Debbie Downer: Christmas Eve w/ Santa Claus
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Young Debbie manages to depress even Santa Claus on Christmas Eve with her relentlessly grim observations about everything from dust mites to unrefrigerated dairy products!
Rachel Dratch • Cast
Jack Black • Host
It's hard to sleep knowing that you're sharing your bed with thousands of hungry dust mites. Thanks, Hugh Downs.
I wouldn't drink unrefrigerated dairy if I were you. Unless diarrhea is on your Christmas list.
I'm named after my father's sister. She's estranged.
You should check those houses for carbon monoxide. It's an odorless killer.
Hmmm, not so pretty to the Taiwanese youth who are forced to assemble them under dire conditions.
My Barbie doll might try to put her head in it.
(sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas") Three broken fingers, two shattered kneecaps, and a haematoma of the scalp.
Can do. The Downers have a long history of self-medicating.
Look at that goiter! This is the best Christmas ever!
But, Santa, it's so cold outside. 'This just in. Santa overcome by hypothermia. Millions go giftless.'
Set on Christmas Eve 1978, the sketch opens with Santa Claus (Jack Black) coming down the chimney of a suburban home to find young Debbie Downer awake. In classic Debbie Downer fashion, she immediately begins pointing out depressing facts and potential dangers, from dust mites in her bed to the risks of drinking unrefrigerated milk. As Santa tries to remain jolly and find the perfect Christmas gift for her, Debbie shoots down every suggestion—My Pretty Pony (Taiwanese child labor), Easy-Bake Oven (suicide risk for her Barbie), and roller skates (injury hazards). Santa increasingly turns to the liquor cabinet as Debbie's relentless negativity wears him down. Eventually, Santa finds the perfect gift: a calendar of medical oddities, which thrills Debbie. The sketch parodies "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" with an animated opening showing Debbie as a green-skinned character set to a song similar to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Even as Santa prepares to leave, Debbie warns him about hypothermia, accompanied by her signature "wah wahhhhh" sound effect.
This sketch features a special Christmas-themed opening with Debbie animated as a Grinch-like character, with a narrator singing to the tune of "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch" with lyrics about Debbie being a downer. The sketch is set specifically on Christmas Eve 1978. Jack Black's performance as Santa was praised by viewers, with many not immediately recognizing him in the role. The recurring "wah wahhhhh" sound effect (made by a muted trombone) follows each of Debbie's depressing comments. This was part of Season 31, which was notable for being the first season broadcast in high-definition.