Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

When Fox celebrated the network's 25th year last spring, (even though, technically, it actually started the previous fall of '86 with the late night show "The Late Show starring Joan Rivers". The people in power are obviously only counting when its prime-time lineup began with "Married...with Children" the following year.) it picked this Simpsons Christmas special as the second show in its anniversary line-up that night between the first ep of that first show I mentioned in the parenthesis and the 25th anniversary special that followed. This longest-running TV family actually began life the two years prior to this initial episode of "The Simpsons" as a running animated skit of short length on "The Tracy Ullman Show". The buzz there led to a commitment to full-length series which ended up with an even bigger buzz which lasts to this day. It seems dad Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) won't get the Christmas bonus at work and Marge (Julie Kavner) had to spend her savings to get rid of son Bart's (Nancy Cartwright) tattoo. So Homer becomes a Santa at the mall but the check turns out to not be much. So he and Bart end up trying to win at the dog races and...If you haven't seen this, I won't reveal what happens. I'll just say that while the edge of those Tracy Ullman shorts are here, there's also some warmth that balances the humor. And hearing Lisa (Yeardley Smith) defend her father in front of in-laws Patty and Selma (both also voiced by Ms. Kavner) was also funny and touching. Really, this was a fine start for the iconic series. So on that note, Happy 25th, Fox!