Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) is a musical holiday special you can watch online on iFILM. Jim Henson — the creator of the Muppets — directed this puppet film based on Russell and Lillian Hoban's children's book, giving it the warmth and craftsmanship that defined his best work.

The plot borrows from O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi": Emmet and his widowed Ma are flat broke, and both secretly enter a local talent contest hoping to win enough cash for a Christmas present. Each quietly destroys something irreplaceable to buy their entry. The jug-band numbers are genuinely catchy, and the ending earns its feeling rather than just declaring it. Stream Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas on iFILM.