A salute to all TV holiday specials, but mostly the Christmas ones. Revisit 12 holiday classics and not-so-classics each December and July.
Advent Calendar House - TV Holiday & Christmas Specials
Claim This Podcastby Mike Westfall
4.8(103 reviews)
201 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
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Engagement90
Podcast Overview
A salute to all TV holiday specials, but mostly the Christmas ones. Revisit 12 holiday classics and not-so-classics each December and July.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
12/1/2017
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51
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality67
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement90
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1h 13m
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Recent Episodes
December 24, 2025
The Year Without a Santa Claus
<p>🎄 It’s the 200th episode of the Advent Calendar House, but more importantly, it’s Christmas Eve! So we’re celebrating with a salute to the last remaining special we have left to talk about in the Rankin/Bass Christmas canon: 1974’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” </p><p>It’s a packed party with <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/tim-babb">Tim Babb</a>, <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/michael-digiovanni">Michael DiGiovanni</a>, <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/joey-o">Joey O.</a>, and <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/matt-spaulding">Matt Spaulding</a> as we spread Christmas cheer over Southtown and everywhere else — something we could’ve seen Mrs. Claus search for if she hadn’t immediately dropped the idea, but then we wouldn’t have met the true stars of the special: The Miser Bros. </p><p>**** </p><p>💬 <strong>Topics & Tangents:</strong> </p><p>The <a href="https://archive.org/details/yearwithoutsanta0000mcgi">original story</a> by Phyllis McGinley. </p><p>A <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPQImLIl6XI">read-along record</a> narrated by Boris Karloff. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeX6GEDudVM">DVD menu</a> and only the DVD menu, if that interests you. </p><p>Snow Miser’s song in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo03TTWgga0">Batman and Robin</a>.” </p><p>Shirley Booth (Mrs. Claus) as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPgKgUDUVec">Hazel</a>.” </p><p>Today’s TV Tropes: <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DressedToHeal">Dressed to Heal</a>, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpinningPaper">Spinning Paper</a>. </p><p>Bob McFadden (Elf Doctor) as “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIH_5FEUCVI">Cool McCool</a>.” </p><p>“<a href="https://www.tumblr.com/scoobydoomistakes/672142381159759872/hooray-christmas-is-saved">Panic In New York: Menagerie Breaks Loose</a>,” and other <a href="https://andyoucallyourselfascientist.com/2016/04/01/spinning-newspaper-injures-printer/">prop newspaper headlines</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.almanac.com/why-santas-reindeer-are-female">Are Santa’s Reindeer Female?</a> (Old Farmer’s Almanac) </p><p>Survivor Series 1994: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YVI8dkPd0c">Clowns Are Us vs. the Royal Family</a>. </p><p>Ron Marshall (Iggy’s dad) marks the first time I ended up on <a href="https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Ron_Marshall">Muppet Wiki</a> by surprise. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MovieDetails/comments/a246z9/in_the_year_without_a_santa_claus_1974_during_the/">Charlie Chaplin’s hanging out in Southtown</a>. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCstxXXuYLBCjFCNH8SNowWg">Heatmiser</a>, the band. </p><p>**** </p><p>📼 <strong>Commercials:</strong> </p><p>Coca-Cola: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zCsFvVg0UY">Candles (Buy the World a Coke)</a>” (1977) </p><p>Coca-Cola: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGHc5YGTAPk">The World Needs More Santas</a> (2023) </p><p>Matt’s book: “<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/santa-in-his-own-words-matt-spaulding/1146019097">Santa in His Own Words</a>.” </p><p>“<a href="https://cantwaitforchristmaspod.com/tag/a-bomb-for-christmas-2-past-present-and-future/">A Bomb for Christmas 2: Past, Present, and Future</a>” on the <a href="https://cantwaitforchristmaspod.com/">Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast</a>. </p><p><br>**** </p><p>“The Year Without a Santa Claus” © 1974 Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. </p><p>Theme song by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bronwensghost">Bronwen’s Ghost</a>. <br>Full show notes with links at <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/">adventcalendar.house</a>. <br>Hosted by <a href="https://theretronetwork.com/">The Retro Network</a>.</p>
December 21, 2025
Xena: Warrior Princess - A Solstice Carol
<p>🎄 Rise and shine while you still can! Since this year’s December Solstice falls on a Sunday, I’ve come bearing the gift of an unexpectedly very merry Scrooge Sunday episode of “Xena: Warrior Princess” from 1996. </p><p><a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/april-ryley">April Ryley</a> and <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/sammy-hain">Sammy Hain</a> join the mission to warm the cold heart of a king who’s banned all Solstice celebrations on an almost wibbly-wobbly timeline that manages to smash together “A Christmas Carol,” the Three Fates of ancient Greek tradition, a Santa Claus origin story, and the Nativity. It even throws in some “Home Alone” style shenanigans, as a treat! </p><p>📺 As of this recording, “A Solstice Carol” is available to watch on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0KZW2BHKRD81V33AQQ9X5R8Y1E/">Prime Video</a>. </p><p>**** </p><p>💬 <strong>Topics & Tangents:</strong> </p><p>Lucy Lawless in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXmVr9krlqI">Spider-Man</a>.” </p><p>“<a href="https://www.ebenezerinvisibleworld.com">Ebenezer and the Invisible World</a>,” the video game. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirai">Moirai</a>: The Three Fates. </p><p>The Simpsons: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Cp9YQt22wV4">Desperately Xeeking Xena</a>” from “Treehouse of Horror X” (1999) </p><p>Inside <a href="https://gallery.xenacentral.com/thumbnails.php?album=76&page=44">Senticles’s toy closet</a>, and his <a href="https://gallery.xenacentral.com/thumbnails.php?album=76&page=41">King Friday XIII lookalike jack-in-the-box</a>. </p><p>The song: “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKIftdTApxs">Solstice Night</a>.” </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Xennials/comments/1c3x1tg/remember_when_karl_urban_was_cupid_on_xena_and/">Karl Urban as Cupid</a> in a Valentine’s Day episode. </p><p>**** </p><p>📼 <strong>Commercials:</strong> </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EgR046k6cwg">7up: Holiday Celebration</a> (1996) </p><p><a href="https://badprincessmovies.com/">Bad Princess Movies</a>. </p><p>**** </p><p>“Xena: Warrior Princess” and “A Solstice Carol” © 1996 MCA Television Limited. </p><p>Theme song by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bronwensghost">Bronwen’s Ghost</a>. <br>Full show notes with links at <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/">adventcalendar.house</a>. <br>Hosted by <a href="https://theretronetwork.com/">The Retro Network</a>.</p>
December 20, 2025
VeggieTales - The Toy That Saved Christmas
<p>🎄 Fresh from 1996 comes a Christmas tale that’ll make you cry, but only because it’s being told by an onion. </p><p><a href="https://adventcalendar.house/people/anthony-strand">Anthony Strand</a> hops along for the ride as we buzz back to the VeggieTales’ first Christmas special, in which the only children’s toy that comes with a working circular saw embarks on a quest to find the true reason for the season. </p><p>📺 You can watch the official version of “The Toy That Saved Christmas” for free on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo0jHgVSeNY">YouTube</a>, or the original 1996 version on the <a href="https://archive.org/details/veggie-tales-the-toy-that-saved-christmas-1996-vhs">Internet Archive</a>. <br>**** </p><p>💬 <strong>Topics & Tangents:</strong> </p><p><a href="https://bigidea.fandom.com/wiki/The_Toy_That_Saved_Christmas/Differences">Differences</a> between the original and the reanimated version from 1997. </p><p>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k5FiWRiXII">Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus</a>.” </p><p>“<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUcEnZZxO9Y">Most folks call ’em green onions, but they’re really scallions</a>.” </p><p>This Mr. Nezzer is not the previously seen <a href="https://bigidea.fandom.com/wiki/Nebby_K._Nezzer">Nebby K. Nezzer</a>, but his brother, <a href="https://bigidea.fandom.com/wiki/Wally_P._Nezzer">Wally P. Nezzer</a>, who’s not as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II">cleverly named</a>. </p><p>The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1eSUsaIugE">original</a> vs. the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht1HqB6taog">new, improved Bunny Song</a>. </p><p>The shelves of Buzzsaw Louies predate the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/christianmemes/comments/18lw6lv/louie_ran_so_buzz_could_fly/">shelves of Buzz Lightyears</a> in “Toy Story 2.” </p><p>Ken Cavanagh (Buzzsaw Louie) may have authored this Medium post from 2020: “<a href="https://medium.com/@pastorken/leave-jesus-out-of-it-c234d256caac">Leave Jesus Out of It</a>. Viruses don’t care what you believe.” </p><p>“<a href="https://gominno.com/lp/deadseasquirrels/">The Dead Sea Squirrels</a>,” by Mike Nawrocki. </p><p>Today’s TV Trope: <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlatantBurglar">Blatant Burglar</a>. </p><p>Doctors in the hallway in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoDHj9qQQ0Q">Muppets From Space</a>.” </p><p>What do you call a <a href="https://www.penguinsinternational.org/what-do-you-call-a-group-of-penguins/">group of penguins</a>? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqLp8FnXUo&list=PLQx9F8rpI4l_1duh6fq86w1BzY3EUrFZN">Two More Eggs: CGI Palz</a>. </p><p>**** </p><p>📼 <strong>Commercials:</strong> </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-yqV_HRYY">VeggieTales: “The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree” album</a> (2005) </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfBHL73NhFE">The Incredible, Edible Egg: Wisecracks</a> (1991) </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dJr2SdyLGk">Mouse Trap</a> (1990) </p><p><a href="https://www.studiodemandsit.com">The Studio Demands It!</a> </p><p>**** </p><p>“VeggieTales” and “The Toy That Saved Christmas” © 1996 Big Idea Productions. </p><p>Theme song by <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bronwensghost">Bronwen’s Ghost</a>. <br>Full show notes with links at <a href="https://adventcalendar.house/">adventcalendar.house</a>. <br>Hosted by <a href="https://theretronetwork.com/">The Retro Network</a>.</p>
201 total episodes available
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