Phineas and Ferb‘s “Christmas Vacation”
I have a little bit of a bias about this one because I love Phineas and Ferb. It’s as quirky and funny as any cartoon on Adult Swim (if not more so) and teaches kids they can create anything they can imagine. The Christmas episode that premiered last year was just more of the same. The brotherly duo try to spread Christmas cheer through their whole town, but when the town gets put on the naughty list by the local evil scientist Dr. Doofensmirtz, the kids have to take matters into their own hands. The main story is great, but the best part of the episode is Doofensmirtz dealing with figgy pudding-craving carolers and his frustration at not hating Christmas.
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: “A Lost Claus”
I’m still sad this show got canceled. With a strong art style and clever dialogue, I was delighted every time I was lucky enough to catch it on Cartoon Network. The Christmas episode asks the question, “Can a world where imaginary friends are real include a real Santa Claus?” and the short answer is “No.” However, things are not as they seem as our young hero Mac tries to figure the truth out for himself. Plenty of quick jokes (including a nice nod to A Charlie Brown Christmas) will make the adults laugh, but it’s Bloo’s half-ass attempt to recreate A Christmas Carol for his own gain that steals the show. But don’t worry — he gets stuck with coal, proving that Santa does exist after all. Also, Edwardo with mistletoe tied to his horns is adorable.
Batman the Animated Series: “Christmas with the Joker”
This is the oldest on the list, and it happens to be for the older kid set. That being said, it’s on the list for a few different reasons. For one, it’s a great show for adults to watch with older kids in general. The show is one of the best representations of the Caped Crusader outside of the comics and found a way to keep the villains truly frightening while keeping it reasonable for the intended age group. I started watching the episodes again recently and they hold up even now, close to two decades later. The Christmas episode — with Batman and Robin having to fight a newly escaped Joker who’s armed himself with some brand new holiday puns — is one of the best in the series. I always liked that the dynamic duo is just trying to get home in time to watch It’s a Wonderful Life, which Bruce has never seen. But the absolute best part of the episode is the extremely meta choice to have the Joker (played to perfection by Mark Hamill) gleefully sing the “Batman smells” version of Jingle Bells.
Of course, these three Christmas shows are just a taste of the kid-appropriate cartoons that work for adults, too. Feel free to add more ideas in the comments so we can all share in the holiday goodness!
Clacked by Katie Schenkel 
on Dec 25, 2010 @ 10:08 EST5EDT
For my 6-yo, I can’t stand Phineas and Ferb, but my sister and mom showed it to him … grumble / groan. I just think the older sister and her dating woes are too mature for him, plus it’s got a hip feel / mature language to it and I’m just not ready for my kid to be cool. He’s little! Maybe when he’s 8….
That said, I LOVED this Christmas episode (which is the one he watched at my mom’s house so I figured he could watch it at home since the damage was done) — it had the sweetest lesson — maybe Santa should be thanked for all he does, and maybe he’s a hero who should be emulated because everything he does is to make other people happy. In a season that can be about what kids want and what kids get, it was a nice reminder that it’s the giving that’s important.
I totally loved “Christmas with the Joker” — good call –