General TV

Jewel Performs “The Christmas Song” (The Queen Latifah Show)

Jewel’s success in the music arena is a real rags to riches tale, growing up poor, she traveled with her guitar and enchanting voice, making a living hopping from bars to clubs to streets, sleeping in her car a good portion of her young life. Jewel broke into the music industry, her determination paying off, and thousands of fans including myself were able to enjoy her great songs (and poems). Performing here on The Queen Latifah Show (yeah, she had he own show), the wonderful Jewel sings “The Christmas Song,” a classic melody that does not even feature on her Christmas album “Joy: A Holiday Collection” (well worth checking out if you haven’t by now) so this is a real bonus. Enjoy.

Christmas Balloons (Coca-Cola)

Coca-Cola are renowned for their rather poignant, exciting Christmas advertising campaigns (it’s been decades, right?). I thought I would dig deep to find one of their best, and not one I suspect many of us have seen. Plunking a Coca-Cola vending machine in the middle of a European town square, where folk have to dress wintry in hats and scarfs amidst the bright sun, those that happen upon the machine are faced with a choice between a free coke and spreading the good. If you’re not perhaps thirsty or are compelled to spread the joy, then you’ll be witness to the emergence of a red balloon carrying a simple message as it floats off into the festive atmosphere and drifting towards a lucky person who is then encouraged to spread the happiness even further. Quite wonderful indeed. Even a Pepsi lover can’t resist that.

Abigail’s Song (Doctor Who) 

Doctor Who is an iconic TV experience I have never fully invested in, but you cannot avoid it. At least not here in the UK. The recent Christmas specials have been something to behold though, adding a much richer blend of poignancy and human spirit. I first saw the 2010 Doctor Who Christmas Special (Matt Smith as the Doctor this time around) simply by it being on the television at the time, a non-scheduled viewing you might say. But it soon sucked me in. Michael Gambon guest stars in a kind of Christmas fairytale, as does the beautiful Katherine Jenkins, lending her acting skills to her incredible vocals. The finale is a magical swirl of emotion, I may or may not have shed a tear, deeply inspired by Jenkins singing the episode out in wonderful fashion. This video is the full song with clips from the episode, watch it, then close your eyes and listen again.

That’s What Christmas Is For (Community)

Quirky comedy Community, which feels somewhat under-appreciated or relatively unheard of by many, really pulls out the stops with regard to shaking up its own narrative style and production format. In one particular Christmas-themed episode the show goes full stop-motion animated as we delve yet again into the unique imagination of Abed (Danny Pudi). The meaning and saviour of Christmas is winsomely heavy here in a delightfully alternative festive fable, still funny throughout, but also sprinkling plenty of excitement and moving moments. Culminating in a stand-off / musical number combo as bad wizard Duncan (John Oliver) is attempted to be gunned down by candy cane arsenal, as the community college gang in their animated forms, including fluffy bear Pierce (Chevy Chase), Brita’s toy robot (Gillian Jacobs), and music box ballerina Annie (Alison Brie). They help melt good soul Abed from the ice block that envelops him as they sing in the episode’s final sequence That’s What Christmas Is For. Well, yes, kind of.

Office Party (Mad Men)

We all love a good Christmas office party, right? And my do the characters of Mad Men need it. It’s the festive season in 1964 at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce with the “Christmas Comes But Once A Year” episode, the office frolics change course when big client Lucky Strikes’ Lee Garner Jr. shows up to join in the festivities. Finances are tight, Don has reached new lows (yet still he gives women and alcohol all his attention), and there is some positive tension between Roger and Joan. The wardrobe is a real shining star on Mad Med, and here Joan and that red dress (that Roger mentioned) leads the way through the office conga-dancing in line to the music. A great, energetic sequence, for a moment all the worries go away.

Saved Christmas For You (Gilmore Girls)

One of the most endearing qualities about Gilmore Girls is that it’s setting, tone, characterisation et al has an underlying layer of human warmth, so although not quite Pleasantville, the show does not necessarily have to lay it on thick for the holidays. In this particular Christmassy moment Lorelai is light-hearted betrayed by her daughter Rory, having waited for her arrival before beginning the festivities, she smells a rat. Or rather, cookies. As always the snippy, quirky duo chew up pages of dialogue effortlessly in a matter of a minute or so – never muddled, always enjoyable – as their bickering provides some of TV’s more emotionally intelligent writing. This was never a serious confrontation, neither have the power to actually stop the snow after all.

Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (Top of the Pops) 

More memorable to UK audiences, the weekly music show Top of the Pops entertained audiences for decades. One of the most unforgotten highlights of the show’s history, and the UK music scene itself, was the 1984 collaboration from a plethora of artists forming Band Aid, raising money for relief of the starvation in Africa. They raised millions with that Christmas release, and the song was the most successful selling single the UK. Musical contributors included founders Bob Geldoff and Midge Ure of course but also Sting, Nick Kershaw, Paul Weller, Boy George, and many, many others. It’s a very fine, poignant song in the end, celebrating the human spirit and quest for a better life for those much less fortunate. The whole phenomena would spawn future chart-topping renditions of the song with newer artists, and the global, massive success that was Live Aid.

The Journey (John Lewis)

The more tranquil, poignant cover version of “The Power of Love” by Gabrielle Aplin in this 2012 John Lewis Christmas ad sets your mind adrift on the anticipation of a sad ending. Kids building their snowman and snowwoman, then the young girl looking down from her bedroom window with innocent bewilderment as the snowman has vanished. His isolated journey takes him through a snow storm, up a mountain, and eventually into the city, where we soon fully realize his goal and how the story ends. See for yourself, don’t let me spoil it for you. Except to say that here in the UK these yearly festive John Lewis commercials have not left many a dry eye in the house.

Lap-Dancing (New Girl) 

For a character who wears his heart reluctantly on his sleeve, Nick has a tendency to upstage himself in New Girl as his misplaced or flippant emotions often get lost in translation. And usually he makes a hash of re-establishing them. He’s an endearing character though, and even when he declares his affections towards his dancer girlfriend Angie, after he has failed to convince her or any of us he is a tough guy) admits his poorness, his lack of bravery, his terrible zombie book. The awkward lap dance he attempts to give her in front of everyone proves Nick’s heart is in the right place, though “Deck the Halls” might not be the right song. Angie soon shows him how it is done, before the side-splitting moment when Schmidt intervenes to bust his own seductive moves. Boys will be boys, but the squabbling, slapping results are hilarious.

The Muppets Parody with Katy Perry (The Simpsons)

A few years ago The Simpsons aired a four-segment Christmas special entitle “The Fight Before Christmas,” the final section of which appears to be a live action show – The Simpsons meets The Muppets and Sesame Street. The in-joke punchline suggests that they may have spent their budget on Katy Perry’s appearance in a tight-fitting, cleavage ebbing, red latex dress with The Simpsons characters on it. Perry is apparently Moe’s girlfriend and joins in as they all sing Mr Burns’ alternative version of a Christmas classic “Thirty-Nine Days of Christmas.” It gets rather crude in the final credits as Perry is kissed off-shot “That’s not my belly-button,” but her revealing attire caused a stir with producers of preschool show Sesame Street, though Perry herself was very flattered to be a part of it all. That’s the spirit.