The Christmas variety special is a staple on television during the holiday season, but black musicians have been historically barred from hosting their own Christmas themed specials. In this episode, discuss the evolution of the Black Christmas variety special. NOTE: This is the early stages of some research I've been doing on Black Christmas TV History. And comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

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Christmas Music Videos & Variety Specials

The Nat King Cole Show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiPAg7NqRZY&list=PLqpoib1cR6hwoVWh0bMEv8gHTV6aclzEG&index=37&t=13s&ab_channel=reelblack

Kurtis Blow’s Christmas Rappin’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xUFnGWWtoQ&ab_channel=ChristmasTimeTV

Run DMC’s Christmas In Hollis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8&ab_channel=RUNDMCVEVO

This is Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trFv63cMk4M&ab_channel=LutherVandrossVEVO

Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zdsBvXegt0&t=1s&ab_channel=StarlightMedia

A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRjfq6QUjGM&ab_channel=johnlegendVEVO

Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2bx3FzgJ6o&ab_channel=MariahCareyVEVO

References

- I use the phrase “the afterlives of slavery” from black feminist scholar Saidiya Hartman’s Lose Your Mother

- History of Christmas: https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

- The Slave Experience of the Holidays: https://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/holidays.html

- How slaves celebrated Christmas in America: https://thegrio.com/2013/12/25/how-slaves-celebrated-christmas/

- Chapter 22 “Christmas Festivities” from Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl 

- Chapter 10 from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

- Diane Werts, Christmas on Television: https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Television-Praeger-Collection/dp/0275983315

- Joanna Wilson, Christmas TV History, episode 4: Variety: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/p