[1] Produced by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Mordicai Gerstein, the program made its debut on NBC on December 3, 1979.

Mama suggests Papa and the cubs get a tree from Grizzly Gus' lot, but she reminds them to return home as soon as they can since a snowstorm is likely.

Papa, however, scoffs at Mama's weather prediction and decides he can do better than what Grizzly Gus has to offer, and the three head out into the mountains to find the right tree for them.

The first tree they find is in good shape, but it is home to a skunk, some squirrels, a grouse, a chipmunk, and twenty-six crows, who chase them off.

Touched by this, Papa can't bring himself to chop the birds' tree down and tells Brother and Sister that Christmas is the time to be thinking of family and friends.

The three then ski back down the mountain to Grizzly Gus's tree lot, only to find that they are completely sold out (with a small sign below reading "Happy New Year!").

[5] A deal with Perpetual Motion Pictures was soon solidified, and, over the course of the next several months, the Berenstain's collaborated with Mordicai Gerstein and Buzz Potamkin to develop a script and sketch nearly 20,000 original drawings needed for the animators.

[6] By mid-June, Stan and Jan saw the first bits of animation, and the completed special was viewed by the Berenstain's on November 10, just over three weeks prior to the national broadcast.

[11][12] Alexis Greene, writing for The New York Times, called the special "charming", and noted its "imaginative" animation.

As part of the "Berenstain Bears Living Lights" series, this new edition generally follows the original plot, but focuses more closely on the Christian aspect of the holiday, including depictions of a manger scene and several Bible verses in the updated text.