'TV Sets: Holiday Treats' includes classic Christmas favorites

Lucy as Santa

Watching the eight Christmas episodes of classic sitcoms that the bargain-priced DVD "TV Sets: Holiday Classics" includes truly lifted my mood last week. Unlike many sets of Christmas episodes, this collection runs the gamut of era and tone from the 1950s shows "I Love Lucy" and "The Honeymooners" to the 1990s shows "Frasier" and "Wings." Episodes from "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Brady Bunch," "Family Ties," and "Taxi" rounded out the set.

I enjoyed this set as well because modern sitcoms do not make these classic holiday episodes anymore. The hilarious episode of "The Office" in which a Yankee swap of gifts goes horribly awry is the closest recent episode of this type that comes to mind. It is also one reason that I bought an i-pod touch on Black Friday.

Every aspect of each episode in Holiday Treats was very good, and I enjoyed the wonderfully drawn animated holiday-themed shorts that had a 1970s look that CBS aired between broadcasts of its shows most likely in the 1970s. Additionally, these shows touched on the typical themes of "A Christmas Carol," Christmas miracles, and the holiday spirit. Including one of the many sitcom episodes that have been based on "Its A Wonderful Life" would have been very nice as well.

The 1956 "I Love Lucy" episode was particularly memorable because it was not shown after that year until it aired in 1989. The story of Lucy and her posse reminiscing via flashbacks during Christmas Eve truly was charming. I was surprised pleasantly as well that the picture quality was flawless; this has prompted me to rethink not getting the complete set of this series that I did not buy simply because I have seen every episode so many times.

The Lucy segment also included an even more rare segment from Christmas Eve 1951 that inspired the surprise at the end of the 1956 episode. Both plots depicted Christmas magic very well in a humorous way.

Although it is a very close call, the episode of "Wings" made me laugh the most. This early episode in the series allowed this entire great cast to display the amusing traits of each of his or her character and included some interesting twists up to the final minute of the show.

The fact that the title of the "Wings" episode is "A Terminal Christmas" indicates the elements of the dark humor that I enjoy in the program, and it also has the multiple meanings that I enjoy in titles of television programs. Brits would agree that this episode truly does not hoover, and I apologize in advance for this pun that those of you who buy the set or remember the "Wings" episode will understand.

Please do let me know about some of your favorite Christmas episodes as comments to this posting or as e-mail to tvdvvdguy@gmail.com.