How to Watch NewsNation’s ‘A Very Eighties Christmas’ Special

A Very Eighties Christmas_XMAS EVE — Courtesy of NewsNation

What To Know

NewsNation’s A Very Eighties Christmas special uses archival local news footage to revisit the chaotic and nostalgic Christmas seasons of the 1980s, including mall shopping frenzies and national ceremonies.
The documentary highlights the Cabbage Patch Kids craze, showcasing the intense demand and long lines that defined holiday toy shopping during that era.
The program balances consumer mania with heartwarming stories and traditions, featuring Santas in everyday roles, faith-based celebrations in historic cities, and rare footage of White House Christmas events with President Reagan.

If you were around in the ’80s, you probably remember local news footage of the long lines of people trying to find the perfect gift for their child or grandchild, the toy shortages and the annual reminder that this season could get a little chaotic. A Very Eighties Christmas, a new holiday special from NewsNation, brings those moments back using archival local news footage from across the country to take viewers back to Christmas in the ’80s through the lens of mall madness and moments of national ceremony. Airing Wednesday, December 24 at 8pm ET, the documentary will have an early premiere on NewsNation’s YouTube channel on December 18.

Why were Cabbage Patch dolls the ultimate ’80s Christmas gift?

One of the most unforgettable chapters of the special centers on the Cabbage Patch Kids frenzy, a phenomenon that turned December shopping into something closer to a competitive sport. Introduced in 1982 and produced by Coleco, the pudgy-faced dolls came with birth certificates and adoption papers. By the mid-’80s, demand had exploded. According to NewsNation, a reporter on the ground in some of their archival footage exclaimed, “Almost a thousand people lined up outside this store, some since as early as 3 a.m., to purchase 120 Cabbage Patch Kids. Security guards and police were on-hand to supervise the sale, during which groups of 12 at a time were let in the store.”

A Very Eighties Christmas_Cabbage Patch_2

Courtesy of NewsNation

The special balances consumer frenzy with heartwarming moments that defined the season. Local Santa Clauses pop up everywhere, not just in department stores but driving buses, delivering mail and even collecting garbage. In one story, a man dressed as Santa spreads joy to hundreds of homes in a single afternoon, delighting adults just as much as children.

The program also includes archival reports from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Rome show Christmas being marked through faith and tradition, including historic pilgrimages and Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican led by Pope John Paul II.

Christmas at the White House

That sense of tradition carries through to Christmas at the White House, with rare footage of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. The lighting of the National Christmas Tree becomes more than a ceremony. You may remember that President Reagan said, according to NewsNation, “And as we light this glorious tree, may Nancy and I offer a final wish to all Americans that every Christmas that follows will be as full of joy as we have these past years to work in your service. May God bless you all, and now Nancy will help me light the tree and, again, have a very merry Christmas.”