How Did This Get Made? - The Christmas Tree (1991)

Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Topic: Dissecting the notoriously bizarre and low-budget animated holiday film The Christmas Tree (1991).

Episode Overview

In this episode, the hosts undertake a hilarious and bewildered breakdown of the 1991 animated "film" The Christmas Tree—an obscure, low-budget Christmas special infamous for its strange animation, erratic pacing, and oddly bleak storylines. Clocking in at an allegedly brisk 45 minutes (which the hosts agree feels much longer), the trio tries to make sense of the movie's nonsensical plot, odd creative choices, and unintentionally disturbing moments—all while sharing personal anecdotes, especially about Paul’s wild and “Little House on the Prairie”-esque childhood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Impressions and Physical Endurance

• Recommendation Debate: Paul suggests listeners watch the film (“your eyes need to see it, and your ears need to hear it”—[03:04]), while June and Jason argue it feels interminable, with June stating, “I felt those minutes” ([03:24]).
• Relativity of Runtime: Despite its short length, the film’s pacing makes it drag. Jason: “Every time I had only gotten like three more minutes in and it felt eternal” ([03:37]).

2. Plot Basics and Storytelling Problems

• IMDB Logline vs. Movie Reality: Paul reads the bland IMDb description, which leads into a discussion of how it buries the weirdest elements, like Mrs. Hopewell, the sentient tree ([05:13]).
• Opening Narration: The film’s narrator speed-reads through massive context, cramming exposition to cover plot holes (“like the Micro Machines guy”—Paul, [06:16]).

3. Production Quality & Animation Weirdness

• Cheap Aesthetic & Dated Animation: The animation looks decades older; Jason: “This is 1970s or 80s level animation and voice work... it looks like something you’d watch as a child simply because it was on TV” ([07:34]).
• Reuse and Errors: Obvious animation shortcuts, continuity errors (e.g., missing child appears among the others—[09:44]) and evolving art style (e.g., Santa looks like “clip art” from another movie, [29:47]).

4. Dissecting Character Motivations and Plot Nonsense

• Mrs. Mavilda as Villain: The trio discusses her gambling addiction—June: “She doesn’t seem to be doing well at it…” Jason: “No wonder she’s still running the orphanage after all these years” ([11:48]).
• Symbolism and Social Commentary?: June half-seriously proposes the movie’s about addiction; Paul and Jason struggle to grant the movie that much depth ([13:12]).
• The Tree as a Friend: The children treat Mrs. Hopewell, the tree, as their only friend; hosts question why the film chooses isolation instead of community or found family ([08:23]).

5. Inexplicable Narrative Choices

• Pacing Issues: The film spends significant time on table-setting and narration, then abruptly rushes through the finale ([49:00], [49:53]).
• Santa’s Weird Vibe: Santa is weirdly sexualized by the animation style, and his deus ex machina role is both unearned and creepy. June: “...my mind went, what the fuck happened?” ([30:23]).

6. Wild Personal Tangents: Paul’s Childhood

• Dog Sleds & Dead Quail: A simple question about sleds leads to Paul revealing he did “dry land mushing” with pointers, raised quail, and participated in quasi-black-market bird sales. The others are stunned (“We’ve done this show for 15 years and we’re just finding out that you had Iditarod-style dog sled in Long Island, New York”—Jason, [33:18]).
• Hosts’ Shock & Humorous Prodding: June and Jason interrogate Paul about his rural chores, dog sleds, and bizarre family business deals ([33:31]–[44:02]).
• Memorable Exchange:
  • June: “What did I marry into? Is there a quail fortune I don’t know?” ([41:09])
  • Paul: “I remember distinctly saying, ‘we’ll leave the garage open. You can come and get the quail’” ([41:45])
  • Jason: “You were part of something that I don’t think you understand.” ([40:13])

7. Back to the Film: Host Observations and Riffs

• Property Law & Orphan Logic: They analyze the implausible setup—questioning whether the tree is on the orphanage’s property, why the mayor is omnipotent, and how orphans/children interact with adults ([17:17]–[17:46], [22:26]).
• Ludicrous Details: The mayor brings bags of cash, Mrs. Mavilda’s cartoonish villainy, community inaction when kids are in danger, and missing concern over actual missing children ([29:01], [54:13]).
• Orphans’ Passivity: The kids are the least resourceful orphans in movie history (“they are not doing a goddamn thing”—Jason, [60:08]).

8. What IS the Movie’s Message?

• No Clear Moral: The hosts struggle to find the intended Christmas lesson:
  • Jason: “It’s not about believing. It’s not about the Christmas spirit. It’s not about love for one another instead of craving gifts and so forth...” ([61:10])
  • June: “The fun thing about orphan movies... there is something so appealing about seeing kids being together. Even Oliver! ...there’s something so compelling watching these stories as a kid.” ([62:08])

9. Second Opinions and Movie Facts

• Sparse Real Reviews: Paul reports only two Amazon reviews exist for this “not a real movie” ([70:00]).
• Children’s Voices: All the orphans are voiced by the children of the creators (“...most of the cast is made up mainly of friends and family of the animation crew members”—Paul, [67:38]).
• Strange Five-Star Reviews: One reviewer describes the movie as “enchanting” with “somber eyes,” which baffles the hosts ([67:10]).

10. Holiday Movie Traditions Chat

• Preferred Holiday Movies: The hosts discuss what they watch with their families—Home Alone, Elf, Christmas Vacation, Eight Bit Christmas, and more, with Paul’s kids rejecting Muppet Christmas Carol ([71:14]–[74:10]).
• Changing Tastes: Paul admits he’s soured on A Christmas Story, June (and her family) embraces more modern offerings ([74:10]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Runtime:
  • Jason: “This was interminably long.” ([03:32])
• On the Orphans’ Relationship to the Tree:
  • June: “They describe this tree as their only friend,... but they never turn to each other.” ([08:34])
• On Mrs. Mavilda’s Gambling:
  • Jason: “She’s a bad gambler.” ([11:40])
  • Paul: “I feel like she was losing to torture the children.” ([12:08])
• On Animation Quality:
  • Jason: “This is 1970s or 80s level animation and voice work. This looks like the kind of movie I would have watched as a child around Christmas simply because it was on TV.” ([07:34])
• On Santa:
  • Paul: “I think the way that he looks at everyone in this town is very sexual.” ([29:53])
  • June: “What's going on? What the fuck happened?” ([30:23])
• On the Lack of Clear Themes:
  • Jason: “It’s not about believing. It’s not about the Christmas spirit. It’s not about love for one another. ...I don't think there is [a moral].” ([61:10])
• On Paul’s Childhood:
  • Jason: “We’ve done this show for 15 years and we’re just finding out that you had Iditarod style dog sled in Long Island, New York.” ([33:18])
  • June: “What did I marry into? Is there a quail fortune I don’t know?” ([41:09])
  • Jason: “You were part of something that I don’t think you understand.” ([40:13])
• On the Orphans' Passivity:
  • Jason: “Orphans, do better... These orphans are just standing around. They are not doing a goddamn thing.” ([60:01])

Timestamps For Key Segments

• [02:00] – Opening songs & setup
• [03:04] – Paul urges everyone to watch the film
• [05:13] – Reciting and debunking IMDb synopsis
• [07:34] – Critique of animation quality
• [11:32] – [13:22] – Mrs. Mavilda’s gambling and psychological motivations
• [29:47] – [31:01] – Santa’s weird animation style and role
• [33:31] – [44:02] – Paul’s childhood stories (dog sledding, quail businesses)
• [49:00] & [49:53] – Climax pacing and abrupt wrap-up
• [60:52] – Grappling with the movie’s (lack of) message
• [67:10] – [70:00] – Reading and dissecting scant “Second Opinions” / real reviews
• [71:14] – Hosts’ favorite holiday movies

Overall Tone & Takeaway

The episode is a blend of genuine befuddlement, sharp comedic takedowns, and delightfully absurd tangents. The hosts are united in their amazement at how something so short could feel so punishingly long, and in their complete inability to determine what message, if any, the film delivers. The conversation is rich with exasperated, riff-filled banter and, as always, a warm camaraderie—which especially shines through in their reactions to Paul’s wild Long Island upbringing.

By the end, the consensus:

• This is not a “so bad it’s good” gem—it’s simply bizarre.
• The only reason to watch The Christmas Tree is to appreciate just how bad a Christmas special can be (and to love the classics that much more).
• “Orphans, do better.”

For Listeners: Should I Watch The Christmas Tree (1991)?

• Paul (reluctantly): “Your eyes need to see it, and your ears need to hear it.”
• Jason: “I do not recommend this.”
• June: “I kind of feel the same… even my 9-year-old wanted to go to sleep.”

For more How Did This Get Made?, visit HDGTM.com or your podcast app of choice.

For official transcripts, merch, live show info, and holiday specials, see the show website or socials. If you have thoughts or want to add to the madness, the team encourages messages on Discord or their hotline (619-PAUL-ASK).