Sesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas (1996-2000 VHS)



Here's the opening and closing to the 1996, 1997, and 1998 VHS of Sesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas.

Release Date
September 3, 1996 (original)

September 2, 1997 (1st re-release)

September 1, 1998 (2nd re-release)

Original version

 * 1) Monster Hits (1996 VHS) (September 3, 1996)
 * 2) Getting Ready to Read (1996 VHS) (September 3, 1996)
 * 3) Dance Along! (1996 VHS) (September 3, 1996)
 * 4) Big Bird's Story Time (1996 VHS) (October 8, 1996)
 * 5) Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World (1996 VHS) (October 8, 1996)
 * 6) Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1996 VHS) (November 12, 1996)
 * 7) 1-2-3 Count with Me (1997 VHS) (July 8, 1997)
 * 8) Elmo Says Boo! (1997 VHS) (July 8, 1997)
 * 9) William Wegman's Mother Goose (1997 VHS) (September 2, 1997)

Alternate version

 * 1) The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998 VHS) (September 1, 1998)
 * 2) Elmo Saves Christmas (1998 VHS) (September 1, 1998)
 * 3) Elmo Says Boo! (1998 VHS) (September 1, 1998)
 * 4) The Three Tenors Christmas (2000 VHS) (October 31, 2000)

Characters

 * Zoe
 * Telly Monster
 * Baby Bear
 * Humphrey
 * Natasha (cameo)
 * Anything Muppets (cameo)
 * Sherry Netherland (cameo)
 * Grundgetta (cameo)
 * Bob
 * Gina
 * Tarah
 * The Kids
 * Big Bird
 * Cookie Monster
 * Elmo
 * Forgetful Jones (cameo)
 * Mr. Handford
 * Oscar the Grouch
 * Grover
 * Mr. Snuffleupagus
 * Granny Snuffle (mentioned)
 * Count Von Count
 * Benny Rabbit
 * Maria
 * Luis
 * Gabi
 * Penguins (cameo)
 * Gordon
 * Susan (mentioned)
 * Miles (mentioned)
 * Carlo
 * Rosita
 * Kermit the Frog
 * Lightning
 * Santa's Elves
 * Mr. Johnson
 * Dancing Easter Eggs
 * Chickens
 * Joey and Davey Monkey (cameo)
 * Ernie (cameo)
 * Bert (cameo)
 * Toucan (cameo)
 * Prairie Dawn (cameo)
 * Ingrid (cameo)
 * Herry Monster (cameo)
 * AM Monsters (cameos)

Other Characters

 * Maya Angelou
 * Santa Claus
 * Easter Bunny
 * 14 Karat Soul

Songs

 * It's Christmas Again
 * Every Day Can't Be Christmas
 * Give Your Friend an Easter Egg for Christmas
 * All I Want for Christmas is You
 * Keep Christmas with You (All Through the Year)

Synopsis
The special begins with Maya Angelou, Telly, Zoe, Baby Bear, and some kids sitting together next to a Christmas tree. When Telly, Baby Bear, and Zoe want to know what it's like if every day were Christmas, it reminds Maya of a story she wants to tell of a little monster who saved Christmas and then almost lost it again...

It all begins at Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, when everyone shops for presents and Bob leads singers in singing carols ("It's Christmas Again"), while Elmo buys a pile of Christmas cookies from Hooper's Store. On the way to Elmo's home, he passes by Cookie Monster, who wants to borrow some. Elmo denies and says that the cookies are for Santa Claus. So, Cookie dresses up as Santa to get the cookies, but Elmo easily recognizes Cookie in his disguise. Meanwhile, Mr. Snuffleupagus is taking a trip to Cincinnati to visit his granny for Christmas and says goodbye to his friend, Big Bird.

At home, Elmo sets the plate of cookies on the table next to the chimney. Elmo decides to stay up all night long this year so that he can see Santa. At midnight, while Elmo falls asleep, he is awakened when he sees someone stuck in the chimney. Elmo pulls Santa Claus down from the chimney. Santa says he has never been stuck just before Elmo was born. As he rummages in his sack, out pops his stowaway reindeer, Lightning. Santa grounds him for intending to ride on his sleigh, even though he is fast and strong and if a reindeer gets hurt, he could fill in, and if Santa got stuck the whole night, there would've been no Christmas.

Santa Claus tells Elmo that he saves Christmas to everyone and rewards him either the pink bear or the magic snow globe; the latter can give three wishes. Elmo chooses the globe and asks how he can make a wish. Santa tells him to just shake it and say "Blitzen", to which Elmo does when he wishes for a glass of water, because he is thirsty. Elmo thanks Santa for the globe, before Santa punishes Lightning as he sends him up the chimney and asks him to sit in the back of the sleigh and remain quiet until they get to the North Pole.

The next morning, Elmo's friends give him gifts, including Rosita, who gives him a big kiss. Elmo becomes so happy now that it's Christmas Day and wonders what would happen if every day were Christmas. As he realizes, he decides to make it his second wish. He shakes the snow globe and shouts "Blitzen!"... but everything looks the same to Elmo so far.

Meanwhile in Santa's workshop, while the Elves are packing for their vacation, the Christmasometer goes off, reminding them that it's Christmas again! They go to tell Santa. One of them asks if he gave someone (Elmo) three wishes again. Santa accepts and goes out to talk to him. He asks for a sleigh and reindeer, but Lightning is all they have now (because all the others are sleeping). Santa agrees that Lightning can help him. Back on Sesame Street, in Hooper's Store, everyone watches the News, hosted by Kermit the Frog, who announces that tomorrow will be Christmas again!

The next day, everyone is happy, now that it's Christmas again, but when Santa stops by at Sesame Street, he warns Elmo that he cannot have Christmas every day. He explains to him that it's a bad idea and convinces that "if every day were Christmas, there wouldn't be Christmas at all" ("Every Day Can't Be Christmas"). Santa tells Elmo he is going for a sleigh ride, with Lightning as the lead.

Santa instructs Lightning to take Elmo to see what Christmas is like in the spring, summer, and finally Christmas in the next year. Santa puts Elmo's snow globe in his backpack, before the sleigh takes off. They first travel to the spring. People are still happy, but Big Bird misses Snuffy for 124 straight days and has to write as many letters as he can, but unfortunately they don't send mail on Christmas, and Grover sells "previously owned" Christmas trees. Elmo and Lightning then meet the Easter Bunny, who sings about celebrating Christmas and Easter together with Easter eggs as gifts ("Give Your Friend an Easter Egg for Christmas"), backed up by two hens.

Back in Santa's Workshop, Santa shows the Elves their mistake: a plush cow with rabbit ears! The Elves claim they have worked so long without any breaks. But then they decide to solve their problem; they should call this erroneous toy a Moobunny. Santa tells the Elves to set up the Moobunnys immediately. Another Elf comes in with a plush bunny with cow horns and asks what he should make of this. Santa decides to call this a Cabbit.

Elmo and Lightning later arrive at the Fourth of July. They see Maria and Luis still celebrating and not working. Maria, frustrated, decides to fix toasters immediately. Grover has used up all the Christmas trees, and is now selling a coat rack styled like a Christmas tree. Big Bird has missed Snuffy for about six months. He tries to call him, but the answering machine goes on. Big Bird leaves a long message, singing about wanting his best friend the most for Christmas ("All I Want For Christmas Is You"). Meanwhile, Oscar tells Elmo and Lightning that he loves that there are lots of broken toasters, worn-out Christmas trees and wrapping paper, and nothing on TV but "It's a Wonderful Life".

Elmo and Lightning then travel to when it's the official Christmas Day. But when they get there, Sesame Street is not the same as before. The Count has counted 365 straight Christmases and gets tired of counting them. They then see Bob and the singers singing too much and now they've lost their voices. Meanwhile, Grover calls out "Christmas Trees for Sale! Only 25 cents!" Mr. Johnson thinks he's selling Christmas trees again, even though they're gone. Grover reminds him that the Christmas trees have become an "endangered species", so he is now selling his sign reading: "CHRISTMAS TREES FOR SALE", for just 25 cents, making Mr. Johnson faint just when Grover decides to lower the price. Bert and Ernie pass by the TV playing "It's a Wonderful Life", and get confused when their names are mentioned. On the stoop of 123 Sesame Street, Big Bird is so sad about missing Snuffy for a whole year and is worried that he'll never see him again, while Luis closes the Fix It Shop for good. Elmo is depressed that his wish about Christmas every day is a big mistake, as he reprises "Every Day Can't Be Christmas" with Lightning.

Santa comes up to tell Elmo and Lightning that he's decided to retire. He wants to get out of business and move to Florida. When Elmo asks Santa what he should do about Christmas every day, Santa says he doesn't have a wish, and explains that "if somebody had a wish, they could make Christmas the way it used to be." This causes Elmo to realize that he has one wish left from his snow globe. He calls everyone to gather around, so Elmo can tell them that Elmo was the one who wished for Christmas every day, but he has one wish left. He wants to make Christmas the way it used to be when it was only one day a year (though it originally was for a pair of rollerblades), so after Elmo tells his final wish to the globe, he starts shaking too hard it falls to the ground and breaks, so his wish could never come true. Everyone leaves depressed, as Elmo apologizes. But then he gets an idea. He decides to go back in time to when Elmo pulled Santa out of the chimney, so Lightning travels with Elmo to the time he pulled Santa out of the chimney.

Elmo is about the choose the pink bear, when Santa tells him he can also have the Moobunny. Elmo chooses the Moobunny, while Santa gratefully tells Lightning to sit up front with him so he can teach him to become one of his reindeer. Elmo says goodbye to Santa and Lightning as they go up the chimney and wishes them a Merry Christmas.

And so, Maya allows her friends to learn that the spirit of Christmas can he kept in one's heart, while back on Sesame Street, the cast sings "Keep Christmas with You" (All Through the Year). During the bridge, Big Bird sees Snuffy coming to Sesame Street to explain that rather than visiting his Granny for Christmas, his Granny came here instead. Everyone sings the final chorus, with Elmo joining in. After they finish, Elmo shouts "Merry Christmas, everybody!" before the credits roll.