Dec 24 2008
Popcultured 25 Days of Christmas: The Year Without a Santa Claus
The final show in my favorite trio of Rankin-Bass specials (along side “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, this one first aired in 1974. “The Year Without a Santa Claus” was a stop-motion special about the year that Santa was too sick to trek around the world and deliver presents.
The voice of Santa Claus was Mickey Rooney and his wife, Mrs. Claus, was voiced by the delightful Shirley Booth—that alone was enough to give this special some real star power.
But what was most memorable about this story? A duo of dueling brothers— Heat Miser and the Snow Miser, sons of Mother Nature. Their angry songs “I’m Mr. Heat Miser” and “I’m Mr. Snow Miser” have become pop culture classics and have turned them into Christmas icons.
