BLOGMAS| Favourite Christmas Specials

One of my favourite things about Christmas is those one off TV specials that are always a little bit naff, a little bit of cheese and a little bit of cheer. So, for today's post, I thought I would share three that I always watch - no matter where I am.

1. Episode: Jolly Boy's Outing 
TV Show: Only Fools and Horses
First Aired: 25th December, 1989

I can practically hear my flatmate's eyes rolling - and rightfully so. Only Fools and Horses might just be my favourite sitcom of all time. I've watched every episode more times than I can remember to the point where within 10 seconds of the episode I can relay the punch line to whoever I'm watching it with (usually my Nan or my Mum). Jolly Boys' Outing sees Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert on a day out to Margate, until their coach blows up and they're forced to spend the night in a questionable hotel. 
Not a very Christmassy episode, but it's a great laugh that brings my family together. Which with the dysfunctional family I have - we bloody need it.

2. TV Show: Doctor Who
Episode: The Christmas Invasion
First Aired: 25th December, 2005

Another one that has everyone rolling their eyes at me. You knew Doctor Who was bound to end up on this list, so leave me alone. 
This one is definitely not the best Christmas episode of Doctor Who, but it is the one that I have the most memories associated with it. And for me, nostalgia triumphs for me. I remember isolating myself from my family at the tender age of seven to sit in my Nan's back room (served as a second living room) because no one else in my family liked it, in fact, they still don't. It gave me all the elements of RTD's era of Who that I have come to deeply love and appreciate, like the tension of Rose's choice between the Doctor and her family and how family, as a unit, became integral to all the companions of this era. 
Plus, David Tennant's speech when he first comes out of the TARDIS is still one of my favourite throughout the history of the show. And I still think the 13th Doctor's speech in The Woman Who Fell to Earth was too similar. 

3. TV Show: The Snowman
First Aired: 26th December, 1982

This might not be a usual Christmas episode, because it's not part of an episodic Television show, however, this list is about what I watch on the telly during the Christmas season so its here. Deal with it. 
There have been multiple versions of the opening made during its 36-year history. The one I'm more familiar with is the 20th-anniversary edition with Father Christmas recounting the story. The one I love more is the version with David Bowie's narration at the beginning that has now made its appearance back on our screens. 
It's 30 minutes of music based animation that breaks my heart everytime I watch it. In our house, it isn't Christmas without seeing The Snowman at least three times.