Their timeless animation makes TV watching during the holiday season enjoyable, and it’s a shame that their sad revivals remain a large contributor to frustrating December television.

Despite the fact that these revivals are devoid of the integrity that made the originals so lovable, it’s unlikely that studios will stop trying to renew Rankin/Bass specials. No matter how awful the final product is, it will still be associated with a holiday favorite and thus will always find an audience. At least that will create a new tradition: Dodging mediocre Christmas programming and finding relief in Rankin/Bass’s holiday specials.