The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree

This wonderful Christmas special from the Berenstain Bears is a rhyming little gift for nostalgics and fans of good cartoon entertainment. Warm-hearted, with a good message, a witty humor and beautiful scribble-like drawings make this short treat a welcome Christmas present for young and old.

This seems like quite an obscure Xmas special, yet it appears to have a bit of a cult following. I'm not into Dr. Seuss-style rhyming myself, but it was bear-able. Man, I am so witty.

It features a family of country bears who head out into the forest on Xmas Eve to find the perfect Xmas tree. The problem is the very tree trunk is home to a skunk, and other forest animals. So they keep looking, and singing. Tree no. 2 is so regal it's home to an eagle. Yeah, I'm beginning to see where this is going.

The animation is nothing special, but the backgrounds are occasionally nice, and it succeeds in creating a nice, snowy atmosphere. I can't imagine I'll be watching this twice though.

The Berenstain Bears TV specials and the original book series were part of my childhood. So is the 1985 TV series, and thanks to YouTube, I can relive it. Out of the four TV specials that were made, I really love the three holiday specials, including this one, the very first Berenstain Bears special, "The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree."

The story goes that on the day before Christmas, Papa Bear and the cubs, Brother and Sister Bear, head out to get their Christmas tree. Mama tells them to get their tree from Grizzly Gus' tree lot, but Papa has decided to look for a tree higher up in the hills. And of course, Mama tells them to be back before it snows, but Papa thinks the weather will be fine to get a tree, and a sharp, shooting pain in his big toe would be a sign of snow. When Papa and the cubs climb up the mountains, they find a perfect tree. But which tree is a home to animals and birds? Will they find the perfect tree before the snow falls? You'll have to watch and find out. Spoilers, you know.

I know I've said this before, but I don't have a favorite scene because I love the whole special. Though I love the "Christmas Star" song. Overall, I think this special is a fantastic heartwarmer with a hint of humor, and it's a great addition to your holiday viewing.