It’s the holiday season. If you still live under a rock and subscribe to cable television you’re bound to run across some atrocities that are excuses for Christmas specials. Especially while flipping through late night infomercials… in the midst, there’s bound to be some gems airing on the odd channel here and there.

One such oddity, yet classic gem: The Christmas Carol. No, I’m not talking about the Jim Carrey remake. This version that aired on TV in 1971 (approximately 20 minutes long) has yet to be found on DVD, watch it here. The opening is spooky. You’ll hear a somewhat jaded, scraggy and fragmented version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by some sad boy’s choir. Then you’ll see a town square that is not dusted in a virginal layer of white snow falling softly as is customary in the opening of many Christmas movies. Instead, you’ll see gray skies opening to muddy, dingy streets. Finally, you’ll see the storyline panning into the lonely window of the only business still open on Christmas Eve.

Actually to be honest, the entire production is a bit eerie and spooky. Further in the movie, the ghosts that visit the main character, Scrooge may scare the little ones in your family. Their voices range from soft and coaxing to loud, strange and ominous. The colors are dark and the overtones make Christmas seem downright depressing. However, if you know the classic Dickens plot, the ending of this full length feature will make you smile.