12 Reviews of Christmas - SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas (2024)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and it looks like we have another Christmas special featuring that little yellow sponge who lives in an undersea pineapple. Yep, SpongeBob SquarePants is back in SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas, which aired on Nickelodeon earlier this month and is currently streaming on Paramount+. 

         So, it's Christmastime once again in Bikini Bottom, and everyone in town is getting ready. Meanwhile, in her Treedome, Sandy is working on a science experiment, was help from SpongeBob, to revolutionize Christmas. Unfortunately, the formula she creates doesn't exactly work right away, but she hopes to crack it in time for Christmas. However, Sandy's relatives arrive from Texas, in a genuine holiday surprise. 

       And, of course, when SpongeBob goes to his Christmas Eve shift at the Krusty Krab, things aren't going super well, as Mr. Krabs is having Squidward sing, terribly mind you, a few Christmas carols...much to the chagrin of the customers. But, Sandy's family offers to sing a few Christmas songs instead, which Mr. Krabs agrees to. And, while the Cheeks family is singing, SpongeBob makes a bunch of Krabby Patties, and the cash flows pretty well. Back at the Treedome, Sandy manages to finish her experiment, and invites everyone in Bikini Bottom over to see it. 

       Sandy's experiment, it turns out, is a formula to create an instant Christmas tree. After the new formula is revealed, the Cheeks family puts on a circus performance themed to "the Nutcracker." Unfortunately, Sandy's formula made a Christmas tree so massive that it caused Santa Claus, who was making his Christmas rounds in Bikini Bottom, crashed into the tree, fell, and suffered from some form of amnesia. The biggest downfall side? Everyone in Bikini Bottom blames Sandy for ruining Christmas, and they all go home. With everyone else gone, except for her family, Sandy sings a depressing Christmas song, with SpongeBob accompanying her on harmonica. But, Sandy's niece and nephew find Santa's sleigh and gift bag, meaning that the presents can still be delivered in Bikini Bottom. But, one problem: Santa's still out of commission. 

        After a story from Sandy's grandmother, SpongeBob and the Cheeks family resolve to make all of the Christmas deliveries in Bikini Bottom themselves. They start by building the most ridiculous sleigh since the one built by Jim Carrey in The Grinch, but are able to manage to get the presents delivered across Bikini Bottom. And, I will say that the musical montage of Sandy, SpongeBob, and the Cheeks family delivering the presents, while not as memorable as the "Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas)" montage from It's a SpongeBob Christmas, is still pretty good, and was a lot of fun. The choice of song is also a lot of fun. 

       Anyway, the presents are delivered, Santa makes a full recovery, and Christmas in Bikini Bottom is saved. And, as for the massive Christmas tree? Well, Santa adds rocket engines to it, and the Cheeks family uses it to fly out of the ocean and back home to Texas. 

         So, for this latest Christmas special, I will say that it was a lot of fun. Seeing Sandy's family arrive from Texas to spend Christmas with her was great, and having them help save Christmas after her experiment went wrong was pretty clever. Tom Kenny and Carolyn Lawrence really helped carry this special as the voices of SpongeBob and Sandy, and it was great also getting the likes of Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, Mr. Lawrence as Larry the Lobster, and so forth. But, I was thoroughly surprised to hear Lewis Black as Santa. Given that It's a SpongeBob Christmas had John Goodman as Santa, it was interesting to learn that Lewis Black has been the voice of Santa for the SpongeBob franchise ever since, and I will say... pretty good. Also, both Craig Robinson and Johnny Knoxville were in this special as Sandy's father and brother, respectively, which is really cool. 

        The stop motion animation is also a lot of fun. As someone who loved the use of stop motion animation in It's a SpongeBob Christmas, I was happy to see it come back for yet another Christmas special. Now, do I think that this will be on the same level as the timeless classic It's a SpongeBob Christmas? Not necessarily. But, for another fun Christmas special with SpongeBob and the gang, it works pretty well. So, I'm giving SpongeBob and Sandy's Country Christmas a rating of 4.85/5. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and 12 Reviews of Christmas will continue tomorrow with the video game Batman: Arkham Origins.