Nine Christmas Specials You Can Watch for Free on Hoopla

The last time we talked about Hoopla, we were suggesting options for your Thanksgiving soundtrack.

Hoopla, in case you don't know, is the digital streaming service with more than 300,000 audiobooks, movies and albums that's free with your Mentor Public Library card.

Now we're listing nine different Christmas movies and TV episodes that you can stream onto your computers, tablets and smartphones.

Spend your Christmas with Madeline.

1. Madeline's Christmas
All lists that can include Madeline's Christmas should, including lists about holiday specials, beloved children's literature characters, and pandemics.

There's not a whole lot of plot to Madeline's Christmas (but since when has Madeline been about things happening.) Basically, Madeline must take care of her classmates who have fallen ill around holiday time.

That's right. Any cartoon character can save Christmas! Madeline saves the holiday and cures the common cold. Is there anything this adorable moppet can't do?

2. The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas
Ready to have yourself a Munster little Christmas?

Eddie is missing Transylvania so the rest of his family rallies around him in this holiday Munsterpiece.

3. Archie's Weird Mysteries, The Christmas Phantom
Speaking of holiday monsters...

We'll forgive you if you've never heard of Archie's Weird Mysteries. Simply put, some television executive somewhere thought it would be a good idea to turn the Riverdale gang into the Scooby-Doo Crew.

Consequently, in this series, Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead solve mysteries with a supernatural twist. It's every bit as awful/awesome as it sounds.

If you want a seasonal sampling, check out The Christmas Phantom. It's the best Christmas special about a specter lurking in a department store that we've ever seen.

4. The Night Before Christmas
Or if you're looking for something more traditional, you can watch as Anthony Edwards narrates this Christmas classic.

5. Strawberry Shortcake, Berry Merry Christmas
Just when you thought this shortcake couldn't get any sweeter, she made a Christmas special.

Get ready for some adorable. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends make Madeline look like Edgar Allan Poe.

6. The Story of Christmas
Christmas isn't just about mystery-solving teenagers and princess-saving plumbers. (Oh, we'll get to the Mario Christmas special later.) It's not just about Santa Claus or talking snowmen either.

The Story of Christmas recounts the tale of Jesus's birth simply and sweetly. Watch it with your kids if they start to forget the reason for the season.

7. Bah Humduck! A Looney Christmas
There are hundreds of iterations on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but this is the only one with Plucky Duck.

Ergo, it must also be the best. (Though we also acknowledge the awesomeness of A Muppet Christmas Carol.)

8. Christmas Kiss
Consider this the obligatory romantic comedy option.

On second thought, maybe you'd be better off borrowing one of our copies of Love Actually.

9. Super Mario World, The Night Before Cave Christmas
As is probably obvious by now, we have an enormous soft spot for Christmas specials that border on the ridiculous.

And what can be more ridiculous than Christmas with Mario and Luigi, especially when Mario is trying to stop King Koopa from stealing a bunch of cavemen's Christmas gifts?

Nothing. There is a not a single thing that can be more ridiculous than that.

If you want to watch any of these videos but don't know how to use Hoopla, you can check out this video tutorial that one of our librarians made.

And check out Mentor Public Library for more awesome holiday books, movies and music.