It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And nothing says Christmas like classic TV holiday specials! Over the next two weeks, we'll be toasting and roasting two of the most famous from the duo of Rankin and Bass. Which of them belongs on the Nice List and which one deserves a shiny lump of coal in its stocking. This is Legends of Christmas! Airing fifty years ago this month, based on the book by Phyllis McGinley, this Rankin and Bass special deals with every child's worst nightmare: Christmas has been canceled! After centuries of delivering presents to every child on Earth, Santa Claus is suffering from exhaustion and decides to take the year off. That means it's up to Mrs. Claus to figure out a way to save Christmas, with the help of some elves. We also meet the Miser Brothers, Heat Miser and Snow Miser, who cause trouble for Mrs. Claus as she seeks to wake Santa from his stupor. Featuring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn and George S. Irving, the special received a live-action remake in 2006 and an animated sequel, A Miser Brothers' Christmas, in 2008. But is The Year Without a Santa Claus better left forgotten, or will it make our list (and check it twice) of holiday classics?

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Special Christmas Music: Christmas Rap Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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