A Garfield Christmas (1987): A Cozy Animated Holiday Special
In A Garfield Christmas (1987), our cartoon cat grumbles through dinner with Jon’s family and unexpectedly learns what Christmas is really about.
A Garfield Christmas
Director: Phil Roman & George Singer
Country: USA
When A Garfield Christmas first aired on December 21, 1987, holiday television specials were still something families planned their evenings around.
Broadcast days before Christmas, the half-hour cartoon slipped easily into the rhythm of the season: winter nights, glowing TV screens, and the familiar comfort of characters viewers loved.
Garfield was already a fixture in newspapers and on television, and his Christmas special joined a long tradition of animated holiday programs that marked the countdown to Christmas morning.
Children loved spending time with Garfield, Jon, and Odie outside their usual routines. For adults, the quieter moments and setting made the special gentler and more reflective than many animated comedies of the era.
While not as loudly celebrated as some perennial Christmas classics, it became a familiar presence through repeat airings in the late 1980s and 1990s, when seasonal programming still returned year after year on network television.
Over time, A Garfield Christmas faded from regular broadcast rotation. However, those who grew up with it, remember it fondly.
Plot Summary
The special begins with Garfield dreaming about Christmas, picturing a perfect holiday overflowing with lasagna.
But Jon wakes him up, and Garfield faces the reality of leaving his warm bed for a trip to Jon’s family farm and meeting a house full of relatives.
Garfield immediately complains about the long drive, the cold weather, and the lack of modern comforts. He’d rather stay in the car than deal with it all.
Holiday Traditions on the Farm
At the farm, Jon’s family celebrates Christmas in traditional ways, starting with a big dinner.
Garfield sulks through the meal, but Grandma Arbuckle quietly slips food under the table for him and Odie. She even shares her famous sausage gravy with chili powder—a recipe that once won her a county fair award.
After dinner, the family decorates the Christmas tree, and Garfield gets the honor of placing the star on top. They sing carols together around the piano and read the same Christmas story they share every year.
A Nostalgic Moment With Grandma
Grandma Arbuckle feels the holiday deeply.
Christmas reminds her of her late husband, and she grows quiet and thoughtful. With Garfield curled on her lap, she speaks about how much she misses him, especially around Christmas-time.
The True Spirit of Christmas
The next morning brings the joy of opening presents, and Garfield and Odie give out the most thoughtful gifts.
Odie made Garfield a back scratcher during the night, which Garfield proudly declares “the best present a cat could ever get.”
Garfield stumbles upon 50-year-old love letters from Grandma’s late husband and decides they would make the perfect Christmas gift. She beams and says, “I think I have the nicest present I could have received.”
The special closes with Garfield reflecting on the true meaning of the holiday: “Christmas… It’s not the giving; it’s not the getting; it’s the loving.”
The Team Behind A Garfield Christmas Special
A Garfield Christmas was brought to life by Phil Roman and George Singer, two veterans of animation who shaped the look and feel of Garfield on television.
Phil Roman had been at the helm of the earliest Garfield specials, including Here Comes Garfield. He balanced Garfield’s grumpiness with moments of heart, and he made sure that each special felt like a holiday gift.
George Singer joined Roman as co-director for the Christmas special. He brought years of experience from other animated shows, such as Rocky and His Friends and The Pink Panther Show.
How It Compares to Other Garfield Specials
Compared to other Garfield holiday specials A Garfield Christmas stands out for its quiet warmth.
The 1985 Halloween special leans into playful spookiness, while the 1989 Thanksgiving special highlights chaos around the holiday meal.
Christmas slows everything down. It focuses on family, reflection, and small acts of kindness. The snow-covered farm, the twinkling tree, and Garfield’s unexpected generosity all give the special a sense of intimacy and nostalgia.
It doesn’t rely on spectacle or big jokes. Instead, it captures the gentle magic of Christmas.
This special also helped cement Garfield as more than a comic strip character.
Through the careful direction, the expressive animation, and the warm storytelling, Garfield became a holiday companion. He was the kind of character families could return to each December to share the joys of the season together.
Where to Watch Garfield’s Christmas Special?
Stream A Garfield Christmas, and cozy up with your favorite cat as he brings warmth and holiday charm straight to your living room.
It’s also available on DVD so you can revisit a little nostalgic Christmas magic year after year.
Final Thoughts
Do you love watching Garfield grumble his way through the snowy farm and then discover the true meaning of Christmas? Which other Christmas specials do you return to every year to share that cozy, festive feeling with family and friends?
If you’re in the mood for even more cat-centric holiday fun, check out these best Christmas movies with cats. This includes classics like A Christmas Gift From Bob, Yule Cat, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Christmas!, The Nine Lives of Christmas, and more.
There’s plenty of warmth, nostalgia, and seasonal charm to enjoy this holiday season, all featuring our favorite furry friends.
About the Author
Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampires Movies, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, and Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies. She also published one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders). Three of her stories became movies. She introduces movie screenings at several European cinemas and film festivals and is also a programmer for the Offscreen in Brussels. When she is not writing, you will probably find her eating out or taking photos of felines for her website, Traveling Cats.
I just watched this last night! Always my favorite Christmas special.
My children loved the Garfield TV series, and enjoyed this, too. It is a good one.
Omgoodness, I love Garfield when I was a teenager. Yea, he was always a grouch but so funny. Thanks for the reminder of the funniest shows in the 80s!