There's something about the Christmas season -- the slower pace, the kids home from school, the parents home from work -- that lends itself to curling up in your pajamas and watching television.
For writer and admitted TV junkie Joanna Wilson, that connection has become a passion.
"Christmas specials have become a tradition, just like decorating a tree," said Wilson, author of The Christmas TV Companion: A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials and Outrageous Oddities.
She will be at the Augusta Public Library on Tuesday to discuss her latest effort, Tis the Season TV: The Encyclopedia of Christmas-Themed Episodes, Specials and Made-For-TV Movies.
Wilson said she read Rick Goldschmidt's The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass -- about the stop-motion animation studio that produced iconic TV specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy -- "cover to cover" ten years ago and has been devouring Christmas-themed television ever since.
Even while on the road promoting her book, she manages to sneak in some holiday TV. At a recent stop, she stumbled across a showing of Madeline's Christmas.
"Christmas follows me everywhere I go," she said.
I asked Wilson to recommended some titles for those looking to branch out from the usual Rudolph and A Christmas Story set.
Her answer showed terrific range: From the John Wayne-John Ford Christmas parable 3 Godfathers to the Hallmark Hall of Fame Special The Littlest Angel, a musical starring television icons Fred Gwynne, Johnny Whitaker and Tony Randall.
She also mentioned that the two-disc set of Bing Crosby's TV Christmas Specials is set to be released Tuesday: could make for a great gift.
Despite the explosive growth of Web sites like Hulu and You Tube, and the online availability of $1 DVDs, Wilson says the best place to find Christmas shows is still your public library.
"Nearly every Christmas special that gets made ends up on VHS or DVD," Wilson said. "Every library I go to ... no matter how small the library, they always have tons of Christmas titles."
And best of all -- it's free.
So if you're ready to get into the holiday spirit, head to the Augusta Public Library, 823 Telfair Street, for a festive talk Tuesday at 7 p.m. She'll have plenty more recommendations, I'm sure, and you'll already be at the library, ready to put them into action.
For more on Joanne Wilson, visit her blog at ChristmasTVHistory.com.
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For the more ironic crowd, Wilson was excited to share that Amy Sedaris is still hoping to film a Strangers with Candy Christmas special. Here's hoping the quirky comedienne can pull it off; the short-lived show was one of the most underrated comedies of the past decade.
