Who the heck is Red Green and why is he doing a Christmas special? And what's up with all the duct tape? For those who haven't chanced upon this oddball program before, "Red Green" is the character created and brought to life by Canadian comic Steve Smith for the long-running Red Green Show. Red and his pals hang out in Possum Lodge, where they bring a decidedly off-beat sense of humor to everyday goings-on. It's actually hard to describe the humor of the Red Green Show; it's a mix of slapstick and absurdity, tied together with Smith's characteristic dry, always understated wit as Red.

It's a Wonderful Red Green Christmas is, as Smith tells us in a brief introductory clip, the first Red Green Christmas special, originally broadcast in 1998. It runs 60 minutes and has the same style and format as a regular Red Green episode, except that it's twice as long and revolves around the Christmas theme. Along with Red and his geeky nephew Harold, we get to see many of the Possum Lodge gang up to their usual misadventures: Bill ("helping" Red select a Christmas tree for the lodge), Ranger Gord (demonstrating some interesting activities, such as "how to count down the days to Christmas" for the, uh, mathematically challenged), Hap, Dalton, Winston, and Edgar.

It's a Wonderful Red Green Christmas is certain to please devoted viewers of the Red Green Show. In fact, I'd say that the Christmas focus makes for a funnier program overall, as the holidays seem to bring out more of the human foibles that Smith likes to gently poke fun at. I'm not a particular fan of the Red Green Show myself, but I did find many of the segments to be genuinely funny, such as Red's holiday-themed poetic musings, or when Red and Harold demonstrate the technique of shaking presents to find out what's inside.

Although it's officially labeled as bonus material on the disc, it's worth noting here that this DVD also includes the second Red Green Christmas special, A Merry Red Green Christmas, which runs 45 minutes.

The DVD

Video

Well, the transfer of It's a Wonderful Red Green Christmas is nothing to write home about, but it's passable. While the image is definitely soft, it's also reasonably clean and bright. The program is presented in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack gets the job done with a minimum of fuss. I wasn't too thrilled with the overly jolly laugh track, who seemed to burst into hilarity whenever Red moved his little finger, but that's an issue of the program, not the soundtrack. The dialogue is clear and easy to understand, if a bit flat-sounding.

Extras

Kudos should go to Acorn Media for putting more than just the one 60-minute program on this DVD. As a special feature, we get the second (1999) Red Green Christmas special, A Merry Red Green Christmas, running 45 minutes. Like the main program, it has a brief introduction by Steve Smith, and it's done in the same Red Green style. If you enjoyed the main program (or any other Red Green episode) you'll enjoy this one.

Final thoughts

Red Green is certainly a distinctive show, with its mix of screwball comedy, variety show, and dry wit. The two Christmas specials included here (It's a Wonderful Red Green Christmas from 1998 and A Merry Red Green Christmas from 1999) showcase the oddball humor of the show. If you are a Red Green fan, this DVD merits a "recommended"; if you have no idea who the heck Red Green is, it's not a bad disc to pick up as a rental to see if the show is to your liking.