Just file this one under first world problems. For teens. Last night's Christmas edition of Glee -- which the wonderful Julie Miller will gleecap for you later today -- was another foray into jukebox territory for the hit show, meaning songs came and went without much tethering to the plot. That was fine -- after all, it's Christmas, and Kurt and Blaine are adorbz! -- but did Glee abuse its fan base by not including enough hits?
"A Very Glee Christmas" featured seven holiday tracks: "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year," "We Need a Little Christmas," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Merry Christmas Darling," "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch," "Last Christmas," and "Welcome Christmas." Even for Glee, that's a lot of music to run through in 43 minutes -- "Special Education," which highlighted New Directions' trip to Sectionals, really only had five songs -- but it's the selection that seems a bit off. Disingenuous even.
The Glee Christmas Album, which was released last month, includes 12 holiday classics, many of which weren't performed last night. Obviously they couldn't have all made the cut, but would it really have been so hard to have Mr. Schuester sing "Jingle Bells," like he does on the album? Or to have New Directions perform "Angels We Have Heard on High" for those never-seen homeless kids? It's not like "We Need A Little Christmas" lasted more than a few seconds -- just paying lip-service to the already released album would have been acceptable.
Even worse than the omissions? The night's final song, "Welcome Christmas" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, isn't even on the Glee Christmas album; the song can be purchased separately on iTunes. Because nothing says "Christmas spirit" like milking fans dry $1.29 at a time. God bless us, every one?