Advent Calendar House

A salute to all TV holiday specials, but mostly the Christmas ones. Revisit 12 holiday classics and not-so-classics each December and July.

Last refreshed: August 14th, 2025 at 10:09 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Pennsylvania Lottery Christmas Commercial

Join us as we spend 17 times the length of a 30-second lottery commercial talking about the spot that had a whole commonwealth singing “FIVE CASH FIVES!” **** 🎙 Guest: Joey O. ( Y-Not Radio , @ImGonnaDJ24 ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. The original Pennsylvania Lottery Christmas Commercial from 1992. 2. The updated commercial from 2012, remade shot-for-shot like 1998’s Psycho . 3. PA Lottery’s Holiday Ad Gets Makeover (CBS Philly, 2012). 4. “ Move Closer to Your World ,” the greatest broa...

Dec 21, 2017•9 min•Season 1Ep. 7

A Rugrats Chanukah

In the Advent Calendar House’s first Hanukkah episode, we follow the Rugrats on their mission to stop the “Meanie of Chanukah” and make him take a nap, counting all the Yiddish words and misspoken “babyisms” along the way. **** 🎙 Guest: Sarah Shay ( Pilot House Podcast , Bandcamp , @thesarahshay ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. Sarah’s top 2 favorite spellings of “Hanukkah.” 2. Going back to watch Pee-wee’s Big Adventure with the knowledge that Dottie (E.G. Daily) is the voice of Tommy Pick...

Dec 18, 2017•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Fruity Pebbles Christmas Commercial

Ho-ho-ho, I’m hu-hu-hungry! Fill your soul with season’s greetings as we revisit a collection of Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereal commercials of Christmas past. **** 🎙 Guest: Joey O. ( Y-Not Radio , @ImGonnaDJ24 ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. Fruity Pebbles Christmas commercial , dated between 1986 and 1989. 2. Recut commercial , with Jim Cummings as Santa, dated between 1992 and 1995. 3. Older Fruity Pebbles Christmas commercial , dated 1980. 4. Newer Cocoa Pebbles “Christmas Carol” comme...

Dec 14, 2017•10 min•Season 1Ep. 5

The Gift of Winter

Trudge back to 1974 as we dig up a rare gem, The Gift of Winter , which introduces a colorful cast of characters better known from its Halloween sequel, Witch’s Night Out ! You can watch The Gift of Winter online on Shout! Factory TV. **** 🎙 Guest: Chad Young ( The Horror Movie BBQ , @horrormoviebbq ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. Pre-SNL appearances by the voices of Gilda Radner and Dan Aykroyd. 2. The special’s true heroes: A couple of gay trees. 3. Whenever Bazooey’s not on screen, all ...

Dec 11, 2017•52 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Honey Nut Cheerios Scrooge Commercial

Nobody can’t say no to this 30-second portrayal of Scrooge in a Christmastime commercial for Honey Nut Cheerios. Officially titled “Ebenezer Scrooge Discovers Honey Nut Cheerios,” this commercial ran from around 1987 through at least the end of the 20th century. **** 🎙 Guest: Joey O. ( Y-Not Radio , @ImGonnaDJ24 ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. A tale of two Buzz Bees: “ It’s Christmas ,” vs. “ It’s the holidays .” 2. Arnold Stang , the original voice of the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee, Top Cat,...

Dec 07, 2017•9 min•Season 1Ep. 3

A Muppet Family Christmas

To mark the 30th anniversary of the shredded wheat and cranberry sauce of TV specials, we take a head count of every unexpected guest Fozzie Bear’s mother graciously welcomed into her home on Christmas Eve, 1987. It’s a lot. **** 🎙 Guest: Carlin Trammel ( Nerd Lunch , Dragonfly Ripple , @nerdlunch ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. We try and piece together the various home video cuts and music rights issues. 2. The dizzying continuity issues surrounding the Muppet Babies. 3. Can you say “ Os...

Dec 04, 2017•58 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Frosty the Snowman

Happy birthday! Join us as we begin our salute to all holiday specials, but mostly the Christmas ones by attempting to answer questions no one asked about the 1969 Rankin/Bass TV special, Frosty the Snowman . **** 🎙 Guest: Brandon Medley ( @brandmed , Blessed Are the Geek ). **** 💬 Topics & Tangents: 1. How to easily escape a locked greenhouse. 2. When does something you throw away stop legally being yours ? 3. Oatmeal is a perfectly adorable name for a snowman. 4. Frosty Day in Armonk, Ne...

Dec 01, 2017•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Trailer

This holiday season, experience the joy of rewatching the same TV specials you watch every year in podcast form! It’s the Advent Calendar House: A salute to all holiday specials, but mostly the Christmas ones. Revisit 12 holiday TV classics and not-so-classics each December and July. Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost . Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house .

Nov 30, 2017•54 sec

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