a punchline and a cautionary tale.
About The Star Wars Holiday Special
A 1978 variety special set in the Star Wars universe, following Chewbacca's family on their home planet. Widely regarded as one of the worst things to carry the Star Wars name.
- Aired
- 1978
How we ranked them
We weighted cultural staying power, how well each special holds up on a rewatch today, and how often it actually gets talked about or aired each year. Pure nostalgia wasn't enough on its own, a special also needed some craft or charm behind it. Where fan opinion is genuinely split, we say so and explain which way we leaned.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best Christmas TV special of all time?
By consensus, it's a toss-up between 'A Charlie Brown Christmas,' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' and 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.' All three have been airing for decades and still top most fan rankings.
Is the Star Wars Holiday Special really that bad?
Yes. George Lucas reportedly wanted every copy destroyed, and the special has become a so-bad-it's-legendary curiosity due partly to Lucas's efforts to suppress it.
What's the oldest Christmas special still airing today?
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are among the oldest still shown regularly, both dating back to the 1960s.
Are the Rankin/Bass specials all connected?
Several share the same stop-motion ('Animagic') style and loosely overlapping Santa mythology, including Rudolph, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and The Year Without a Santa Claus, though they aren't a strict continuity.
What's an underrated Christmas special people should watch?
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas gets far less attention than the big Rankin/Bass hits but has just as much heart, plus genuinely good music from Paul Williams.
More rankings
Image credits
- A Charlie Brown ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas!Photo: PatrickRich, Public domain (via Openverse) · Source
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerPhoto: Videocraft International, Ltd., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Mickey's Christmas CarolCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The SnowmanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Frosty the SnowmanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Santa Claus Is Comin' to TownLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- A Muppet Family ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The Year Without a Santa ClausCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Mister Magoo's Christmas CarolCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Garfield ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The Little Drummer BoyLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- A Flintstone ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Christmas Eve on Sesame StreetCover: Wikipedia · Source
- It's Christmastime Again, Charlie BrownCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Merry Christmas, Mr. BeanCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Toy Story That Time ForgotCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Prep & LandingCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Merry MadagascarCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Olive, the Other ReindeerCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Shrek the HallsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- A Very Murray ChristmasCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday SpecialCover: Wikipedia · Source
- The Star Wars Holiday SpecialCover: Wikipedia · Source