Stephen Colbert

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Lore & Background

In *A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!*, Stephen Colbert plays himself heading to a film studio to shoot a Christmas special with Elvis Costello. He becomes trapped in a cabin in 'bear country' (upstate New York or Vermont) when he hears a bear prowling outside. A number of his friends stop by the cabin to sing Christmas songs with him as he tries to find ways to escape and make his Christmas as special as possible. The special ends by revealing that the titular 'greatest gift of all' is the DVD release of the special itself. The songs were written by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, except for '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding' by Nick Lowe and 'Jingle Man, Christmas Boy' written by Colbert himself. 'Please Be Patient' was written to the tune of 'Angels We Have Heard on High.' The cast includes performances by Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart, John Legend, Feist, and Elvis Costello. The DVD went on sale November 25, 2008, and includes special features like a book burning Yule log, video advent calendar, alternate endings, and an extra song 'Cold, Cold Christmas.' The DVD differs from the TV airing in several ways: it has a different laugh track, includes 5-second bumps after each act, and adds two brief parts during the introduction to Jon Stewart and John Legend not seen on TV. However, the DVD is missing a televised coda with Elvis Costello helping Stephen finish his 'Jingle Bells' parody and a commercial/sponsor parody.

Reader's Guide

The special received generally favorable reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 78%. Alessandra Stanley of *The New York Times* wrote that 'Mr. Colbert is delightful, a few of the song parodies are clever, but over all, the show is too long and more than a little strained, much like the holiday specials it mocks.' Tim Goodman of the *San Francisco Chronicle* noted that the production values were low but said 'that's part of the reason it's so funny,' concluding 'it's not a classic, but there are worse ways to spend an hour.'

The songs from the special were released as a digital-only format on iTunes. As of 2009, the album had not been released on CD. All proceeds from iTunes and DVD sales went to the Feeding America charity. On November 25, 2008, the songs went on sale as an album on iTunes, where for a short while it was #1. This, coupled with Kanye West's belief that he is the 'voice of this generation of this decade,' prompted Colbert to ask viewers to download his album on December 3 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time in 'Operation Humble Kanye,' an attempt to bring him back to number one. This bumped the album into 2nd place, overtaking West's album. On December 4, Colbert proclaimed Kanye officially humbled. The album won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

Did You Know?

• The special won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
• All proceeds from the DVD and iTunes sales went to the Feeding America charity.
• Colbert wrote one of the songs himself, 'Jingle Man, Christmas Boy.'
• The DVD includes a 'book burning Yule log' as a special feature.
• Colbert launched 'Operation Humble Kanye' on December 3, 2008, to bump his album past Kanye West's on iTunes.