Elmo Saves Christmas

Elmo Saves Christmas is a sixty minute fantasy comedy television special released on PBS on December 2, 1996. It was released to VHS that same year. In the story, Elmo learns that Christmas should not occur every day. The program was filmed in Sesame Street's usual home, the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City. Footage from the film It's a Wonderful Life also appears in the program.

Plot

On Christmas Eve, everyone on Sesame Street is preparing for Christmas. Elmo refuses Cookie Monster a cookie, saying the cookies are for Santa Claus. Big Bird is sad that Snuffleupagus is going to his grandmother in Cincinnati but is assured he will be back the day after Christmas. Elmo takes the cookies home for Santa.

Elmo is awakened by Santa stuck in the chimney, helps him out and is rewarded with the choice of a soft toy or a magical snow globe which grants three wishes. He chooses the globe, wishing for and receiving a glass of water. On Christmas Day, Elmo wishes for it to be Christmas every day. On a news program, Kermit the Frog reports that it will be Christmas tomorrow too.

Santa explains that Christmas cannot be every day, because it would not be special. Lightning, a reindeer in training, takes Elmo to the future to see the effects of his wish. Big Bird is upset that Snuffleupagus is still gone, the Fix-It Shop is closed every day, and Santa's elves have not had a vacation in months.

The other holidays never come. Oscar the Grouch is enjoying being surrounded by old wrapping paper and worn out Christmas trees, and that everyone is as grouchy and miserable as he is.

One year in the future, Sesame Street in ruins: the Count is "all Christmassed out" after counting all 365 days of Christmas, the carolers have lost their voices, Christmas trees are an endangered species, Big Bird is missing Snuffleupagus, and the shop has gone bust. Even Santa has retired to Florida. Elmo agrees to wish to make Christmas how it used to be, but drops and breaks the globe before making the wish.

Everyone groans. Elmo and Lightning decide to go back to the Christmas Eve when Elmo first pulled Santa from the chimney, but this time Elmo chooses the soft toy instead. Snuffleupagus appears, saying his grandmother had come to Sesame Street instead. Everyone is happy that Christmas back to normal, and they join together around the big Christmas tree.

Cast

• Maya Angelou as Herself/Narrator
• Charles Durning as Santa Claus
• Harvey Fierstein as the Easter Bunny
• 14 Karat Soul as Themselves

The cast of Sesame Street

• Emilio Delgado as Luis
• Sonia Manzano as Maria
• Desiree Casado as Gabi
• Bob McGrath as Bob
• Alison Bartlett-O'Reilly as Gina
• Roscoe Orman as Gordon
• David Smyrl as Mr. Handford
• Carlo Alban as Carlo

Jim Henson's Sesame Street Muppets

• Frank Oz as Grover, Cookie Monster
• Jerry Nelson as Count von Count, Mr. Johnson, News Flash Announcer
• Kevin Clash as Elmo, Natasha, Father, Elf 3, Benny Rabbit
• Fran Brill as Zoe, Elf 2
• Joey Mazzarino as Lightning, Elf 1
• Carmen Osbahr as Rosita, Elf 6
• Caroll Spinney as Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch
• Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, Elf 5
• David Rudman as Baby Bear, Humphrey, Elf 4
• Bryant Young as Rear End of Mr. Snuffleupagus
• Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog

Additional Muppets performed by Alice Dinnean, Peter Linz, Noel MacNeal, Pam Arciero, Jim Martin, John Tartaglia, Jim Kroupa, Alison Mork and Matt Vogel

External links

• Elmo Saves Christmas on IMDb
• Elmo Saves Christmas at Muppet Wiki