Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol

The word "humbug" is misunderstood by many people, which is a pity since the word provides a key insight into Scrooge's hatred of Christmas. The word "humbug" describes deceitful efforts to fool people by pretending to a fake loftiness or false sincerity. So when Scrooge calls Christmas a humbug, he is claiming that people only pretend to charity and kindness in a scoundrel effort to delude him, each other, and themselves. In Scrooge's eyes, he is the one man honest enough to admit that no one really cares about anyone else, so for him, every wish for a Merry Christmas is one more deceitful effort to fool him and take advantage of him. This is a man who has turned to profit because he honestly believes everyone else will someday betray him or abandon him the moment he trusts them.

The Cratchits repeatedly wish for a Christmas tree. In 1843, when "A Christmas Carol" was published and presumably takes place, German-style Christmas trees had just been introduced to England by the Royal Family, and were unknown to working class people such as the Cratchits.

Although shown in its entire 53-minute version during the 1960s, many current television prints of the "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" have been cut by as much as 10 minutes to make room for longer commercial breaks. The "Back to Broadway" framing story is often eliminated, as well as the songs "Ringle, Ringle" and "We're Despicable".

Featured in Hill Street Blues: Santaclaustrophobia (1982)