The Star Wars Holiday Special – A “What Christmas Means To Me” Reflection

I watched it.  I finally watched it.  The much-maligned, infamously lampooned Star Wars Holiday Special – the story George Lucas preferred to forget.  Debuting on 17 November 1978 on CBS, the story is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.  It’s the very first appearance of Boba Fett!  Of Chewie’s family!  Of the Wookiee homeworld!  Despite these firsts, it was near-universally panned and the special was never rebroadcast nor officially released on home video.  But after writing about the Guardians of the Galaxy and their Holiday Special, it seemed fitting to watch the original (thanks YouTube!) as the latest installment in my holiday series.  See, it’s Christmastime again, so ‘tis the season for me to read and watch a buncha Christmas specials and use them to reflect on what Christmas means to me just like Stevie Wonder does in the very song which inspired this series.  And, just like Stevie Wonder sings about, “All these things and more, darling (all these things and more) / That’s what Christmas means to me, my love,” Christmas means a lot of things to me, too.  It turns out The Star Wars Holiday Special is a surprisingly perfect example of an important one.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special – A “What Christmas Means To Me” Reflection

It’s Christmastime again, so ‘tis the season for me to read and watch a buncha Christmas specials and use them to reflect on what Christmas means to me just like Stevie Wonder does in the very song which inspired this series.  And, just like Stevie Wonder sings about, “All these things and more, darling (all these things and more) / That’s what Christmas means to me, my love,” Christmas means a lot of things to me, too!  This time I’m turning my attention towards The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, debuting on 25 November 2022 on Disney+.  Speaking of the special to Radio Times, James Gunn said, “The Holiday Special is the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life.  It’s totally ridiculous, and every day we can’t believe that we’re making it.  We all completely love it.  It is unlike anything that anyone’s ever seen before.  I can’t wait for people to see it.”[1]  I was stunned!  Greater than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and 2??  Greater than The Suicide Squad??  This wasn’t anything I expected it to be (save fun, I expected it to be fun!) but I absolutely loved it!  It left me with warm Christmas feels, too.

Note, spoilers for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special follow.

Harley Quinn and Chaos for Christmas! – A “What Christmas Means To Me” Reflection

It’s Christmastime again, so ‘tis the season for me to read and watch a buncha Christmas specials and use them to reflect on what Christmas means to me just like Stevie Wonder does in the very song which inspired this series.  And, just like Stevie Wonder sings about, “All these things and more, darling (all these things and more) / That’s what Christmas means to me, my love,” Christmas means a lot of things to me, too.  This time Harley Quinn, the Clown Princess of Coney Island, provides my avenue for reflection as I ponder what Christmas means to me (my love!) care of Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1!  Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti with art by Mauricet (“Bad Toy”), Brandt Peters (“Get Yer Cheer Outta My Ear”), and Darwyn Cook (“K!llin’ T!me”), Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1 was originally published on 10 December 2014.  I love Harley Quinn!  I love Christmas!  And I’d say, “I love them together even more than I expected” but I absolutely expected to love Harley Quinn at Christmas a lot so I was very correct in my assumption!

When She-Hulk Met Santa Claus! – A “What Christmas Means To Me” Reflection

A few years ago, Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means To Me” came on as I listened to Christmas carols while decorating.  It led me to reflect (reflectin’ and decoratin’ and dancin’ to Christmas carols made for a great night!) which in turn led to a series where I ruminated on what Christmas means to me, using various Doctor Who Christmas specials as a frame for the reflection.  It turns out – just like Stevie sings about, “All these things and more, darling (all these things and more)” – Christmas means a lot of things to me, too!  ‘Tis the season for me to watch and read Christmas-y things and write about all Christmas means to me.  First up this year is The Sensational She-Hulk #8.  For many, writer/artist John Byrne’s quirky, eccentric, fourth-wall demolishing version of Jen Walters/She-Hulk is the definitive version of the character.  Keeping in line with the wacky and unpredictable hijinks of the title, its eighth issue saw Shulkie literally team-up with Santa Claus to convict a serial killer.  Nothing says “Christmas” like a ho-ho-homicide conviction!

A Very Doctor Who Christmas! – The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special

Weeks ago, listening to “What Christmas Means To Me” while decorating got me thinking about what Christmas means to me.  I decided to spend the month of December reflecting on it with a series of posts and I decided to use Doctor Who Christmas specials as the lens through which to do my reflecting…and now we’re here!  I feel like I blinked and I’m writing the fourth piece and Christmas is this week!  Ahhh!  Showrunner Chris Chibnall has shifted the Doctor Who special to New Year’s Day as opposed to Christmas but – as Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor has become my favorite Doctor – I didn’t want to leave the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham out of the fun here.  Enter Titan Comics to the rescue!  Jody Houser (writer), Roberta Ingranata (artist), and Enrica Eren Angiolini (colorist) took the fam on an amazing Christmas adventure last year in Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor Holiday Special.  Yay!  So, What Does Christmas Mean To Me (Vol. 4)?  Well, let’s crack open a couple comics and figure it out.

A Very Doctor Who Christmas! – The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Inspired by listening to the song a few weeks ago, I decided to spend the month of December reflecting on what Christmas means to me.  Then I decided it would be a fun to use Doctor Who Christmas specials as the sole lens through which to consider this question!  “The Return of Doctor Mysterio,” written by Steven Moffat, was Doctor Who’s 2016 Christmas special.  It starred Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Matt Lucas as the ­oh-so-amazing-yet-forever-underrate Nardole, Justin Chatwin as Grant Gordon/the Ghost, and Charity Wakefield as Lucy Fletcher.  Picking favorites out of the Doctor Who Christmas specials is all but impossible.  Still…this one has always stood out for me.  So, What Does Christmas Mean To Me (Vol. 3)?  Let’s follow the Doctor stateside to New York City and start breaking that very question down! 

A Very Doctor Who Christmas! – A Christmas Carol

Listening to “What Christmas Means To Me” while I was decorating a few weeks ago got me thinking about, well, what Christmas means to me.  So I decided it would be fun to spend the month of December reflecting on that with a series of posts.  Then I thought it would be even more fun to use Doctor Who Christmas specials as the lens through which to do so!  This time I want to look at Doctor Who’s 2010 Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol,” the first written by Steven Moffat and starring Matt Smith as the Doctor along with Karen Gillan’s incomparable Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill’s Rory Williams.  So, What Does Christmas Mean To Me (Vol. 2)?  Well, it turns out “Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol” has a lot to say about that!

A Very Doctor Who Christmas! – Voyage of the Damned

It’s officially December so that means it ‘tis the season.  As I was decorating a few days ago I was, naturally, rocking out to some Christmas carols.  When “What Christmas Means To Me” came on I danced and sang along as loud as I could.  I didn’t get much decorating done for those ten minutes (because who only listens to that tune one time??) but the break was festive and fun and totally worth it.  It’s always been a favorite Christmas song of mine and every time Steve Wonder’s classic is covered it makes me happy because it means I have even more chances to hear it randomly playing in a store or on the radio.  Anyway, as I was singing along it got me thinking about what Christmas means to me (my love!).  I thought it would be interesting to reflect on that with a series of posts through December.  And then I thought using Doctor Who’s Christmas specials as a frame for those reflections could be fun.  So, What Does Christmas Mean To Me (Vol. 1)?  Well, let’s turn to “Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned” and talk about it!

#GivingTuesday and The Talker Toy Challenge!

In 2012, an idea was born.  We had Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving when, for decades, stores traditionally offer crazy deals to kick off the Christmas shopping season).  We had Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving when similar sales pop up all over the web).  What if we focused a little of our Christmas-driven consumeristic madness on helping others?  With that, Giving Tuesday – “a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration” – arrived on the scene.

Mystery Blogger Award!

As I count down to my 100th post, I’m honored that I get to include this special recognition!  The Bradscribe himself – Mr. ML Bradford – has nominated me for the Mystery Blogger Award!  I’m always extremely humbled by these awards because they are passed along through the blogging community by the blogging community.  Bradscribe is a wonderfully fun, supportive, and engaging blogger who was also my very first follower!  So I’d like to send a BIG “Thank You!” to the man, the myth, the Bradscribe and encourage everyone else to follow/regularly read his work (if you don’t already).  You’ll find a fun mix of movie reviews, comic flashbacks, and some incredibly fun/funny fiction too, all written with his distinct voice.