YMMV / Christmas Eve on Sesame Street

• Awesome Music: The score by Dick Lieb manages to be Christmassy and 1978-sy without going too overboard in either direction. The three original songs are all great in their own ways: "True Blue Miracle" as an "I'm glad it's Christmas" song, "Keep Christmas With You (All Through the Year)" as a sentimental piece and "I Hate Christmas" as Oscar's comic highlight. And Big Bird's skating scene is probably the all-time greatest use of José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad."
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The special opens with the cast at an ice-skating rink, including full-bodied costume versions of Muppet characters Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, and Count Von Count (with their respective Muppet performers dubbing the voices into the footage). While it was something of a treat to see full-bodied versions of the Muppets ice skating, the sequence runs almost 10 minutes but ultimately has no importance to the plot other than setting up the Big Bird/Oscar conversation about Santa and the chimneys. Given that they needed to fill an hour, and Sesame Street had never done a fully-plotted presentation before, this is undoubtedly a case of padding.
• Fridge Brilliance:
  • At first, it seems like Mr. Hooper's store being open is a plot convention to allow Ernie and Bert to get presents for one another as part of their Gift of the Magi Plot. But upon learning that he celebrates Hanukkah, it makes a lot more sense—of course a Jewish person would have their business open on Christmas Eve!
  • When Grover and Kermit are interviewing kids about how Santa gets into homes on Christmas Eve, one eager little girl (who can't be more than four years old, if that) offers a strange answer about St. Nick "pushing the button" and "stepping on the big step." It makes a lot more sense when you realize she's describing an apartment's doorbell system—she's a kid from New York City, so she's explaining what she sees her family do to get into their building!
• Narm Charm: Yes, the children in the Improv segments and Patty aren't exactly top-quality actors—they flub their delivery and aren't the most expressive. But they're so darn cute and sincere that it's adorable.
• Older Than They Think: This technically wasn't the first Sesame Street special. This Way to Sesame Street in 1969 actually aired two days before the series debuted; it was basically a preview show that aired on NBC. There was also Julie on Sesame Street in 1973, and Out to Lunch in 1974 (a mix of Sesame Street characters with cast members from The Electric Company (1971) and guest stars), which both aired on ABC, plus The Grover Monster—Jean Marsh Cartoon Special on PBS in 1975 (a Clip Show that's now lost). Christmas Eve was the first in-house produced, custom-written special focusing entirely on the show's characters minus any celebrities.
• Spiritual Successor: A Muppet Family Christmas is often considered this by fans, due to featuring many of the classic Sesame Street Muppets, taking place on Christmas Eve, and a main character getting lost during a snowstorm (though this time, it's Miss Piggy).
• Tear Jerker:
  • Big Bird's deep depression when he thinks Santa won't be able to deliver any presents. He waits outside on the roof for him and nearly freezes.
  • Maria's worry about the missing Big Bird as she chews Oscar out for upsetting him. She even comes close to Tears of Fear as she imagines him all alone in the big, freezing cold city.
  • Ernie and Bert trading away their rubber duckie and paper clip collection, respectively, to Mr. Hooper so they can get each other Christmas presents. Keep in mind that Rubber Duckie is probably Ernie's best friend besides Bert, and that Bert has gathered that collection for years. You can actually hear Bert choking back tears as he begins to ask Mr. Hooper if he can come and visit the collection some time. Thankfully, Mr. Hooper gives Ernie and Bert back their prized possessions in honor of their Christmas spirit.

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