Christmas on TV: Little House on the Prairie, Season 8: A Christmas They Never Forgot

Christmas always inspires me to share my thoughts, and this episode of Little House on the Prairie remains a favorite.

While the show ran for nine seasons, plus three additional movies, we didn't see episodes surrounding Christmas often--and I don't think the last Christmas episode (Bless All the Dear Children) had any snow in it. Most likely because the show was filmed in California, and based upon my conversation with Kent McCray, it seems to have taken a great deal of effort to create those snowy scenes. (Rolled up sleeves around Christmas in Minnesota?)

That the little house on Plum Creek got blasted with so much snow that all their guests had to spend the night, is just one of the many things that makes this episode so special, as does the wonderful music that Michael Landon decided to use.

This is the last time we see every member of the Ingalls clan together. By this time, Mary and Adam are living in New York, and Hester Sue brings them to Walnut Grove as a surprise. We don't see Mary and Adam again, something that always makes me sad, as I wish they could have returned for the final movie.

The family sits around telling stories of Christmases past. Caroline, Almanzo, Laura, and Hester Sue share a bit of themselves with the entire group. We learn how Caroline came to accept Papa Holbrook, and the Christmas that Almanzo almost stopped believing in Santa Claus. Laura shares the memory of Mr. Edwards coming for Christmas dinner when the Ingalls family lived in their little cabin in Kansas, and Hester Sue shares a Christmas as a Black child living in the South during the Civil War.

Each story is touching and encompasses what we have come to love about Little House on the Prairie.

One thing that sticks out to me in this episode is how much a part of the cast Dean Butler and his character Almanzo have become by this point. Now, I know I am slightly biased because I am a huge fan of Dean's, but Charles and Almanzo have many wonderful scenes together in this episode. I especially enjoy when Almanzo and Charles head out to fix the barn door.

Almanzo says, "Let's go, pop."

Charles replies, "Follow me, son." 

A far cry from their relationship at the beginning, where Charles punched the daylights out of Almanzo for possibly kissing his young daughter. Watching Charles's feelings toward Almanzo change is one of the best parts of the series for me. That's why I've written several fan fiction stories that involve these two men. 

Have you seen this Little House episode? What are your thoughts on it?