Have Yourself A Very ‘Twilight Zone’ Christmas

The Twilight Zone is closely associated with several American holidays like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, but during this festive season, save time to watch the two “very special episodes” episodes written by series creator Rod Serling that originally aired during Christmastime, and are currently streaming on Netflix.

The first, “Night of the Meek,” (Season Two, Episode 11) aired on December 23, 1960, and stars The Honeymooners’ Art Carney as Henry Corwin, a full-time drunk and part-time department store Santa. After he’s fired, he finds a magical bag that allows him to give gifts to the poor children and other destitute residents of his neighborhood. After Corwin gives everyone what they desire most, his own wish is fulfilled – in a back alley he finds a reindeer, sleigh, and elf ready to take him to the North Pole so he can spread Christmas cheer every year.

The Twilight Zone’s first foray into “very special episodes” is appropriate and timeless, albeit a bit cliché, which is a bit of a disappointment for a series known for its unpredictability. It manages to walk a tightrope of being both clearly for adults, yet accessible to children. While the episode is quite tame by today’s standards, especially when considering movies like Bad Santa, it drew some criticism upon its initial airing. According to Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion, Serling, CBS, and several newspapers received letters decrying the “blasphemy” of presenting a drunk Santa on network television.

However, despite the critique, “Night of the Meek” is worth watching. The episode reminds its viewers that even when the odds are clearly not in your favor, the Christmas season is one where even the most unbelievable dreams can come true.

Just one year later, Serling and company followed up with a Christmastime episode that struck a different tone. Even the most ardent of Twilight Zone fans may not realize that “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (Season Three, Episode 14) aired three days before Christmas, subverting the “very special episode” formula. Unlike “Meek,” there is no snow, no sleigh bell-infused music, and no Santa, intoxicated or otherwise.

Instead, viewers are thrown into a world of nothingness, just an empty room with curved walls and five distinct characters. The titular quintet – an Army Major, clown, ballet dancer, hobo, and bagpipe player – has no idea who they are, why they are there, or even where “there” is. They run through a number of theories, and at the episode’s end, it’s revealed that they are dolls being collected in a receptacle for Christmas. There is little in the way of holiday cheer, especially with one of the final shots being of a life-size mannequin of the ballet dancer shedding a tear.

The Twilight Zone is known for its memorable endings, and the bittersweet conclusion of “Five Characters” sprinkles just the slightest bit of hope on a seemingly hopeless situation. Serling’s ending narration states that “perhaps [the dolls] are unloved only for the moment. In the arms of children there can be nothing but love.” It’s a holiday lesson that few television shows dare teach: if your life seems bleak and hopeless, perhaps it will get better this Christmas season.

Like most of the series, both episodes point to truths that continue to resonate. Both “Meek” and “Five Characters” are about the search for identity and belonging. Corwin wishes his life had meaning, and the five characters have clear distinctions based on their clothing, but no real sense of who they truly are. The end of the year is usually a time for introspection, making it unsurprising that Serling, who wrote both episodes, would center them on the desire to improve one’s life.

Additionally, both episodes suggest that hope lies in a person’s ability to connect with others. The main characters all feel alone, even when near others. However, the optimism in both episodes comes from the potential for others to help give those characters a sense of purpose. Whether it’s an estranged family member, a long-lost friend, a therapist, or a stranger at a bar or in a barrel, the holidays are a great, and maybe even necessary, time to connect with others.

It’s worth noting that there was a third Twilight Zone episode set at Christmas, “The Changing of the Guard” (Season Three, Episode 37), although it inexplicably aired in June, as the last episode of the season. Although audiences didn’t originally see it during Christmastime, its plot, wherein a senior teacher is forced into retirement before the holiday and is visited by ghosts of his former students who affirm his life’s worth, fits firmly within the series’ approach to “very special episodes.”

The Twilight Zone’s Christmas installments may follow a different formula from the standard holiday “very special episode,” they remain true to the series’ goal of speaking to true themes in society through innovative stories and compelling characters. With all of the holiday fare available, it is well worth taking the time to revisit the Twilight Zone this Christmas.

Caseen Gaines is the author of the The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy, Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic. Last Halloween he dressed as the Doctor from The Twilight Zone’s “Eye of the Beholder” episode. Follow him on social media: @caseengaines.

Watch The Twilight Zone episode "The Night Of The Meek" on Netflix