Holiday Surprise #55

Santa's got a bad cold that threatens to derail Christmas delivery, but when he refuses medicine in favor of candy cane, someone hatches a clever scheme to help him feel better without his knowing it. It's a lighthearted holiday tale about treating illness—and the sneaky ways loved ones sometimes get us to take our medicine.

Santa tests his reindeer by their jumping ability, and a small reindeer named Rufus proves his worth in a surprising moment of determination. With his exceptional leap, Rufus earns his chance to pull Santa's sleigh on the yearly Christmas journey. It's a heartwarming holiday tale about an underdog getting his moment to shine.

A couple of kids decide to play a prank on their younger brother Billy by dressing their friend Joey as a talking snowman—but when Billy challenges them to prove snowmen can actually talk, the joke takes an unexpectedly lively turn. This humorous 1967 tale from Holiday Surprise #55 plays with the classic setup of pulling one over on a skeptic, only to have reality hilariously prove them wrong.

Joseph and Mary journey to Bethlehem as Mary's time draws near, searching for shelter among the crowded inns until a compassionate innkeeper offers them refuge in his stable. As the couple prepares for the miraculous birth, a brilliant star guides three wise men and appears to shepherds in the fields, each drawn to witness the arrival of the child whose coming has been awaited throughout the ages.

When Syrian ruler Antiochus forbids Jewish worship in biblical Palestine, the Jewish people refuse to abandon their faith, gathering in secret despite deadly consequences. Led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, the Jews rise up against their oppressors in a revolt that will reshape their destiny and lead to a miraculous moment at the reclaimed Temple.

A young elf named Jo-Jo desperately wants to join Santa on his Christmas Eve delivery run to witness the joy on children's faces, but Santa insists there's no room in his sack. When Jo-Jo finds an unexpected way aboard anyway, Santa must figure out what to do with his determined little stowaway as the night unfolds.

This 1967 adaptation brings Dickens's timeless tale to the pages of Holiday Surprise, following the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge as he's visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley on Christmas Eve. Through visions of his own harsh childhood and glimpses of those around him—including his humble assistant Bob Cratchet and the boy's ailing son Tiny Tim—Scrooge confronts what his obsession with money and work has cost him and others.

Santa gets stuck in a chimney while trying to deliver gifts and needs a little help getting unstuck—a humorous holiday mishap that reminds us why the jolly old fellow might be finding his traditional route a bit snug these days. It's a lighthearted tale that captures the silly spirit of "A Tight Squeeze."