This is one of my favorites on my Christmas DVD collection of over 20 sitcom Christmas shows. It starts with Ozzie and Harriet looking at the Christmas cards they've received and discussing which ones they like best. Ozzie hates ones where the sender doesn't write any sort of note. He then reads a sweet, sentimental card to Harriet, something that nicely concludes something about "hoping we can always include you in our list of closest friends." When Harriet asks who it's from, Ozzie deadpan replies that it's from their dry cleaners.
Most of the episode deals with Ozzie being tricked into agreeing to do everything for everyone--play Santa at one place, play Scrooge at another, and join in singing Carols with another group, while still finding time in the last few days before Christmas to buy and put up a tree and string lights outside the Nelson home. I particularly liked how neighbor Joe reports that the guy who normally plays Santa moved away and they don't have a suit. Ozzie says, "I have a suit" and Joe quickly thanks him for volunteering to do the job, knowing full well Ozzie only wanted to let them use his suit.
While shopping at a department store, Ozzie is visiting with a neighbor lady when he hears the P.A. calling, "Will Little Ozzie Nelson report to the Lost & Found" before the voice apologizes and asks for "Mr. Ozzie Nelson" to report.
One scene has Ozzie climbing a ladder outside his house, carrying lights, while practicing his Scrooge role with Ricky, sticking his head out the window and reading the lines of Marley's ghost. Throughout the show, Ozzie keeps getting interrupted with another request keeping him from finishing whatever he was working on.
Near the end, he feels frustrated at not getting anything done around the house because he was too busy with all his other activities, when his loving family shows that they were able to get the other things done.
This isn't a side-splitter comedy, but lots of gentle laughs wrapped around what was always portrayed as a realistic, happy, family. I will always remember Ozzie's distinctive rendition, practicing a bass voice for Deck the Halls, after the lady leading the carolers asked him, "Are you a bass?" and when Ozzie said he wasn't, she calmly asked him if he'd try to be, because they needed more bass voices. Fa la la la la.
Most of the episode deals with Ozzie being tricked into agreeing to do everything for everyone--play Santa at one place, play Scrooge at another, and join in singing Carols with another group, while still finding time in the last few days before Christmas to buy and put up a tree and string lights outside the Nelson home. I particularly liked how neighbor Joe reports that the guy who normally plays Santa moved away and they don't have a suit. Ozzie says, "I have a suit" and Joe quickly thanks him for volunteering to do the job, knowing full well Ozzie only wanted to let them use his suit.
While shopping at a department store, Ozzie is visiting with a neighbor lady when he hears the P.A. calling, "Will Little Ozzie Nelson report to the Lost & Found" before the voice apologizes and asks for "Mr. Ozzie Nelson" to report.
One scene has Ozzie climbing a ladder outside his house, carrying lights, while practicing his Scrooge role with Ricky, sticking his head out the window and reading the lines of Marley's ghost. Throughout the show, Ozzie keeps getting interrupted with another request keeping him from finishing whatever he was working on.
Near the end, he feels frustrated at not getting anything done around the house because he was too busy with all his other activities, when his loving family shows that they were able to get the other things done.
This isn't a side-splitter comedy, but lots of gentle laughs wrapped around what was always portrayed as a realistic, happy, family. I will always remember Ozzie's distinctive rendition, practicing a bass voice for Deck the Halls, after the lady leading the carolers asked him, "Are you a bass?" and when Ozzie said he wasn't, she calmly asked him if he'd try to be, because they needed more bass voices. Fa la la la la.
