There is no shortage of Christmas themed episodes and specials on television. For years people have been entertained by their favorite characters involved in some sort of fun Christmas shenanigans. The best Christmas Special for me though has got to be the one, and only, He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special! It simply has everything!

I remember being very young and completely geeking out for the premier of the Christmas special. My grandmother and papa were babysitting me and my only request was that we watch the Christmas Special. They had no idea what they were getting into though. My grandparents were old school. Even older than my school. They had no idea what to make of the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special, but they were very awesome to sit along with me to watch.

The Christmas Special had everything. It was like a mash up of every character. Even if most of the characters never uttered a word, it was just amazing to see everyone I had on my toy shelf interacting together for the holidays!

So what all happened during that Christmas Special? Well, let me spill the dirt. Before I do though, this piece will be heavily filled with spoiler alerts, so be aware. (If something is over 20 years old, do we still need to worry about spoilers?) Either way, if you don’t want to know what happens, stop reading now. No really, stop reading. Click over to another fabulous article on Retro-Daze by so many wonderful contributors and enjoy the fun that is Retro-Daze!

Ok, is it safe now? If you are reading this than you have either seen the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special or you haven’t and you could care less about spoilers. Let’s go!

The special begins with everyone getting together to celebrate a splashy birthday party for Adam and Adora. Wanting nothing to do with party planning, Adam is with Man-At-Arms tinkering on some rocket called the Sky Spy. Long story short, Orko gets into trouble and flies off with the rocket heading into space and traveling to Earth of all places. He gets help from two kids (Miguel and Alisha) who are trying to get a Christmas tree.

While Orko is learning about Christmas, Adam and Adora have turned into their counterparts to try and get Orko back. She-Ra travels to Etheria and gets help from Mermista while also struggling against the Monstroids. (Robotic creatures that are not unlike the Transformers.)

Orko is returned safely to Eternia with the Earth children in tow. Everyone starts learning about the meaning of Christmas and the kids are struggling with the reality that they might not make it back to Earth in time for the holiday. To add more drama to the pile, Horde Prime sets loose both Skeletor and Hordak after the children to help prevent the spirit of Christmas from overpowering the evil of Horde Prime.

Everything and the kitchen sink ends up busted in this special. The kids get kidnapped by Hordak and then they get kidnapped by the Monstroids before getting rescued by the Manchines, until their luck turns to the humorous when they get kidnapped by Skeletor. (Are you still following?) I know that Skeletor is always meant to be a terrifying villain, but after the Christmas special there is no way anyone could say that Skeletor was just a one dimensional villain. He was simply the bee’s knees.

Anyways, He-Man and She-Ra of course save the day. Miguel and Alicia make it back home just in time for Christmas. Adam and Adora share a lovely birthday/Christmas party extravaganza with all their friends. Adora gets a Manchine puppy named Relay, and the best Christmas special in the history of the world is done and done.

I enjoy this Christmas Special with every fiber of my being. It has everything I look for in my television specials: action, adventure, drama, family fun, a tacky sing-a-long song that burrows into your head and suddenly doesn’t sound that bad… It’s everything!

The show may have come out in 1985, but it was reissued on DVD in 2005 for continued viewing greatness. I remember that December in 2005. I had heard whispers that the DVD was going to be issued, but I was not sure until the date was officially set. I must have called every single Best Buy in my area. I remember driving all over looking for at least one copy of the DVD. I had a Route 44 Cherry Dr. Pepper from Sonic by my side and after my third attempt I had found a Best Buy that had many copies. I scooped that DVD up so fast for fear they’d magically disappear. It was pure wonderment and instantly transported me back to my youth.

I remember waiting in the long holiday line with my He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special in hand. I was texting my friends completely geeking out that I had this. (The She-Ra DVDs had not been released yet.) It was a magical moment that I never thought I would have gotten to experience. (Growing up we never recorded things on VHS.) That night when I sat down to watch it for the first time in my adulthood, I had called a friend over and we watched it together. We were having the best time. I loved the old cartoons from my childhood so much. So when the special came out, I just could not get over it. I have watched it every holiday season since the DVD release. This has become one of my own Christmas traditions tied not only to my childhood but to how I have grown to relate to She-Ra in my older age. She has always been with me and now she can continue to be for many more Christmases to come!