A Classic TV Christmas- Advent 2017 Day 13

After a brief jump to the future, I am going back to the 70s AND the 50s to check out another classic TV series that had some dynamic Christmas episodes over the years. The show in question today is M*A*S*H*! (For the rest of this post I will just refer to it as MASH.)

MASH ran for 11 seasons, from 1972 to 1983. The sitcom based on an Army surgical hospital set during the Korean War ran for 3 times longer than the war lasted. With a number of great holiday themed episodes, it's really hard to choose a favorite. So, since the war lasted for 3 years, I am going to highlight 3 episodes, one for each Christmas away troops like my grandfather had to spend away from family and friends.

Dear Dad- Aired December 17, 1972

It's almost Christmas and Hawkeye is writing to his father about how the whole outfit is trying to make it through the season away from home. Father Mulcahy helps a standard issue dressed Klinger cool off after a spat with Major Burns. Col. Blake tries to give a lecture on sex to the enlisted men and fails miserably. But the part that stands out the most to me is when a wounded solider is in need of field surgery and Hawkeye takes a chopper dressed as Santa to answer the call.

Dear Sis- Aired December 18, 1978

Once again it is Christmas at the 4077th. Father Mulcahy is writing his sister the sister about how he feels unappreciated around the MASH because he's just a priest and not a doctor. But throughout the whole episode, it's revealed that Mulcahy is the soul of the camp as he helps Major Winchester get over his homesickness by gifting him a present from home. Well, the good Father does punch a solider, but the GI man did hit the head nurse first! The episode ends with the camp singing a Christmas carol in Latin to Mulcahy right before an ambulance arrives with wounded. The frozen end scene of the doctors rushing out in the snow to no soundtrack or laughter is eerily poignant.

Twas The Day After Christmas- Aired December 21, 1981

This very well may be my favorite of the holiday episodes. On Christmas night, the camp is having their normal holiday party. The guests of honor are a pair of British officers who have gifted the 4077th with some much needed fuel for the generators until delivery service begins again on the 26th. Here, Klinger learns that the British troops do a thing every year called Boxing Day where officers and enlisted men trade roles on the day after Christmas. So Colonel Potter agrees to do it as long as there are no medical emergencies. It's a great role reversal episode and plus it has my favorite thing- SNOW!

So there you have a look at some of the holiday escapades of the doctors of the 4077th MASH. For my Advent present today, I am showing you a full-length Christmas episode of the MASH spin-off After MASH. The show isn't really held in high regards so if you want to consider this a lump of coal in your stocking, I completely understand. ENJOY if you can and until next time- Merry Christmas!