The special was an annual tradition for years, taped at the historic Kennedy Cent--Wait, no, the National Building Museum. How about that? It's loaded with casual religious references, traditional music, and respect for the institutions of Washington D.C. If you aren't down with any of that, don't bother with these. And I don't just mean political institutions as targets for respect, either, this 1984 edition has an odd segment with Roger Mudd saluting journalism, then doing a bit on how TV news would have covered the Nativity!
The whole thing is formal and a bit awkward, but isn't that part of the magic of Christmas? It's nice to have at least one component of the holiday revolve around donning uncomfortable clothes and listening to choirs sing archaic lyrics as you hang around people you don't normally see in person. It works because it's Christmas!
That's part of the fun of this special and others in the series. Hal Linden is an amiable emcee who radiates sincere warmth (Not bad for a guy born Harold Lipshitz) and sings several numbers, including a duet with a big-shot opera singer. There is some gentle comedy, a Naval Glee Club, and everything just looks classy. You even get The Osmonds, for heaven and nature's sake!
Nell Carter appears and is introduced as "irrepressible," which isn't as cool as "force of nature," but we will take it. There is a segment with First Lady Nancy Reagan introducing footage of gingerbread housemaking at the White House. It all ends with a warm set of remarks from the president himself, Brandon Tartikoff. No, it's Ronald Reagan.
I wouldn't want to watch a bunch of this each year, but one of them hits just right. This 1984 version is a great piece of entertainment in itself and also a fun trip back to a different era.
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