“Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”: An Unexpected Gem
This article contains spoilers for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and the franchise as a whole.
“And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day!”
While setting up my Christmas tree at the beginning of December, I decided to throw the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on for a bit of festive background noise. I wasn’t expecting anything great from it, maybe something bizarre, along the lines of the infamous Star Wars holiday special. The Disney+ blurb said “to make Christmas special for Quill, the Guardians head to Earth in search of the perfect present,” so maybe a vaguely cute holiday-themed cash grab. As I fought to connect sections of a fake tree while my Bernese Mountain Dog got in the way to investigate the strange green plastic things in my hands, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was plenty of charm and heart in the roughly 42 minute special.
The Guardians of the Galaxy films have, at their heart, always been largely about family, focusing on the trope of found family in particular. The second film largely leaned into this with the relationships between Peter Quill and Yondu, as well as between Gamora and Nebula. The new holiday special dives even further into the themes of family, and in between stories about Yondu ruining Christmas and amusing songs by aliens who don’t understand what Christmas is on account of receiving the info through what was essentially a game of telephone, it is revealed that Mantis is actually Peter’s half-sister and she is determined to give him a good Christmas.
What ensues is rather comedic, as she and Drax work together to kidnap Kevin Bacon, Peter’s childhood hero, and give him to Peter as a Christmas gift. It is somewhat relatable. Anyone who celebrates Christmas has struggled at some point to find the perfect gift for a loved one. Mantis is absolutely determined to make it perfect; as Peter does not yet know they are related, he is still struggling with the loss of Gamora, and she feels extra bad after having heard about Yondu “ruining Christmas forever.” That, combined with the fact that she is an alien with little understanding of Christmas and human traditions, drives her attempt into the realm of comedy — she may or may not steal someone’s money — while still being deeply heartfelt (it’s the thought that counts, right?). Kidnapping a famous actor — an actual human being — for a Christmas gift? Definitely comical, but the context in which it happens here makes it hit hard, and with a lot more heart than I ever would have expected.
I genuinely cried at the end when Peter learned the truth and told Mantis that learning she was his sister was the greatest gift ever. Maybe it was my own emotions that are attached to family around this time of year, but seeing these two characters who come from rough family backgrounds finally be together as brother and sister and supporting each other, and knowing how much love they have for each other, enough that Mantis teamed up with Drax to kidnap a person, was touching. I think it’s the first scene of Peter and Mantis alone together, and it tugged every heartstring. I hope to see a lot more of them together later in the MCU.
The use of the song “Fairytale of New York” tied it all together perfectly, too. In addition to the sweet story of Peter and Mantis, we also got more of Peter and Yondu. In the story told to Mantis at the beginning of the special, Yondu allegedly ruined Christmas forever. Is that really how it ended? As it turns out, the story was incomplete. He quietly opened his gift from Peter, unseen, and then gave Peter one as well. An animated clip at the end shows the two together as the final verse of “Fairytale of New York” plays out: “Can’t make it all alone, I built my dreams around you”, accompanies the two gazing out into the endless possibilities of space. A complicated relationship built on a kidnapping, but one with love in it, as was shown in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. The applicability of the song was surprising, but it definitely does work for that relationship, at least with the sections used. I can’t think of another Christmas song that would work for this special; it was truly a perfect choice.
I can definitely see this one becoming a Christmas tradition for me. It has the perfect blend of nerdiness, heart, and Christmas spirit to match my tastes. I was absolutely pleasantly surprised by what I found, and would recommend it in a heartbeat. After all, where else can you watch an alien beat a cop with a candy cane? This special is truly unique, enjoyable enough that I’ve already watched it again a couple times, and I look forward to watching it again this time next year.
