Every year, I like to do an advent calendar on this page. For me, it's a fun way to explore the holiday under a certain theme.
This year's theme is A Classic TV Christmas. For Day 1, I choose to look at the I Love Lucy Christmas Special. Several TV shows beat Lucy to the claim of being the first holiday theme episode of a mainstream television series. But I had never seen any of those shows or they were a portion of an anthology series like Playhouse Theatre and didn't involve a regular series cast.
When I think of classic TV shows getting into the holiday spirit, this is the first thing that comes to mind. In this classic episode, Little Ricky is anxious for Santa to arrive. His father tells him that Santa will not bring presents or the Christmas Tree unless Little Ricky goes to bed!
As the tyke sleeps, the gang get into a series of misadventures decorating the tree and I think a toy or two gets damaged. Meanwhile, everyone reflects back on when Lucy learned she was pregnant and a series of flashbacks occur. Finally, Christmas morning arrives and Lucy, Ricky, along with friends Fred and Ethel all dress as Santa to surprise Little Ricky. Only there's five Santas in the Ricardo living room! Whose the fifth Jolly Old Elf?
The original, but sadly colorized special is set to air on December 22. As my Advent gift to you, I found a lost clip from a 1951 episode of I Love Lucy. Had it aired, it would have been the first ever Christmas episode. But for some reason, the idea was shelved until '56.
So snuggle up, poor yourself some hot cocoa, and enjoy this about 4 minute long clip...
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