Arthur's Perfect Christmas

Arthur's Perfect Christmas is an Arthur special that aired on November 23, 2000. It was written by Peter K. Hirsch. Its storyboard artists included Eric Bergeron, Angus Bungay, Gerry Capelle, Stephanie Gignac, Nick Vallinakis, and Robert Yap.

Recap
The special opens with scenes of citizens of Elwood City busy preparing for Christmas, while Pachelbel's Canyon is played in the background on piano. Arthur then sings the first of many of the special's musical numbers, "Perfect Christmas," in which he lays out his list of the things he wants in the upcoming Christmas:

1. A large amount of snow 2. An amazing dinner-turkey and the whole works 3. A spectacular Christmas tree-most importantly without tinsel 4. Everyone will love the presents he gets for them.

However, things don't always work out quite as we always want them to. Meanwhile, as the special progresses, a number of other storylines are revealed, perhaps so many that the show's younger target audience might find it difficult to follow: D.W. wants a new toy called "Tina the Talking Tabby," for Christmas and Santa Claus is unable to find it at any store as soon as he gets the letter. Uncle Fred is going on a trip to Florida, but his car just so happens to break down in Elwood City on the way there. So for the meantime, he and his dog, Roarie, are staying at the Reads' for Christmas. The timing of Francine's family's celebration of Hanukkah conflicts with that of Muffy's "holiday extravaganza," causing her to miss the party. When Muffy states that Hanukkah isn't as important as Christmas, Francine stops speaking to her. Ever since Buster's parents got divorced, Christmas has been a difficult time for him and his Mom. She wakes up him up early on the days before Christmas and makes him pancakes, thinking that it's Christmas Day. Then he has to explain to her that it isn't yet. Arthur and his friends suggest he create his own holiday-Baxter Day. He is sceptical, but he agrees to give it a try. Every Christmas, Binky volunteers at a homeless shelter with his Dad, and this year, he's trying to bake something special to bring. However, he's been taking cooking lessons from the "Thora Institution" (For example: He makes a pecan pie without shelling the pecans first.) Brain's family is celebrating Kwanzaa. George's family is revealed to be Swedish and they celebrate Saint Lucia Day. In the end, things don't work out quite as everybody may have hoped they would, but it seems to be for the better. Well, maybe, assuming Arthur can ever get D.W. to stop her new toy, "Quackers", from singing "Quick, quack, quaddy-quack."

Controversy



 * After Uncle Fred leaves the bathroom after shaving, Arthur walks in to brush his teeth, and then walks over to the toilet to urinate, and then D.W. walks in (while Arthur is doing his business, only the top half of himself is shown to avoid references to sexual organs), and he screams after she had violated his privacy; although the scene is quite controversial, since it is usually inappropriate for younger audiences to watch scenes that may involve and/or reference using the bathroom.

Trivia

 * Arthur is in either his pajamas or coat in this episode.
 * The is the third time when Arthur cries. The first was Lost, the second was Buster's Back and the fourth was Is There A Doctor In The House.
 * When D.W. said that she isn't upset, her mouth started shaking when she starts to cry.