The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree |
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Title screen from the original NBC TV special (1979)
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| Created by | Stan and Jan Berenstain |
| Written by | Stan and Jan Berenstain |
| Directed by | Mordicai Gerstein |
| Starring | Ron McLarty Gabriela Glatzer Jonathan Lewis Pat Lysinger |
| Narrated by | Ron McLarty (uncredited) |
| Theme music composer | Elliot Lawrence |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Buzz Potamkin |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Perpetual Motion Pictures The Joseph Cates Company |
| Distributor | NBC Embassy Home Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | December 3, 1979 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (1980) |
The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree is a fun animated television special. It's based on the popular Berenstain Bears books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. This special TV show first aired on NBC on December 3, 1979. It was made by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Mordicai Gerstein. The TV special was so loved that it even inspired a book with the same name, which came out in 1980.
The Story of the Christmas Tree
It's Christmas Eve in Bear Country, and the Bear Family is busy decorating. They have everything ready, except for one important thing: a Christmas tree! Mama Bear suggests that Papa Bear and the cubs, Brother and Sister, get a tree from Grizzly Gus' lot. She reminds them to hurry back because a snowstorm is on its way.
But Papa Bear has a different idea. He decides they should go into the mountains to find the perfect tree. The first tree they find looks great. However, it's already home to many animals! A skunk, squirrels, a grouse, a chipmunk, and twenty-six crows live there. They chase the bears away! For these animals, Christmas is also a special time. They need their home to celebrate too.
Papa and the cubs then find another tree high up on a cliff. This tree is home to an eagle, a hawk, a wolf, and a snowy owl. These animals are not happy that Papa wants to chop down their tree either! After barely escaping an eagle's attack, the bears keep going. It's snowing heavily now, but they don't give up.
After climbing through the snowy mountains, Papa and the cubs find a third tree. It looks absolutely perfect! This time, Papa takes a closer look. He sees a tiny window on the tree's trunk. Inside, a family of snowbirds is decorating a small twig like their own Christmas tree. Papa is touched by this sweet scene. He decides not to cut down the birds' tree. He tells Brother and Sister that Christmas is about thinking of family and friends.
They head back down the mountain to the tree lot. But it's too late! All the trees are sold out. A small sign says, "Happy New Year!" The bears feel very sad. But then, a wonderful surprise awaits them! Their tree house has been decorated by all the animals they met in the mountains. It's a thank-you gift! Mama and Papa Bear then lead everyone in a Christmas carol about the Christmas star.
Meet the Voices!
Here are the actors who lent their voices to the characters in the special:
- Ron McLarty as Papa Bear and the Narrator
- Gabriela Glatzer as Sister Bear
- Jonathan Lewis as Brother Bear
- Pat Lysinger as Mama Bear
From TV to Book!
The storybook version of The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree came out in 1980. It was published by Random House. The book's story is very similar to the TV special. This original book stayed in print for almost 30 years!
Then, in 2009, a new version of the storybook was released by Zondervan. This newer book is part of the Berenstain Bears Living Lights Series. It still follows the main story. However, it focuses more on the Christian meaning of Christmas. It includes pictures of a manger scene and some Bible verses.
