Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 5: A Day to Celebrate

Santa's Sequel Sellouts - December 5: A Day to Celebrate

Sequel to: Star Wars (Film, 1977)

Today's song is a perfect example of the alternate type of sequel we outlined in our Introduction: Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies that are sequels to Non-Christmas Songs/Shows/Movies. In this case, Star Wars lit a fire on movie screens in 1977, defining the science fiction genre for decades to come.

So, it was only logical that someone tried to make a Christmas special based on the property, right? Enter the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, which aired just once… November 17, 1978 on CBS. It was a show about which George Lucas reportedly said, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it." Yes, it was that bad.

Having never been released to video or DVD, it survives thanks to the world of bootlegs (and the magic of YouTube). I won't go into the plot or massive problems with the show, other than to note that it featured Bea Arthur. Enough said. (Maybe our new Disney/Lucasfilm overlords will finally make it available to fans!)

Our focus today, however, is on Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia. During the special, she sang (!?) a song called A Day to Celebrate, which was a tribute to Life Day, the Star Wars equivalent of Christmas. Not only did she sing, but she sang along with the Main Theme to Star Wars, completely off key and lost. Needless to say, her well-known drug use at the time is quite evident in this performance. Now this is something you won't here on Christmas radio!

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From the Archives: December 5

What's This All About?

New to Steve's 25 Days of Christmas Music? Take some time to read the explanation and introduction!