Overlooked Specials 1st Day of Christmas

1^st Day of Christmas:

“The Bestest Present”

Believe it or not, there were actually two Christmas specials based on For Better or For Worse, Lynn Johnston’s long-running Canadian comic strip. This first is definitely the better of the two. The plot is really simple: while out shopping for Christmas presents little Elizabeth Patterson loses her precious bunny doll which is then found by a seemingly cantankerous caretaker, and John and Elly’s attempts to console her as they try to find it. It definitely helps to have some familiarity with the strip but it’s not a necessity. What elevates this special I think is some simple but warm animation (similar to The Chipmunk Christmas) and an innocence not unlike A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I think the special is purposely trying to go for. The voice acting is a little awkward (the Pattersons except for Elly are all voiced by Johnston’s actual family) but it’s not too bad. If you can find it (it’s Canadian, so rare), it’s definitely worth a watch.

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