"A Colbert Christmas" Still The Greatest Gift of All!

By Sarah Carlson | TV | December 12, 2012 |

By Sarah Carlson | TV | December 12, 2012 |

We’ve all got our favorite Christmas-themed special/TV episode/movie that we turn to this time every year for comfort. From “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” to Die Hard to “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” from “Community” Season Two, there are options for every kind of taste out there. My favorite Christmas movie will always be The Muppet Christmas Carol. For TV episodes, my money is still on sob-inducing “In Excelsis Deo” episode from “The West Wing” Season One. But for specials, my pick is one that doesn’t seem to get as much love as it deserves. My Facebook news feed is clogged with accolades for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or debates on whether Love Actually is actually any good or not, but for some reason, no one is citing Stephen Colbert’s seasonal offerings — which include Willie Nelson singing about offering marijuana to the newborn Jesus Christ — as their favorite holiday treat. This omission is unacceptable.

“A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!” first aired four years ago on Comedy Central and is a silly, sweet throwback and twist on Christmas specials of yesteryear, complete with low-budget effects and celebrity guest spots. Various artists stop by the cabin where Colbert, in character as the Colbert of “The Colbert Report,” is trapped — they’re somewhere in “bear country,” and those abominations of nature are out to get him. All he wants is to escape so he can go film his Christmas special, but wouldn’t you know that the visits and musical numbers make a pretty great special themselves.

Comedy Central obviously thinks the special is still great because the station is airing it again this year on … um …

Welp, set your DVRs now! Or better yet, buy the DVD or the album. The songs are the best part, and it should never be forgotten that the album once helped put Kanye in his place. The untraditional and ridiculous “A Colbert Christmas” is a welcome addition to the Christmas entertainment realm.

Colbert’s kick-off for the special belongs on every Christmas playlist:

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Jon Stewart, bless his non-musical heart, makes a pitch for Hanukkah:

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Elvis Costello stops by:

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And seriously, Willie Nelson sings about pot:

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Feist has a cute song likening angels to call center reps, and John Legend’s ode to nutmeg is delightfully dirty. The best number, however, belongs to Toby Keith, an artist who had frequented “The Colbert Report” before the special and didn’t mind poking fun at his “We’ll put a boot in their ass/It’s the American way” reputation. Why Fox News hasn’t adopted this as its official War on Christmas theme song, I’ll never know.

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Colbert brings it all home, however, when he corals the guests for a little peace, love and understanding. Those are sentiments we can all get behind, no matter our beliefs.

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Merry Christmas, to bears and all.

Sarah Carlson is a TV Critic for Pajiba. She lives in San Antonio.