Remembering a not so well known Christmas classic

By Kate Winquist

When you ask people what their favourite Christmas movie or special is, you are sure to get several responses of “It’s A Wonderful Life”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, “Christmas Vacation,” or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

I love relaxing during the Christmas season, putting my feet up with a bowl of hot buttered popcorn and watching “The Sound of Music” even though I’ve probably seen it over twenty times. I can watch “Home Alone” or “The Polar Express” and recite the lines word for word.

The Drummond Clan (circa 1978): Back Row (L-R) Pam, Garth, George, Kristine, Bev. Front Row (L-R) Valarie, Carrie, Kate

I can honestly say that I don’t care for “A Christmas Carol” or “Scrooged”. I have not even seen “Elf” or “Fred Claus”.

If you ask my husband what his favourite Christmas movie is, he will probably tell you “The Godfather” or “Die Hard”. I’ve tried to explain that just because a movie takes place during the Christmas season, it does not make it a Christmas movie!

When I was a little girl in the late seventies, I remember watching a show called “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.” It was a Jim Henson production with narration by Kermit the Frog.

The story tells of Alice Otter and her son, Emmet, who live along the river in the village of Frogtown Hollow. Ma and Emmet struggle to make ends meet through odd jobs and projects for neighbours and villagers, but this Christmas, they dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift.

As Christmas approaches, they hear of a talent contest in the nearby town of Waterville and separately decide to enter to buy lovely presents for each other - an excellent guitar for Emmet or a piano for Ma. However, in a twist on The Gift of the Magi, they must sacrifice each other’s livelihood for the talent contest - Ma hocks Emmet’s tools for dress fabric, while Emmet turns Ma’s washtub into a washtub bass for a jug band.

Emmet and Ma each do an excellent job only to be defeated at the last minute by a hoodlum rock and roll group called The Riverbottom Nightmare Band. However, as Ma and Emmet’s jug band sing a song together on the way home, they are overheard by Doc Bullfrog, owner of a local restaurant, who hires them to sing for his customers, thus granting them the bigger prize.

It just wouldn’t be Christmas in the Drummond household without watching Emmet Otter. I remember Mom convincing my grandfather to sit down and watch, and even though Grandpa was hesitant at watching a kid’s show, he did indeed sit and watch and had a tear in his eye like the rest of us.

You can’t help but sing along to songs like “Ain’t No Hole In the Washtub” or “Bar-B-Que.”

Although Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas may not be a standard Christmas show to everyone, it deserves to be placed alongside the more ubiquitous holiday classics.

Trust me, if you have never seen it, you must. It is sure to become one of your favourites, too!