It’s Day 11 of our Christmas Movie Countdown! Some of the best pieces of holly jolly entertainment aren’t just full length feature films, as there’s quite a few television specials on this list. Even though they are a bit shorter, they still tell valuable stories that encapsulate the Christmas spirit, and this one is certainly no exception.
The Year Without A Santa Claus follows Mr. and Mrs. Claus as they learn that the Christmas spirit around the world isn’t the same as it used to be. To get Saint Nick to change his mind, Mrs. Claus sends elves Jingle and Jangle to visit Southtown with reindeer Vixen, but the reindeer is captured by a dog poacher. This causes Santa to visit the town in disguise to save Vixen. As the story goes on, the Claus family and the elves travel far and wide to get the world back into the Christmas spirit to get their holiday routine back on track.
This special is notable for being the final performance of Shirley Booth as the narrator before her retirement from acting. The film features the introduction of multiple new characters, with the standouts being both Snow Miser and Heat Miser. The former of which being quite entertaining and the aspect of the film that people tend to remember the most.
The Year Without A Santa Claus is certainly a stop motion Christmas classic, and there will be some other stop motion films in the Countdown. We’re getting closer and closer to the Christmas festivities!
