ATLANTA -- Those baby boomers old enough to remember can certainly relate to slipping on pajamas, sipping on hot chocolate and counting down the minutes until Sam the Snowman, voiced by Burl Ives, relayed the tale of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on the boob tube.

Sure, classic holiday TV specials still air, but when a child can simply pop in a DVD of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," why should his viewing time be at the mercy of network executives? VHS and DVD may have taken the zing out of the annual anticipation, but they've also opened the door for folks to experience more obscure favorites not always shown. With a little hunting, parents can find charming and/or oddball Christmas nuggets they grew up watching and share them with the kiddies.

Here's 10 we recommend with a hearty ho ho ho. Unless noted, most can be found in the DVD section of department stores or via online outlets such as amazon.com.1."The Year Without a Santa Claus," "Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey," "Rudolph's Shiny New Year"(suggested retail: $14.97).In the '60s and '70s, production company Rankin/Bass was a virtual magic factory for holiday TV fare, especially the Christmas variety.All three specials here are presented in what Rankin/Bass dubbed "ani-magic," a form of stop-motion puppetry. The most recognizable one, "The Year Without a Santa Claus," features the characters Snow Miser and Heat Miser in rousing musical numbers. "Nestor" basically follows the same formula as the original "Rudolph." Instead of a neon nose, Nestor is an outcast because of his floor-length ears. With the narration of Roger "King of the Road" Miller, we soon find out Nestor has a special purpose on the first Christmas. In "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," Rudolph is looking to track down the kidnapped Baby New Year.2. "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas"(prices vary)This out-of-print DVD can still be found on Amazon and eBay but is so endearing it fetches prices as high as $40. Originally shown on HBO in 1977 and based on the children's book by Russell and Lillian Hoban, it's a bittersweet holiday tale starring a cast of Muppets. Kermit the Frog narrates this story of a son and his widowed mother who both unknowingly enter a talent contest for prize money in order to buy the other a Christmas present. Features a hilarious hard-rock number by a gang of animal toughs known as the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.3. "Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special"($14.99)In this "Pee-wee's Playhouse" holiday offering, which first aired in 1988, Pee-wee must trim down his exhaustive Christmas list so the rest of the kids in the world can have presents under the tree. It's as campy as the series, an acidic trip through Christmas with animation, puppets and plenty of kitschy guest stars (Charo, Annette Funicello, Little Richard, Zsa Zsa Gabor and others). Series regulars show up, including Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne) and Miss Yvonne (Lynne Stewart), and Grace Jones and K.D. Lang sing seasonal songs.4. "Star Wars Holiday Special"In between "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back," George Lucas green-lit this 1978 holiday TV special. Han Solo and Chewbacca are attempting to get to Chewbacca's home planet in time to spend Life Day, the "Star Wars" equivalent of Christmas, with the wookie's family. Believe it or not, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones and others all reprise their big-screen roles.Clunky and just plain weird, its oddities include a performance by the Jefferson Starship, "Golden Girl" Bea Arthur as a cantina barmaid and Carrie Fisher belting out an excruciating song. It does, however, hold some significance to die-hard fans: Beloved bounty hunter Boba Fett makes his first appearance here in an animated segment produced by the creators of the "Heavy Metal" movie.Lucasfilm has basically ignored the project, never officially releasing it on home video. A bootleg DVD version, typically priced between $7 and $15, can be found at science fiction and comic book conventions and on eBay.5."The Little Drummer Boy"($16.98)Another stop-motion Rankin/Bass creation, the 1968 special builds a story around the Christmas carol.Although the music provided by the Vienna Boys' Choir is soft and lovely, the story's a bit harsh for children's programming. Drummer boy Aaron is an orphan whose parents were killed by thieves. In turn, he has a great distaste for people and chooses to live with animals. After he stumbles upon the baby Jesus in a manger, his hardened heart is redeemed, and he gives the child the only gift he can: a song on his drum.The subject matter and overt Christian message may be the reason it's hard to find on network TV, but it still "pa-rum-pa-pum-pums" on DVD.6. "Sonny & Cher - The Christmas Collection"($19.99)Long before Nick and Jessica, there were Sonny and Cher. This DVD brings together highlights from the Christmas episodes of the singing duo's '70s variety shows. Bell bottoms meet jingle bells as both Sonny and Cher deliver solo and duet versions of Christmas carols like "Jingle Bells" and "O Holy Night."7."Claymation Christmas"($24.95)Will Vinton Studios, which gave us the stop-motion singing group the California Raisins, produced a series of holiday specials in the late '80s and early '90s. Its inaugural effort was a Christmas show hosted by dinosaurs Herb and Rex. Highlights include musical numbers, including a Motown-esque version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."Two other Claymation holiday specials, Halloween's "Claymation Comedy of Horrors" and "Claymation Easter," are included on this DVD.8. "Garfield Holiday Celebrations"($14.98)Grumpy feline Garfield jumped from the funny pages to TV with a handful of seasonal specials. "A Garfield Christmas," from 1987, finds the fat cat dealing with holidays, his owner's grandma and goofy canine Odie. High atop his Christmas list is a heaping helping of holiday lasagna.As a bonus, "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" and "Garfield's Thanksgiving" are here as well. Bringing Garfield to life in all three is voice actor Lorenzo Music, who some may remember as the faceless Carlton the doorman on the '70s sitcom "Rhoda."9. "Frosty's Winter Wonderland," "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"($14.97)This double-dose DVD shows Rankin/Bass wasn't all about stop-motion animation. Both of these feature traditional drawn animation."Frosty's Winter Wonderland" is a sequel to the original. This time, instead of narration by Jimmy Durante, a cartoon version of Andy Griffith steps in to tell the story. Frosty leaves the North Pole and heads back to his hometown to play with the kids who helped create him. To keep him company, the children build him a wife, but the rascally Jack Frost tries to mess up the love connection."'Twas the Night Before Christmas" is a 23-minute adaptation of the poem. Clockmaker Mr. Trundle and Mr. Mouse try to bring a disgruntled Santa back to Junctionville for another Christmas.10. "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol"($16.98)Cartoon personality Mr. Magoo slips into character as Ebenezer Scrooge in this 1962 special. Jim Backus, who played Mr. Howell on "Gilligan's Island," once again gives voice to Magoo as he finds the true meaning of Christmas. Animated character Gerald McBoing-Boing steps in as Tiny Tim.While some kids may be freaked out by some of the feature film versions of "A Christmas Carol," this could be a tamer and more fun way to get the message across.