The Year Without a Santa Claus

🎄 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.” 

It’s a packed party with Tim Babb, Michael DiGiovanni, Joey O., and Matt Spaulding 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. 

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💬 Topics & Tangents: 

The original story by Phyllis McGinley. 

A read-along record narrated by Boris Karloff. 

The DVD menu and only the DVD menu, if that interests you. 

Snow Miser’s song in “Batman and Robin.” 

Shirley Booth (Mrs. Claus) as “Hazel.” 

Today’s TV Tropes: Dressed to Heal, Spinning Paper. 

Bob McFadden (Elf Doctor) as “Cool McCool.” 

“Panic In New York: Menagerie Breaks Loose,” and other prop newspaper headlines. 

Are Santa’s Reindeer Female? (Old Farmer’s Almanac) 

Survivor Series 1994: Clowns Are Us vs. the Royal Family. 

Ron Marshall (Iggy’s dad) marks the first time I ended up on Muppet Wiki by surprise. 

Charlie Chaplin’s hanging out in Southtown. 

Heatmiser, the band. 

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📼 Commercials: 

Coca-Cola: “Candles (Buy the World a Coke)” (1977) 

Coca-Cola: The World Needs More Santas (2023) 

Matt’s book: “Santa in His Own Words.” 

“A Bomb for Christmas 2: Past, Present, and Future” on the Can’t Wait for Christmas Podcast. 

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“The Year Without a Santa Claus” © 1974 Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. 

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost. 
Full show notes with links at adventcalendar.house. 
Hosted by The Retro Network.