The office party. The shopping. The traffic. The toy the kid wants was sold out weeks ago.
It's a nightmare, really. And at this time of the year, some people seek solace in odd rituals. Say, looking forward to a lengthy feature on The Year in Politics. (Spoiler alert: It ends with, "We now live in a Magic Kingdom.")
Some people make lists: "Enemies I must attack in 2016." Others desire an old-fashioned feel-good story. Or songs of joy and/or melancholy featuring snow, children and/or small animals. It helps with the stress of work, shopping and worrying about what to wear to the office party.
And then there is the traditional holiday TV special. You know the type – somebody always sings Baby, It's Cold Outside, as if you needed a reminder.
There's a very traditional one Thursday night, and an attempt at an alternative holiday special is now streaming on Netflix. Let's assess.
First, I want it noted that I believe the world can be divided into three categories of people: people who smile at the mention of Michael Bublé, those who shrug and those who shudder. I'm in the shudder category, but I'm not dictatorial about it.
Michael Bublé's Christmas in Hollywood (NBC, CBC, 8 p.m. ET) is one the first new specials out of the gate. It is described by NBC as this: "Beloved crooner Michael Bublé returns to NBC for his fifth fun-filled Christmas special featuring a night of music, comedy and celebration."
Right, well, it's also on CBC and it has been a while since CBC simulcasted a U.S. network special, so it's also a très Canadian thing.
What it involves is Celine Dion, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Tori Kelly joining Bublé for "special performances," and Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Eva Longoria, William Shatner, Jay Leno and Blake Shelton doing alleged comedy high jinks. Jay Leno, no less. It has come to this for Leno – low on the list of jokesters in a Michael Bublé holiday special.
The songs, if you must know, are This Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus, Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and, you know, more. Further, Bublé "will be accompanied by his band for an intimate 'unplugged' medley of songs requested by his social media followers." If you to ask me for a response, I'd say "gag me" but you didn't ask me and I will not begrudge anyone their pleasure.
A Very Murray Christmas (now streaming on Netflix) is weird. A little bit wonderful, but only in passing moments and, over all, just weird.
If you're a huge admirer of Bill Murray's mildly dyspeptic comedy style, you'll adore it. If you're not, you'll find a holiday special that seems in search of a theme and a point, even while it was being made.
It is an homage to classic Christmas specials and at the same time an alternative – a Christmas special that is falling apart and features swearing and moments of outrageous comedy. Getting a handle on it is like getting your hands on the toy the kid wants that was sold out weeks ago.
The rather slight premise has Murray doing a Christmas-themed cabaret at the Carlyle Hotel, and ready to do the show as a live TV broadcast. But the weather's crummy, and the airports and subways are closed, meaning he has no guests and no audience. He has to make do with the few people who wander into the hotel.
Amy Poehler and Julie White play his agitated producers, but their comedy lines aren't exactly zingers. Michael Cera does a nice, brief turn as a TV exec who spouts nonsense. Along comes Chris Rock, the best part of the special, who swears and jeers. It's very funny for a few minutes. Maya Rudolph does a beautiful job with a couple of songs and Paul Shaffer is around all the time to play piano and feed lines to Murray. Eventually there are shenanigans with George Clooney and Miley Cyrus in a ramshackle hurray-for-the-holidays celebration.
Directed and co-written by Sofia Coppola, A Very Murray Christmas feels like a wisp of an idea that Netflix funded but nobody involved had time to refine it before it was filmed and packaged.
Both specials feature very different showbiz types, in Bublé and Murray. But the specials are essentially the same. If you're looking for a fresh take on the TV holiday special, keep looking.