It’s Not the Holidays Without the Winter Wonderland Parody Ad
The Winter Wonderland parody ad is one of those holiday traditions of the YouTube era that simply must be indulged in.
Much like comedian Clay Weiner’s “The Christmas Tree” and actress Natalie Walker’s rousing alto rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” there are a number of classic YouTube clips that seem to make the rounds every holiday season. I feel like “Winter Wonderland” is a lesser-known classic in the Christmas comedy genre, so I figured I’d share it by way of boosting the holiday spirit.
The clip comes courtesy of College Humor (now known as Dropout TV). It’s a parody of those hyper-local TV advertisements that came to prominence in the ’70s and ’80s where the business owner was also the hawker. Think Barry and Elliot from Jordan’s Furniture or Bernie and Phyl if you’re a Mass native. Actually, scratch that. This guy is much more in the spirit of Crazy Eddie. Remember him?
It’s Not the Holidays Without the Winter Wonderland Parody Ad
Bookended between commercials for Countrywide Home Loans and Progressive Auto Insurance, the fake advert has the look and feel of something that would come screaming out of the TV at you at around 2 a.m. after you dozed off during Saturday Night Live. A man with a heavy New Jersey accent dressed as Santa Claus begins belligerently roasting someone’s Christmas decor. Then the fun begins.
Suddenly, you’re in a Winter Wonderland, conveniently located in the northwest corner of the IKEA parking lot in Paramus, New Jersey. Christmas trees and decorations are being hawked by a prototypically shady huckster. Yes, it’s the guy in the Santa suit. Yes, there are unexpectedly hilarious pop culture references. Yes, it has some NSFW language. Yes, you’ll have a few good laughs and probably add this one to your list of Christmas comedy clips. Happy Holidays!