A Muppet Family Christmas

By Patrick Samuel • December 18th, 2011

A MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS (DVD)
ABC / Jim Henson Home Entertainment

Release date: November 3rd, 2003
Certificate: U
Running time: 49 minutes

Originally aired: December 16th, 1987

Directors: Peter Harris, Eric Till
Writer: Jerry Juhl

Cast: Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, Rizzo the Rat, Big Bird, Ernie & Bert, The Fraggles

You might wonder why it is I’m so in love with these Christmas movies and television specials.

The truth is, they represent a world that I’ll never have. A world where Christmas is an event shared by friends and family, where decorating a tree is a joyous event, where cards are exchanged, songs are sung together and presents are unwrapped together.

Each year I long for that dream to become a reality more and more but somewhere deep down inside of me I know the closest I’ll ever get to it being real is right here with something like A Muppet Family Christmas.

I’ve watched it every year since it was made in 1987 and it never fails to capture my imagination with its heart-warming, super silly, furry fun. The gang are packed into a truck and are making their way to Fozzie’s mom’s house for the holidays.

Kermit is worried that they should have told her first they were coming, but Fozzie insists that his mom is most likely sitting at home in her rocking chair beside the tree and will be glad to see them all.

What he doesn’t know is that she’s getting ready for a trip to Malibu and is about to rent her house to Doc and Sprocket from Fraggle Rock!

When the gang arrive, mom changes her plans, greets all of her new house guests warmly and decides to stay at home. Meanwhile Doc has to get used to the idea this might not be the quiet Christmas he hoped for.

As they settle in, Fozzie is excited about his comedy act with a snowman for the Christmas show the gang are going to perform for each other. The Swedish chef has some problems with the turkey but his eyes nearly pop out when he sees Big Bird arrive from Sesame Street. Ernie and Bert strike up a conversation with Doc about the alphabet. Oscar the grouch and Rizzo the rat decide to share a trash can together as the house gets more and more crowded.

In the midst of all if this is a very worried Kermit. With a blizzard raging outside, there’s still one Muppet missing. Miss Piggy is making her way from a photo shoot in New York and despite the treacherous journey she faces she’s her usual optimistic and determined self, knowing nothing will keep her from her frog.

Seeing how much better his Christmas is going to be with them all there, Doc offers to go out and look for her and bring her back safely. It all works out OK in the end with Piggy making a grand entrance, the thing she does best of all. Along the way there are a lot of Christmas songs including Jingle Bell Rock, Sleigh Bells, Here We Come A-Caroling, Deck the Halls, We’ll Be Together on Christmas, I’ll Be Home For Christmas and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

A Muppet Family Christmas makes this time of year feel all the more special. There’s so much warmth and fun here. It feels like this is how Christmas should be and it’s absolutely perfect in ever way, even if it does leave me wondering how on earth the Fraggles could also be living under Fozzie’s mom’s house – as well as Doc’s!

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is a composer and music producer with a philosophy degree. Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and World Cinema, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

You can find his music on Soundcloud .

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