A Blast from Christmases past: “Nick Picks Holiday” Review

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Product Specifications:

According to the description on the back, it is 172 minutes or 2 hours and 52 minutes long. That being said, a significant portion of that time is taken up by beginning and end credits. The collection first hit shelves in 2006 and, unsurprisingly, is not rated.

While I was nosing around Wal-Mart a couple days ago (doing a little grocery shopping, a little gift shopping, a little window shopping), I came across this beauty : “Nick Picks Holiday,” a DVD of seven old school Nickelodeon Christmas episodes for just under $4. In tribute to the hundreds of happy hours I spent watching Nicktoons when I was a little kid, I had to pick it up and make its review the post with which I launch my blog. I'll begin by giving you the basic run down on the DVD. Then, I'll talk briefly about each episode before summing up with my thoughts on the product as a whole.

The Episodes:

The Finster Who Stole Christmas (All Grown Up)

When Chuckie accidentally steals a Christmas tree from a neighborhood family, he has to figure out how to make it right without ruining his own family's Christmas, too. I must say, I connect with Chuckie's frustration about past failed Christmases on a spiritual level. Also, I like the quirkiness of the fact that Dill and Tommy spend most of the episode trying to write a hit Hanukkah song. What I don't understand is why one earth the Finsters even have a live tree; the Chuckie and Chaz I know from the Rugrats would probably be allergic to trees...or afraid of them.

Christmas Who? (Spongebob Squarepants)

After Sandy tells him about the wonders of Christmas and Santa Clause, Spongebob convinces Bikini Bottom to send letters to the jolly guy, hoping that he'll them the gifts they ask for. However, Santa never shows and Squidward is left to bind up Spongebob's broken heart. I think I liked this episode even more than I did when I was a little kid. However, I enjoyed the details more than the actual plot. For example, it tickled me that when Squidward plays the part of Santa, Spongebob is enamored with his gigantic nose (which somehow doesn't seem strange when Squidward is himself), and says, “His belly was small, but his nose was huge with Christmas joy!” So now noses grow in proportion to the amount of joy their owners experience? This is news to me. I also really REALLY loved the song, "Very First Christmas." 

Christmas Every Day! (The Fairly OddParents)

Timmy's wish that it would be Christmas every day sends the world spiraling out of control, and he must band together with the world's children to prevent Santa from being sent by other holiday figures to the imaginary February 33^rd. The only thing I like about this episode was that it took a very cliché concept (the Christmas everyday idea) and twisted it; in this version everyone is aware that Christmas mysteriously keeps coming and the population experiences the effects of it, including the looting of stores and a cash shortage because the banks are closed. Unfortunately, the other holiday figures are intolerably annoying and I'm deeply disturbed by the fact that Timmy is being raised by absentee parents and a very abusive babysitter. Sorry, Fairly OddParent fans, I just didn't like this one

The Santa Experience (Rugrats)

In this episode, Tommy attempts to catch Santa to prove to Chuckie that he isn't dangerous, and Angelica (in fear of getting coal from Santa) attempts to set right a wrong she committed against Phil and Lil. This was one of my favorite holiday specials growing up, and I was worried that I wouldn't like it now that I'm an adult. I did, though. I enjoyed the realistic irony of Angelica's mom spending the entire holiday yelling at one of her employees on the phone. Of Course I know what to do, Jonathon. I inherently know what to do. I especially enjoyed the precociousness of the babies, as they attempted to capture and question Santa. Using the popcorn strung on a string to try to trip Santa is genius. I also enjoyed the wide-eyed wonder of the babies meeting Santa.The 

Fright Before Christmas (Danny Phantom)

As punishment for his bad yule-tide attitude, Danny gets stuck in a story in which the writer destroys everyone's holiday and Danny gets blamed for it. He must stop the Ghost Writer and restore joy to his friends and family. While I could have done without three quarters of the dialog being in rhyme, I rather enjoyed this one, too. The bad guy was decently sinister and Danny's parents' feud over the existence of Santa was comical because, let's be honest, parents can be like that.

A Robot for All Seasons (My Life as a Teenage Robot)

After being put under mind control by bitter, rich child, Jenny destroys all the holidays for an entire year. It is not until Christmas comes around again that she realize what is happening, and then she must enlist the help of a friend to save the holiday and regain the good graces of her friends and family. This was definitely the episode that surprised me the most. I was just as surprised as Jenny to learn of the damage that she'd done, and just as confused as she was to learn that she didn't remember what she had done during the last year. For that reason, I'd say it was a success.

When Santas Collide (ChalkZone)

After getting into an argument with is parents, Rudy flees to ChalkZoke to enjoy the annual coordinated lift off of eight Santas. However, he accidentally creates a gigantic disaster, threatening the delivery of toys and his ability to return to the real world before ruining his family's Christmas. Oh dear, this show was just...stupid. The parents acted like idiots (which they always do, if I remember right.), Rudy had a horrible attitude, and in ChalkZone they all celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Ramadan together. For goodness sakes', Ramadan is a spring holiday! How on earth does this work?

The Bottom Line:

I enjoyed this dive into the Christmas specials of my childhood. Was it riveting or enchanting? No. Was it life-changing? Absolutely not. However, I did enjoy comparing the different show's interpretations of Santa Clause. While Timmy admits that Santa is a little off his rocker in, Christmas Every Day, in a Robot of all Seasons, Santa a charming, generous mean, with a surprising amount of pluck. I also enjoyed watching all of the yuletide grumps, perhaps because I tend to be a yuletide. Grump myself. (Secretly, I think I've become Squidward; I'm forever getting frustrated with noisy neighborhoods, and I even used to play the clarinet.)

Recommendations:

If you've never seen these shows before, I don't really recommend them. There's nothing particularly amazing about most of them, and I'm not sure you'll like them if you aren't already emotionally invested in the series. However, if you grew up on them, by all means, go out and grab this DVD. It's a great trip into 90's nostalgia and a great way to feel like a little kid again for a few minutes.  

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