I wonder if it’s one of the anti-sprawl, pro-urbanism articles like this one? Pottersville was far more happening than Bedford Falls!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/-it-s-a-wonderful-life-as-urbanist-fable
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Santa Claus is my favorite. There’s too many irritating characters in the other two. We also just rewatched The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t. I love the riffs they do as all the kids are bringing money to Santa, but they hammer the ‘little baby’ jokes too much.
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Interesting. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks.
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I’m not ashamed to admit that I feel as much tender childhood nostalgia and affection for the Mexican Santa Claus as anybody has ever felt for The Wizard of Oz or Miracle on 34th st.
In grad school, I majored in Italian in a program that was heavy on film. The first time I learned what neorealism ACTUALLY was-- gritty, unflinching, postwar reality-- I remembered Crow’s riff in response to glittery surreal candycane nonsense and nearly lost it in class.
Unfortunately, the program has me so burned out on Italian cinema that the Xmas that almost wasn’t was really hard to take!
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I gave Mr. Potroast the right to pick tonight’s pizza-accompanying movie. He chose original Martians. But we may do the rest later once the new week commences.
We reviewed all the RT seasonal stuff last weekend, and chased those with several of Josh Way’s versions of the various “classic” shorts.
Anyway, still wondering what’s in the pipe, Santa? 
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I am not burned out on Italian cinema, and I found TCTAW a pretty hard slog.
Plus all the questions about how you can have a landlord in a place where there isn’t any land or how Santa can be held by a lease in a place that has no government. And not getting the present you wanted is an excuse for being an obnoxious jerk? If that were the case, I’d be the most obnoxious jerk in the solar system.
Also, there’s just no whimsy or joy.
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What?! The dog they leased from the Manos director wasn’t whimsical enough for ya’ ?!?! 
Me, now watching the movie that started it all, as the reporter says,
“Wowie Wow! , I’d hate to meet a creature like THAT on a dark night!!”
Yeah, and I’d rather sit through this turkey than endure The Dark Knight !!
THANK YOU!!
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They have not- though it is ripe for the riffing!
There’s another thread on options/suggestions for Christmas titles: https://forums.mst3k.com/t/new-christmas-episode-suggestions/5661
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It’s weird, I liked the idea that Santa would be super awkward around kids because he’s never met one that was awake. It had potential, they just never developed it. And I could absolutely get behind a Christmas film with an evil landlord antagonist, even a contrived one.
But holy hell, this movie was like if Fellini lost a bet and had to direct a film written by the Keebler elves.
Happy to say that tonight I gave the episode a rematch and came back from my defeat. Turns out I appreciated the riffs better sober!
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