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7.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Christmas Comes But Once a Year remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, if you have eight minutes and a strange fascination with vintage animation, go for it. People who get annoyed by overly cheery, singing orphans should probably skip this one. You’ll definitely hate it if the sight of a 1930s-style rubber-hose animation style gives you the creeps.
The whole thing starts with these orphans crying in their beds because their toys are literally shattered pieces of wood. It is aggressively sad. Like, way more depressing than it needs to be for a cartoon about a jolly professor.
Then enters Professor Grampy. He’s the kind of guy who probably doesn't have a day job, but he’s remarkably handy with a soldering iron.
Watching him turn an old coffee pot and some spoons into a mechanical horse is oddly hypnotic. It’s like watching an early version of a DIY YouTube channel, but with more jazz music and less product placement.
There is a moment where he starts mass-producing toys with this insane, rhythmic efficiency. It feels less like a miracle and more like a factory assembly line. I don’t know, maybe I’ve just been watching too many documentaries about industry, but the speed of it is unsettling.
It makes me think of Anniversary Trouble in terms of that old-school, slightly chaotic energy. You don't see this kind of frantic, hand-drawn effort much anymore.
It’s not as technical or precise as some of the later stuff, but that’s why I like it. There’s a scratchiness to the audio that reminds you this is a relic. It’s not meant to be analyzed for its deeper themes, though you could probably write a thesis on the industrialization of holiday cheer if you really wanted to.
I’m just here for the weird, inventive contraptions. Also, the way the kids’ faces change from absolute despair to manic joy in three seconds flat? That’s wild. 🎄