Arthur’s Perfect Christmas (2000)
Rating – 4/4
**SPOILERS**
The adventures of the classic and beloved aardvark bring us a woefully underrated Christmas special that I’m saddened doesn’t get enough attention. Allow me to shine the spotlight on one of my favorite Christmas specials that I unashamedly admit I watch every holiday season.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “nobody’s perfect.” Well, tell that to Arthur, who is determined to have the perfect Christmas. Stuffing a mile high, seventeen types of pie, snow, and happiness for the whole family. Except, you know how it goes.
All wrong.
And Arthur’s and family friends are also having their yuletide woes. Everybody wants something and nothing is going right. Buster is dealing with a divorced family, religious differences cause tension between Muffy and Francine, Binky is trying his best and failing to be a cook, and D.W. wants the hottest toy on the market.
Side note, I’ve always hated D.W. and she’s even more annoying, bratty, and entitled as ever in this special without even a consideration of being placed on the Naughty List. Where’s Krampus when you need him? I’d definitely pay to see an Arthur’s Krampus Special.
As Ellen Griswold wisely (and accurately) said, “It’s Christmas and we’re all in misery.”
But in true Christmas miracle fashion, things end up working out. Family and friends are there to support and be there through it all. And the lesson it teaches is that Christmas is not about presents but being with the people you love and just making it your own. And it tells us that sometimes things might not work out the way you want, but work out in the end in some way or another.
Sadly, they work out for D.W. too. Is there no coal for the wicked in this cruel world?
It's an old lesson, but still important. And it’s presented in a way that kids can understand at their level but doesn’t drop an anvil on your head.
And it’s relatable as well. Like Arthur, we’ve all had to deal with holiday hijinks from dropped turkeys, to relatives we hate, to last minute shopping, and to gifts we really want. And when things go wrong, of course we react. But then, we can sometimes look back at those memories and laugh. As kids grow up, toys and gifts fade away into other wants and needs and realize that presents aren’t the only thing that brings happiness.
As a kid you hated getting socks. As an adult, that’s all you want because they don’t have holes!
I think the reason why this special is underrated is because it’s not “magical” like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman. But I think it’s good we can move away from magic and into a slice of life story for a while because we live through it every day. There’s no Santa or flying reindeer, but there is magic in spending time with the people you love and dealing with and overcoming human (in this case, aardvark) problems. And Arthur has always been a show on teaching kids how to handle those problems maturely and effectively. And many people could use some lessons on being nice around the holiday times. Better yet, in general!
And the other thing I like about this special is it’s accessible to a diverse group of people who may celebrate other things besides Christmas. Francine celebrates Hanukkah. Alan celebrates Kwanzaa. Binky and Buster have their own traditions and celebrate Christmas in a different way than others. It’s not heavy-handed or explained in the most-detailed, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s just how people celebrate the holidays, which is again, relatable to real life as we all have our own traditions.
It might feel silly overanalyzing a cartoon for kids, but it’s still such a crime that this special doesn’t get more airtime. I grew up on Arthur and still watch it to escape the real world from time to time so it’s a bit personal that I can enjoy one of my favorite shows get a solid Christmas classic. But even if you didn’t watch Arthur, you can still enjoy the holiday hijinks and heartwarming moments that this underrated special offers.
