It’s the season when your favorite shows will be replaced by reruns and old Christmas specials. Unfortunately, between buying and wrapping gifts, baking cookies, entertaining family members, downright cleaning and decorating your house, and pulling your hair out, you probably don’t have time to check out and TiVo your favorite holiday specials, let alone sit out front. on television at exactly the moment the networks have decided to play them, if they decide to play the good ones at all. But fear not, there is a solution. Many of the good old specials have been released on DVD that can be rented or purchased almost anywhere. Sadly, blue fingers isn’t among them, but here are my picks for the top five Christmas special DVDs:

#5. A Squirrel Christmas

First aired: 1981
Starring: Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Dave

It’s almost Christmas and while Dave tries to get Alvin, Simon and Theodore to focus on their music, Alvin can only think about buying a new golden echo harmonica… at least until he meets a sick boy named Tommy who also wants the same one. stuff.

A Squirrel Christmas is a kind of modern retelling of the famous story by Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, at least thematically anyway. Selfish Alvin could easily replace any number of greedy kids who see Christmas as nothing more than a time to receive presents. If you have one of those kids, this is a great special for them. And if you’re opposed to the commercialization of the holidays, check this out and pat yourself on the back for being right…at least according to the cartoon rodents. It’s sweet to the point of nauseating at the end of course, but isn’t that what the season is about?

#4. Mickey’s Christmas Carol

First aired: 1983
Starring: Mickey Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, Jiminy Grillo

Rich, selfish, Scrooge McDuck is visited by the ghosts of his past, present and future on Christmas Eve to help him realize that mountains of money are not the secret to a fulfilling life.

A Christmas Carol it’s been redone and adapted more times than anyone can imagine, and it’s not just because it’s in the public domain. It’s because it’s a good story, a timeless one. I have already seen many different versions and you know what? I’m still for this one. The Disney characters they chose are perfectly suited to the roles in Dickens’ masterpiece and the lesson is one that never gets old. If you have money, don’t swim in it, use it to help someone. As much as we like to pretend that we’ve only recently begun to lose sight of what the holiday is all about, the existence of this story (in Mickey and in the original versions) suggests otherwise.

#3. Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean

First aired: 1992
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Matilda Ziegler

The awkward and mute Mr. Bean prepares for Christmas, leaving behind a trail of interruptions and a very disappointed bride.

Unlike all the other specials on my list, Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean it does not have a meaningful message about the Christmas season. It’s just a bunch of laughs that can help you forget (for half an hour, at least) all the things that are still on your “to do” list. Mr. Bean does the things we all wanted to do but were afraid to try for fear of getting in trouble, like messing with store windows and giving people totally hilarious and inappropriate gifts. Even people who aren’t normally fans of British comedy can’t help but be won over by Mr. Bean, so this is a great special to watch with a group of friends or family.

#2. A Garfield Christmas Special

First aired: 1987
Starring: Garfield, Odie, John, John’s family

Garfield the cat resents being taken out of his nice warm bed to go to his owner John’s family farm in the country, but ends up finding a kindred spirit in John’s grandmother.

Everyone loves Garfield, probably because we all wish we could act like grumpy, lazy cats whenever we feel like it. But, as Garfield’s Christmas special shows, even grumpy people and cats have hearts and can occasionally be inclined to be nice to old ladies and dogs. The special is touching without being as syrupy as A Squirrel Christmas, and John’s family is a perfect example of how everyone seems to revert to their childhood roles when they get together with their families for the holidays. As a bonus, the DVD also includes Garfield’s Halloween and Thanksgiving specials.

#1. How the Grinch stole Christmas!

First aired: 1966
Starring: boris karloff voice

The Grinch, a lonely and grumpy hermit, is tired of hearing the happy Whos in the town below celebrate, so he decides to steal all their presents and ruin Christmas.

How the Grinch stole Christmas is Christmas to me It’s not Christmas yet unless I’ve seen the Grinch. I imagine that’s the case for a lot of people, since this special has been broadcast every year since 1966 on almost every channel. It’s an adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss book, which was published in 1957. The Grinch is hilarious and deliciously evil, his dog Max his is adorable and eager, and the Whos of Whoville are silly but cute and sweet. There’s music, compelling storytelling, a timeless message – what more could you ask for? This is something Ron Howard didn’t understand when he made the awful full-length live-action version in 2000. Don’t mess with perfection.