A Special Sesame Street Christmas A Special Sesame Street Christmas is a 1978 CBS Christmas special , made the same year as " Christmas Eve on Sesame Street " . It aired on December 8 at 8 pm . The special features only three of the " Sesame Street " Muppets - Oscar , Big Bird , and Barkley . In addition to the Muppets , Mr . Hooper , David , Bob , and Maria made appearances . The special also features several celebrity cameos and guest stars , including Leslie Uggams , Imogene Coca , Henry Fonda , Michael Jackson , Ethel Merman , Anne Murray and Dick Smothers . In 1979 , the special was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Children ' s Program . However , the program lost to that year ' s other " Sesame Street " Christmas show , " Christmas Eve on Sesame Street " . The special incorporates many elements of the classic story " A Christmas Carol " . To win round the typically grouchy Oscar into the Christmas spirit , celebrity guest stars portray the ghostly visitors . Anne Murray appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past , who shows Oscar his childhood ; Imogene Coca plays the Ghost of Christmas Present ; and Dick Smothers is the Ghost of Christmas Future . The special also includes a crippled kitten named Tiny Tim , to whom Oscar grows sympathetic . The theme of Oscar in the role of Scrooge would be revisited almost 28 years later in the direct - to - video special " A Sesame Street Christmas Carol " . The book " Street Gang " talks a bit about this special , stating : Summary . The show opens with a shot of Mr . Hooper and a little girl trimming a Christmas tree , as the audience is greated by Leslie Uggams saying , " Merry Christmas , everybody ! This is Leslie Uggams . You ' re lookin ' at Sesame Street - - and yes , it ' s the Christmas season . " Then Oscar pops in saying , " Hello , this is Oscar the Grouch speaking . I can ' t " stand " Christmas ! Anyway , I do have orders to say : Welcome to " A Special Sesame Street Christmas ! " " Bob , David , Mr . Hooper and Maria are happily trimming a Christmas tree that they ' ve set up out on the street next to the stoop of 123 Sesame Street . They invite Oscar to participate in the festivities , so he gives them a dirty old sneaker to hang on the tree . " Bah humbug ! " he snarls . Mr . Hooper makes the best of it saying " We mustn ' t let Oscar get our spirits down ! " Big Bird shows up with the present he got for Leslie Uggams . The others want to see the present - - they chipped in for it too - - but Big Bird wants it to be a surprise . " Here ' s the STAR ! " Leslie Uggams cries , as she enters with a star for the top of the tree . The cast greets her warmly . Oscar joins in : " I just want to tell you , Miss Uggams , that I ' ve never missed any of your shows ! " Leslie is pleased : " Oh , thank you , Oscar ! " Oscar says , " I never " see " any of your shows , so I never " miss " them ! " Leslie opens Big Bird ' s present , and finds an ugly hat with earflaps . Big Bird is disappointed - - everyone trusted him to pick out a present for Leslie , and he failed . This is a cue for Leslie to sing a big Broadway - style show - stopper production number about how it ' s the thought that counts at Christmas . Everyone joins in and dances around . It starts to snow , and the snowplow ( represented by a yellow flashing light ) dumps all the snow in front of the stoop . Leslie takes charge and enlists Bob , David and Barkley the Dog to sweep the snow away . As they shovel the snow , Leslie tells them to think of warm things . Oscar brings them cups , which they naively assume are full of hot cocoa . They don ' t realize it ' s really ice cold lemonade until they ' ve all brought it to their lips to take a big sip . David and Bob are so offended by Oscar ' s devious scheme that they leave , but Leslie stays behind for a little Star - to - Grouch talk . Oscar pops up from his can . " Look , Leslie , I ' m glad that somebody agrees with me about all this Christmas nonsense . " Leslie shakes her head : " I don ' t agree with you , Oscar . " Oscar is startled : " You don ' t ? You mean , you ' re with . . . " them ? " " " Yes . And you should be with them ! " Leslie Uggams informs Oscar through song about how much fun Christmas is , but it has no effect . She ' s completely frustrated . Maria emerges from the brownstone , and finds Leslie fuming : " It ' s just Oscar , with his whole dog - gone Christmas attitude ! " Maria tries to take her mind off it by showing her the injured kitten she found . She ' s dressed it up with a red ribbon , and put a cast on its broken leg . Leslie determines that the kitten needs a name . Then Leslie and Maria shout in unison : " " Tiny Tim ! " " Maria laughs : " I can ' t " believe " we came up with the same name ! " Leslie complains some more , saying , " Oscar certainly does remind you of another Christmas grouch , doesn ' t he . " Maria answers , " You mean Scrooge . " The word " Scrooge " gives Leslie an idea to teach Oscar a lesson . Maria trails after her : " What are we going to do , Leslie ? What ' s the plan ? " They go to Mr . Hooper ' s store , where they make a Ghost of Christmas Past costume out of trash . Nobody wants to volunteer to dress up as the ghost , but then Anne Murray walks in ! Anne lip - synchs a song to Big Bird - - a love song called " You Needed Me " - - as everyone else looks on . Then Anne agrees to be the Ghost . Bob , David , Maria and Leslie hide around the corner and make an " Ooooo - oooo " ghost sound to surprise Oscar . Then Anne appears with a green felt Christmas - tree cloak and matching top hat , adorned with trash accessories . She tells Oscar that she ' s the Ghost of Christmas Past . She gives Oscar a magic eggnog container , and tells him , " You look into it , and you ' ll see the wonders of a Christmas when you were young ! " As Oscar looks through the tube formed by the eggnog container , the others all act out a little scene in front of him . Leslie is dressed up as Oscar ' s nurse , and she ' s pushing a baby carriage holding a little trash can . Leslie sings about Oscar being a happy little baby , but he grew up and became an awful grouch . This doesn ' t make Oscar feel any nicer . Instead , he grabs an electric guitar and sings " Yakety Yak . " The guitar blows up at the end of the song . The next morning , Oscar gets up early to read the grouch newspaper . Leslie Uggams sits at an upstairs window , staring dreamily at Oscar and singing " Look at That Face . " Then : " Ooooo - oooo ! " Here comes Imogene Coca dressed up in red with alarm clocks strapped all over her body . She ' s the Ghost of Christmas Present , and she informs Oscar that he ' s now completely invisible . The street fills with adults and kids wishing each other Merry Christmas and singing about how they don ' t care whether Oscar celebrates Christmas with them or not . In the middle of the song , Henry Fonda appears on a fire escape holding a bulldozer toy , and announces : " Christmas is still being in my bathrobe at 11 : 00 in the morning sitting in my easy chair ! Attach Part C to Part B , being sure to use the ¾ " wingnut . . . " What " ¾ " wingnut ? " Then Henry disappears through a door and is never seen again . This ghostly visitation doesn ' t work either , so everyone ' s depressed . Maria , Bob , Leslie and Imogene are all staring hopelessly into space . Then Ethel Merman walks by , and gives them a hearty greeting : " Hi , Leslie ! Merry Christmas ! IMOGENE - - what ' s the matter ? You look like an IDIOT ! " Ethel instantly understands that they ' re down because Oscar the Grouch isn ' t in the Christmas spirit . She says they shouldn ' t be depressed - - " You gotta do what ETHEL does ! You gotta out - LAST him ! " Ethel sings " Tomorrow " , urging them all to think positively . The group agrees , and follows her in song . Next , Michael Jackson walks down the street , reading a book about ghosts . Oscar asks him for the book , Michael gives it to him , and then leaves . Dick Smothers visits next , dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Future . Dick tells Oscar that everybody moved away from Sesame Street - - " You were such a grouch at Christmas , they couldn ' t take it any longer ! " The only one who didn ' t move away is Tiny Tim , the crippled kitten . Dick leaves the kitten with Oscar , who turns protective and loving . " How ' s your leg , there ? " asks Oscar . " I ' d be happy to autograph your cast . I know just what I ' d write on it : Merry Christmas , Tiny . Love , Oscar . " Then Oscar starts . " Did I say " that ? " " Leslie bursts through the door of 123 Sesame Street and sings " Just One Person " to Oscar , joined by the rest of the cast . When they ' re done , Oscar snarls : " Are you people gonna stand around singing while that poor cat freezes ? Hand him up here . " They all wish him a Merry Christmas , and Oscar ducks down into the trash can with the cat . " Merry Christmas , everybody ! " he shouts , and then pops back up : " Did you hear that ? This cat talks ! He just wished everybody a Merry Christmas ! " Everyone gathers in a big crowd for a Christmas medley . The whole cast sings " Jingle Bells " . Leslie sings a verse of " Sleigh Ride " . Ethel Merman sings a chorus of " Winter Wonderland " . The cast sings part of " I Saw Three Ships " , and they all wish the viewers a Merry Christmas .