Customer Reviews

Christmas Comedy Classics

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...you can be sure those are Tiny Tim Chestnuts roasting!"

My belief in Christmas comedy started about the same time as "me and Grampa"'s belief in Santa. Like many others, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" was for me love at first listen. It is one of several guaranteed laugh-magnets on this CD.

Another great track is the (more sketch-like than anything else) "Green Christmas" by Stan Freberg (see the title of my review). In it, an Ebenezer Scrooge who is overly obsessed with Christmas-commercialism tries to explain the greener side of the jolly holiday to a Bob Cratchit who is all about celebrating a Savior's birthday. This is the only track on the CD which represents the true meaning (or at least what ought to be and once was the true meaning) of why we have this holiday. And even this track will draw plenty of laughs.

Clearly, not every song on here is intended to draw laughs. Some of the songs are simply classic children's songs, such as the Chipmunks' "The Christmas Song" (not to be confused with Mel Torme's song of the same title). At least one song is more or less a mix between classic children's Christmas and comedy, such as "Nuttin' For Christmas".

One of my personal favorites is Yogi Yorgessons's "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas". I especially enjoyed his classic line,

On Christmas, I hug and I kiss my wife's mother.
The rest of the year, we don't speak to each other.

Most Christmas CDs are intended to leave the listener with a nostalgic feeling of Christmastime. The only problem is that the concept of "Christmastime nostalgia" can be interpreted in over a dozen different ways. But, make no mistake, this CD will also provide that/those nostalgic feeling(s).

All in all, this CD will make a very unique and entertaining addition to anyone's Christmas collection.

I found this record very funny the first time I heard it. After that it was mildly amusing. It is okay in moderation. However, My eight year old son got a hold of it and he loves it. I can't get him to stop playing it. As you can imagine, it gets incredibly annoying after a while.

This is a decent collection of Christmas novelty records. It contains my personal favorite, Stan Freberg's "Green Chri$tma$". Other highlights include Freberg's "Nuttin' For Christmas", Yogi Yorgenson's "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas", two songs by Mel Blanc and the rarely heard nowadays "The Happy Reindeer". But I do have some criticisms to make. Instead of the hit version of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy, they use a poor cover version by the Irish Rovers. And instead of the hit version of "Monster's Holiday" by Bobby 'Boris' Pickett, they substitute Lon Chaney, Jr.'s inferior cover version (which does admittedly have a cool ending, with Chaney turning into the Wolf Man). And how exactly is "Auld Lang Syne" by Guy Lombardo a "comedy classic"? But this is still a pretty good, inexpensive CD.

The number one Christmas cassette in our family and circle of friends is "Christmas Comedy Classics" various artists. Gets us in the mood for Christmas. We clean, we cook, we talk, we laugh and we sing along. Very up beat. And we SHOP! All to the music from this cassette.

When I was growing up, we had this CD. We would listen to it while we decorated the inside of the house for Christmas (along with a few others) and now I get to share this with my family. I love this time of year and am so happy with my purchase. :)

Many of the best pieces on the collection, such as Sten Freburg's work, have been compiled previously by Doctor Demento. Lon Chaney's cover of Bobby Pickett's "Monster Holiday" (which Pickett didn't want to do but did to fulfill a contract) far outshines the grudging original, and we have The Chipmunks, Yogi Yorgesson, Mel Blanc, and a Guy Lombardo instruemental of "Auld Lang Syne" that doesn't really belong.

Three tracks are not as easy to find, the mildly amusing '50s ballad "The Happy Reindeer is OK, and "Jingle Bells (Laughing All the Way)" by St. Nick is a novelty track in which whoever St. Nick really is laughs entirely through the song instead of singing it.

I suspect the cause of the skyrocketed price is The Irish Rovers' performance of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," which I cannot find on any other album. The Irish Rovers released a recording of the song on their 2000 album _Songs of Christmas_, but this compilation is from 1985. Although they perform the same arrangement that they do here, it was newly recorded, and doesn't quite have the same verve as this earlier performance. The Irish Rovers may be only the second act to perform the macabre Randy Brooks classic first recorded by Elmo and Patsy. The folk approach of the Rovers is not far removed from the country style of Elmo and Patsy (and later Dr. Elmo), but will likely appeal to a different audience sector entirely. I prefer it to Elmo's version. As much as I enjoy the Irish Rovers' Christmas release, I don't have this on CD and keep my cassette edition handy each year.

I used to listen to this tape as a kid when i was decorating the Christmas tree with my mom.
So to get it as an adult in CD form is awesome!
I received it promptly and seller was very helpful.

This was more stupid than I had expected. But since some pieces are difficult to find as they're so old, I was glad to get it.

Most of the songs are worth a chuckle (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer being one of the more entertaining!) but the hands-down absolutely irreplaceable can't-live-without song is the Jingle Bells (Laughing All the Way) track. I dare anyone to listen to that and not laugh at least once!!! It makes you smile ... it makes you feel good ... it is definitely a classic. It's brimming over with the fun, goofy, silly side of Christmas. (The real meaning of Christmas is something else entirely.) This is just the light-hearted stuff that makes the Christmas season extra-happy. A must-have, to be sure!!!

Every year when my mother would bring out the Christmas decorations, she would also bring out all of our Christmas albums. Out of the ten CD's we had, we always ended up listening to this same cassette over and over again. I'm hoping to upgrade it to CD soon so that it will last forever since I absoulutly LOVE this album. It's good for a few laughs or just to feel good. But mainly I enjoy it because of the history I have with it. So in short...I reccomend it STRONGLY!