Review: 'The Christmas Specials Collection' Steelbook is the perfect holiday gift

Posted Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at 1:24 PM Central

by John Couture

As soon as the calendar switches over from October to November, it's time to cue the holiday music and egg nog. No really, Mariah Carey literally comes out of hiding like some sort of Christmas version of the groundhog and kicks off the two-month holiday period.

So much for Thanksgiving, if you've been in any store lately, you'll see that the battle between Halloween and Christmas is in full effect. This year, you throw in the still-simmering pandemic and supply chain issues, and it's a perfect storm that may end up with more stories of coal for Christmas than ever before.

But, it's not too late to get started on your holiday shopping. One area that continues to be evergreen great gifts is physical, collectible versions of your gift recipients' favorite movies. Or, if you're buying for young children or new parents, I might so humbly suggest that you check out the recently released The Original Christmas Specials Collection on Steelbook.

The five included holiday specials are a time capsule ready to put any family into the Christmas spirit. When I was a child, there was no greater thrill in the world than seeing the iconic CBS special presentation logo. It meant that we were in for a good time.

During the holidays, it meant that the regularly scheduled broadcast was going to be interrupted for the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. This was a time before DVRs and widespread availability of these specials on VHS.

You had one choice. Drop everything that you were doing and sit your butt on the couch at the time that it said in the TV Guide, or you would miss Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer or Frosty the Snowman for an entire year.

You also had to get up off the couch to turn the channel because remote controls hadn't been invented yet. I'm old, get off my lawn. Man, I loved that CBS special presentation and I could watch it all day. In fact, I found someone who created a three-minute loop of it on YouTube, because why not?

Now, you too can experience what it was like to be five-year-old me around this time of year.

Wasn't that amazing? It certainly brings back the nostalgia for the holidays of my youth, which is sort of the point of The Original Christmas Specials Collection. Thankfully, we no longer live in the dark ages and we don't have to schedule our lives around a TV network. Nope, now we have the technology and we can watch The Little Drummer Boy anytime we want. If you want to see it in July, go right ahead!

But these films are meant to be watched as the countdown to the holidays ramp up and now is the perfect time to rediscover these Rankin/Bass favorites. Available for the first time in collectible Steelbook packaging, The Original Christmas Specials Collection is truly an heirloom quality product that will connect with families across generations.

The collection includes the stop-motion animation classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the traditionally animated films Frosty the Snowman and Cricket On The Hearth. Beyond the films though, the real treasure is the ample bonus features that gives a deep dive into these holiday classics.

Each film comes with a plethora of bonus features that not only give you more appreciation of the movie but also more details behind the ground-breaking stop-motion animation. For me, the holidays just aren't the same without the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials.

My generation grew up with these movies, but we are now having families of our own. Now is the perfect time to insure that these classics continue to be annual family rituals for the next generation.

The Original Christmas Specials Collection on Steelbook is truly the gift that keeps on giving and this version will stand the test of time - literally. There is no better packaging than the highly sought-after Steelbook and trust me, these won't last. So, don't delay and get your copy today.