In 1987, A Muppet Family Christmas aired on ABC. The hour-long special concerns the entire Muppet Show cast visiting Fozzie’s mom for Christmas, whereupon they watch home movies of themselves as the Muppet Babies, are unexpectedly joined by the entire Sesame Street gang, and also encounter the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock. It is the first, last, and only time that all four of these cornerstone Henson properties shared a screen.

The special concludes with hundreds of Muppets of all sizes and colors singing a long medley of Christmas carols together, an unbroken sea of joyous felt. I believe it to be the coziest piece of television ever made. At the very end, Jim Henson himself makes a rare on-screen appearance, only three years before his untimely death.

While music rights issues have eviscerated the special on home media releases, cutting as much as 25% of the runtime, the unabridged version can be found on YouTube. It is an essential part of my annual Christmas media schedule.

Enjoy, and watch out for the icy patch!