The Christmas Specials We Love

The Holiday Specials We Love: Season 4 Holiday Preseason  On this episode of HSWL we cover candy through the decades from the 1950's to the 1980's.  The Hershey's chocolate lineup vs. the Nestle lineup. Twizzlers vs. Red Vines.  Krackel vs. Nestle’s Crunch. Clark Bar vs. Butterfinger, Now and Laters vs. Mike and Ikes and more. Who was into Necco Wafers, Chuckles and Bit O' Honey?  What is gimmick...

Hey CSWL FANS!  A lot of laughs and quite a bit of nostalgia as we watch some of the most iconic Easter Commercials of the 70s & 80s.  How Easter was WAY bigger then and why we never hear Easter Carols. How Dudley of ‘Shake and Egg’ fame was the poster child for all things Easter. How the Cadbury Cream Egg commercials were the BEST, but, how they as a candy were ‘just a bit much’.  Would helicopte...

Hey CSWL FANS!  Well well well – after much back and forth over if we should or should not- we did it- join us for this fun ride as we discuss The Berenstain Bears Easter Surprise Special. While there was some debate that the CSWL research team got the spelling incorrect- it is indeed, according to sources including Wikipedia, The Berenstain Bears, while some still refer to it Berenstein- Berensta...

Hey CSWL on this CWSL Chat edition, we went deeper into the meaning of Easter and the Easter season.  Warning: this isn’t a discussion on baskets and bunnies but the emotional and spiritual meanings.  Seeing homes with Christmas lights still up and illuminated?  Think there’s meaning? Kev has been seeing many. What does AI have to say about the meaning behind that? How AI can really offer insight...

Hey CSWL FANS!    This one had us feeling all the feels as we cover this 5 Easter Basket (Candycanes? Carrots? Bunnies?) Special: The Davey & Goliath Easter Special “Happy Easter” yes- the one where Davey’s grandmother dies. We of course digress to issue a CSWL legal statement and apologies to the Cadbury Egg Community as well as the Berenstain Bear Community. Does D& G as a series need to be revi...

Hey CSWL FANS!  Hold on to your Easter Bonnet and snuggle into your leisure suit as we talk most things Here Comes Peter Cottontail. How close was this to our beloved Santa Claus is Coming to Town? Was the interstitial 2D animation a cost cutting measure or for story telling? Was Peter just feeling FOMO when he was ‘overserved’ the night before the biggest day of his life? How Danny Kaye doesn’t “...

Hey CSWL FANS!  Happy Easter SEASON and Happy CSWL Season 4 Kickoff! We talk all things Easter past and a bit of present, the Berenstain Bears and Cadbury Egg ‘Communities,’ how Lent and Easter are a time for transformation. From Tony Robbins to the OG Hawaii 5-0 and, should the leisure suit (an Easter Suit staple) or the male jumpsuit make a comeback?  The days of receiving baby chicks on Easters...

Christmas Eve Traditions Hey CSWL FANS! Merry Christmas Eve! We MADE IT! The CSWL 12 Days of Christmas! We talk all things Christmas Eve past and present, John Denver, why one celebrity hires Catholics and how late night AM Radio on Xmas Eve is go to for Holiday Insomniacs. Northeast folk and Hollywood execs who  “don’t disagree.” What do Catholics and the Baby Bear's bed have in common and the tr...

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part Two Hey CSWL FANS! We’re doing our best to save Christmas by diving into fan-shared Things Boomers Like: 40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s. In part two, Lawernce Welk’s “too much cheesecake”, Marie Osmond’s hair, Byron Allen's Real People and more as we continue our 12 days of Christmas episode drop.  Also, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland and Andy Gr...

40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s Part One Hey CSWL FANS! We’re doing our best to save Christmas by diving into fan-shared Things Boomers Like: 40 Beloved Christmas Specials of the 70s. In part one we tackle the first 20. From Bob Hope’s holiday specials to Cher’s star power and Rich Little’s impressions. Funny how The Glenn Cambell Christmas special led us to discuss how comedy changed wit...

Alt Christmas Movie Picks Part 2 Hey CSWL Fans! We’re back with Part 2 of the Alt Christmas Movie Picks. We’re diving into the genius of Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, why a 100-year-old’s advice still hits hard, and how Christmas is the season to embrace love and connection. Dickens's own story of writing A Christmas Carol may be more moving than the story itself.  We talk Spirited, The Man Who...

Alt Christmas Movie Picks Part One Hey CSWL Fans! We’re diving into Part One of the must-see Alt Holiday Specials, and – we may have digressed-just a little. Just like "The Little Drummer Boy," we’re giving our all to save Christmas. Ever thought about what "Revenge of the Nerds" and *The Little Drummer Boy* have in common? Discover why "Fat Man" is your gateway to "Violent Night" and why the latt...

Rankin Bass Twas the Night Before Christmas Hey CSWL Fans! We're back with a semi-deep dive into the 1974 Rankin/Bass classic, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, awarding it a solid 4½ Candy Canes. Is this special a counterpunch to Hanna-Barbera's The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't?  What was this time period's obsession with mice and mice living in walls with archway openings in the baseboard? Do...

Hey CSWL Fans! We're back covering Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, giving it a solid 3½ Candy Canes. This 1962 classic was the first-ever animated Christmas special produced specifically for television as Mr. Magoo takes on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, bringing his brilliance to the Dickens masterpiece. We discuss the brilliance of the writers, portraying Magoo as the star of a Broadway show. And al...

Christmas Happenings Chat  Hey CSWL Fans! It's a CSWL 'Chat Edition' featuring hosts Kev and Anne.  Kev shares his experience on Connecticut's famous Polar Express train ride. He also talks about Christmas outdoor  decoration innovations - how Walmart inexpensive indoor trees can be used outdoors as well as the magic and history of Santa's actual home - in Finland! Back in Florida- Anne talks holi...

Rankin Bass Rankings Being that the Rankin and Bass holiday specials are the reason we started the CSWL, we decided to take an episode to do some R and B Rankings, Superlatives, Favs and Not So Favs.  Kev shares more 'inside baseball' with some behind the scenes gossip, and insight into why Santa Claus is Coming to Town is his own personal Dianetics plus Anne's fave R and B character that was her...

Hey CSWL Fans! Its A Festivus for the Rest of Us, celebrating one of the most iconic moments in Seinfeld history. Inspired by Daniel O’Keefe and brought to life by Jerry Stiller’s unforgettable Frank Costanza, this offbeat holiday gave us feats of strength, airing of grievances, and the iconic Festivus pole. We explore behind-the-scenes insights, including its creation, the IP mystery, and how it...

Happy Thanksgiving, CSWL Fans! This week, we’re diving into The SimpsonsSeason 2, Episode 7: Bart vs. Thanksgiving. This newly crowned classic earns a perfect 5 Candy Canes as we discuss the ep and what exactly makesThe Simpsons timeless.  We also share some fun reflections on Thanksgiving traditions and dish out kitchen advice—stick to the classics, no improvising! Plus, let’s revive words like “...

Black Friday means the Christmas season is officially here, CSWL Fans! This week, we’re diving into the iconic 2013 South Park Black Friday trilogy. These episodes are a masterclass in satire, weaving together Game of Thrones references, anime-inspired visuals, and a hilarious take on the madness of holiday shopping. We break down the biting commentary on consumer culture and eerily accurate predi...

The pre-season winds down, ending on Thanksgiving Day. And as always the CSWL pays respects to Turkey Day, this time covering the 1972 animated Hannah Barbera animated special: The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't. This 'non-classic' is a non-classic for a reason. Whether you have seen this special or not, you most likely do remember the Hannah Barbera cartoons of the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. Th...

This is America Charlie Brown- Mayflower Voyagers  Nothing says Thanksgiving TV Special like Charlie Brown! But this time, we’re not talking about A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (check out previous CSWL seasons for that). Instead, we’re diving into a lesser-known gem: This is America, Charlie Brown – The Mayflower Voyagers. In this educational special, the Peanuts gang joins the Pilgrims on their 16...

CSWL: Season Premiere! Yes, we are late this season. But yes, if anything can save Christmas, it's the Christmas Specials We Love podcast! Kev and Anne give us a preview of what specials and movies they hope to cover this season until they 'digress' The duo also covers Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire vs. Candy Cane Lane in Woodland Hills, CA. Vintage bubble lights and the messiness and...

The Gang is Back to talk all things The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town! Did this Easter classic hold true to Rankin & Bass standards? The decline of the Easter Bunny believers today. Could this special have stopped the spiral - and why it failed to. Why is this R&B animation special not an annual viewing tradition like the others? Why did it miss and how could it have been saved? Kev’s mini film c...

With so many requests- we would be remiss if we didn’t cover the Christmas Holiday Favorite How the Grinch Stole Christmas Our multi-generational panel is once again split on if it’s a must-see or a not so much…The team digresses listing their personal holiday favs and must-sees- Shout outs to Eugene Levy and of course Star Wars Christmas gets a mention. Kev bids an early ado – so the Junior Varsi...

Hey Holiday Fanatics, welcome back for this season one rewind -part 2 of Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer!! In Part Two We talk: Scene breakdowns. Controversy surrounding the special and how the multi-gen crew really feels about Rudolph Santa and all of the other misfits!   All this and more as our march to the holiday continues! Talk SHAWTLY. Remember- Bumbles Bounce!   Comments? Suggestions? Text...