4. "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" from "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kRt1gbUXJg While we're on the subject of songs from Christmas specials, "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" may be the granddaddy of them all, second only to "Christmas Time Is Here" from the perennial "A Charlie Brown Christmas" special, but unlike that tune, this one isn't overplayed. Ironically, the lyrics have nothing to do with Christmas, but the clever alliteration still kills me: "You hope, and I'll hurry/You pray, while I'll plan." This special not only incorporated the familiar elements of the poem, it built its own unique backstory. But if the cute, clever story of a small town trying to win Santa's affection again wasn't enough, this show boasts three toe-tapping songs that are insanely catchy, and my favorite is this one. To me, it's so much more than a song; it's practically a way of life: You can't just sit on your butt waiting for miracles to happen. Sometimes you have to give them a push in the right direction. In other words, the cliché is true: "God helps those who help themselves."
Michael Perone
Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
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