15 unexpected Christmas specials you have to see to believe

The Star Wars Holiday Special

This might be one of the strangest holiday specials on the entire list. It has gone down in history as a cult classic, but people are still baffled by it. Who let this happen? It aired on CBS way back in 1978 following the success of the original film. When it was a huge hit, they saw an opportunity to make big bucks, and that’s when the giant empire of Star Wars merch began… but maybe this holiday special would’ve been better off left on the cutting room floor.

Before I get into what the special actually was, you might be wondering just how bad this special could’ve been. Well, George Lucas has said about the special, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that special and smash it.” Obviously, that just makes people want to watch it more! Since George Lucas was so unhappy with it, it has never re-aired and was never released on VHS or DVD, but many crafty fans have gotten their hands on bootleg copies over the years.

The two-hour special follows Chewbacca and Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon, on their way to visit Chewbacca’s family in Kashyyyk. They’re going to visit for Life Day, which is a Wookie Holiday, and we get to see Chewie’s family getting ready for the big day. Two stormtroopers and officers force their way into Chewie’s house, searching for him. They distract them with food and a music video box, which plays a Jefferson Starship video, and then they play them a cartoon of one of Chewbacca’s many adventures, which the audience gets to watch too!

Now, this was a two-hour special so I won’t get into all the specifics. But some of the weirdest aspects of this TV event were the guest stars and the fact that it was a musical. Bea Arthur, probably best known as Dorothy from The Golden Girls, plays a character named Ackmena, and sings “Good Night, Not Goodbye”. It also features many of the film’s stars in their original roles, including Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher.

This one is a big undertaking to watch, mostly because it’s so ridiculous, but if you’re a Star Wars fan, I’m sure you’ll find the time to have a good laugh at it.