How Did This Get Made?

The Christmas Tree (1991)

Nov 28, 2025
Dive into a bizarre holiday world with a 1991 animated special that raises eyebrows and laughter. The hosts dissect a story featuring a gambling orphanage owner and her tragically beloved tree. They critique everything from the jarring narration and questionable parenting to the town's ridiculous priorities over a missing child. Paul's childhood tales of dry-land mushing add hilarity to the chaos, while Santa's lightning powers leave them bewildered. Is this the worst holiday special? They'll tell you!
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INSIGHT

Cheap Animation Masks Story Gaps

  • The Christmas Tree feels older than its 1991 date due to cheap, recycled animation and rushed narration.
  • The hosts conclude the film's production used leftover cells and heavy narration to mask missing animation.
INSIGHT

Tree Over Kids As Emotional Center

  • The movie centers emotionally on a tree named Mrs. Hopewell rather than the orphaned children.
  • That misplaced focus creates a bizarre moral axis where the tree outranks missing or abused kids.
INSIGHT

Gambling Explains, Not Excuses, Neglect

  • Mrs. Mavilda’s gambling addiction explains diverted funds but not full motive or oversight failures.
  • Hosts see her losses partly as self-destructive behavior that keeps the orphanage in ruinous disrepair.
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