Holidays with the Addams Family - MGM Studios
| “ | You remember Santa Claus' motto. 'Through hail or sleet or dark of night...' Oh no, that's the postman. Well, no matter. They both deliver things. | ” |
— Morticia Addams | ||
"Christmas with the Addams Family" is the Christmas episode of the ABC sitcom The Addams Family, based on the comic strip created by Charles Addams, produced and aired on Christmas Eve of 1965 as the fifteenth episode of its second season.
Synopsis[]
On Christmas Eve, at the Addams Family household, Gomez and Morticia are working on wrapping Christmas presents when Lurch enters, bringing them a gift sent to Gomez from the Maharajah of Manipur. After Lurch leaves (during which Gomez and Morticia keep his present hidden from him), they open the package to find it's a snake-charming basket. After Morticia demonstrates it for her husband, Gomez gives it a try, but sounds so bad the snake goes right back into the basket ("Everybody's a critic"). Pugsley and Wednesday then enter and, after being told that Gomez just received a Christmas present, remark that it must not have come from Santa Claus, the reason being that the Addams' hateful next-door neighbor, Mr. Thompson, has told them that there is no Santa Claus. Gomez and Morticia tell their kids not to worry, reminding them that they previously disproved Mr. Thompson's claims when he rained on their cherished Halloween beliefs in a previous episode.
Soon after, the kids come upon Uncle Fester as he's setting up the Addams' needle-less Christmas tree ("Without all those little sharp needles, it's got plenty of room for Santa to hang more presents on!") and tell him about what Mr. Thompson told them. After Fester also assures them that Santa's real and the kids leave, Gomez and Morticia decide they'll need a "back-up Santa" in case the real one doesn't show up so that the kids don't lose their faith. They nominate Fester for the job, and Morticia calls up Kaski's Costumers to rent a Santa costume. Fester doesn't think he's right for it, but after realizing how heartbroken the kids will be if Santa doesn't show, he promptly heads off for the costume shop.
That night, Fester is up on the roof in his Santa costume and prepares to go down the chimney, but gets stuck when he does. Down below in the living room, Gomez and Morticia are decorating the tree when Gomez wonders what's keeping Fester so long. Shortly after, Morticia sings "Deck the Halls" to the family and then tells the kids that they should get ready for bed, despite that they're really starting to doubt that Santa's coming. After Pugsley and Wednesday head up to bed, Grandmama remarks that they probably shouldn't have gotten Fester to play Santa, and Gomez figures he "must've broken his axle somewhere." Morticia says they'll just have to get another Santa, and all the family members try to think of where to get one.
Gomez meets a charity worker and offers him $25,000 to rent his Santa suit (resulting in the charity worker now doing his job dressed in Gomez's suit). He then climbs up the house to the kids' room as Pugsley and Wednesday are writing a letter for Santa ("He sure answers letters fast"). Gomez presents his kids with the presents they wanted (a Marie Antoinette doll for Wednesday, and a bow and arrow for Pugsley) and then leaves, tumbling to the ground. As soon as he has left, however, Grandmama shows up at the kids' bedroom door, also dressed as Santa, much to the kids' confusion. The kids privately deduce that's actually Grandmama in front of them, but they don't question it as she too gives them the same gifts Gomez just gave them (the kids figure they can give the extra ones to a poor kid). The kids then go downstairs to see if Santa left anything else under the tree when they're suddenly intercepted by Lurch, also dressed as Santa and giving them a Marie Antoinette doll and bow and arrow. Again, the kids quickly deduce that this is actually a fake Santa, but they play along with it, telling him that he's already given them three of the same toys, to Lurch's confusion ("I don't think Santa counts very well"). They then turn around to find Cousin Itt playing Santa and, once again, presenting them with a doll and a bow and arrow. After he leaves, Morticia then comes down the stairs in a Santa costume and, before she can give her kids their gifts, notices they've already got four dolls and four bows and arrows. Things get crazier when all the other family members reappear in their Santa costumes.
At that point, Uncle Fester finally comes crashing down the chimney and, noticing the other adults in their costumes, tries to cover it up by saying they're his assistants, but Pugsley and Wednesday immediately recognize him. Wednesday admits to the adults that she and Pugsley are grateful for what they did, but it's just a shame the real Santa never showed up. Just then, the Addams notice that a very traditional (non-Addams) tree and gifts have suddenly appeared in their living room, and Thing points to the snow that has appeared on the floor, despite the lack of snow outside. Gomez figures that the real Santa must have snuck in and done this while their backs were turned... and his suspicions are confirmed when they hear the real Santa saying "Merry Christmas" outside. Later, as Gomez and Morticia are enjoying the gifts they gave each other, Fester tells them that he was able to exchange Pugsley's extra bows and arrows for a chemistry set and just taught him how to mix what he thought was fudge... but it turned out to be gunpowder. The episode ends on the whole family singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".
Songs[]
Uncredited
Availability[]
The episode was made available on The Addams Family: Volume 3 DVD set, released by MGM Home Entertainment through 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on September 11, 2007.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| John Astin | Gomez Addams |
| Carolyn Jones | Morticia Addams |
| Lisa Loring | Wednesday Addams |
| Ken Weatherwax | Pugsley Addams |
| Jackie Coogan | Uncle Fester |
| Ted Cassidy | Lurch |
| Marie Blake | Grandmama |
| Felix Silla | Cousin Itt |
| Gregg Martell | Mission Santa Claus |
See also[]
External links[]
- The Addams Family Wiki: Christmas with the Addams Family
- "Christmas with the Addams Family" at the Internet Movie Database
- "Christmas with the Addams Family" recap at TV Tropes