I received a Dreamworks Holiday Collection and The Original Christmas Classics Collection  in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am so excited that it’s almost Thanksgiving! Why? Because I have a  rule for myself: no holiday movies until after Santa comes down the street in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I work at the Santa photo set seasonally, so I’m inundated with the jolly old elf daily starting almost two weeks before turkey day. I work in the mall during that time, so I see holiday decorations and hear the music well before the official start of the season. One thing I can control is when I start watching all my favorite holiday specials. Fortunately for my son, I don’t hold him to the same rule. When our Dreamworks Holiday Collection DVD set arrived the other day, I let him start watching it right away. Who am I kidding? I broke my own rules and watched them too. I can’t wait for the holidays any more than he can!

The Dreamworks Holiday Collection contains four episodes on two discs featuring all your favorite Dreamworks characters. You’ll find Shrek, Po from Kung Fu Panda, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon and the characters from Madagascar in 91 minutes of holiday fun.

Dreamworks Holiday Collection Episodes

• Shrek the Halls- I’ve always been a huge fan of the tactless Ogre and his beloved Donkey sidekick, so this is my favorite episode in the collection. Shrek is pretty content to chill out with his wife, Fiona, and their babies on Christmas. Donkey, of course, intervenes and insists that Shrek needs to give Fiona a special surprise. Since Shrek really doesn’t know much about the holiday, he consults what we all consult when we’re stuck- a Village Idiot’s guide! You have to know this isn’t going to go well! Everything goes totally awry right up until Donkey invades with the ENTIRE Shrek family- from the pigs to the Gingerbread man. Shrek is set to blow his lid until the wise Donkey helps him realize that family isn’t always the people who share your blood.
• Merry Madagascar– Alex, Melman, Marty and Gloria are trying to escape Madagascar using a hot air balloon that they built. Julien, leader of the lemurs, mistakes him for the “red goblin” that comes on Christmas Eve and thwarts their plans. Later, the real “red goblin” appears and bombards the island with coal. Alex “saves” the day by shooting him down. Unfortunately, the red goblin is none other than Santa Claus, and now he can’t remember who he is, let alone how to deliver gifts to all the kids on the planet. To make matters worse, the penguins (my favorites!) are at war with the reindeer. A whole lot of craziness ensues in the short episode, making it one of the funniest in the collection! Just smile and wave, everything will be okay (if you don’t get that reference, you need to go back to the first Madagascar!).
• Kung Fu Panda Holiday- Po really wants to spend the holidays with his dad, but Master Shifu has bestowed him with the great honor of hosting the Winter Fest. Po decides that the best way to do both is to have his father cater the event. Sadly, his dad thinks he’s more concerned with being a warrior and declines. Po is sad, but tries to cater the event himself. It’s a hard enough task for the clumsy warrior, but add a suicidal rabbit to the mix and it becomes even more of a challenge. That is, until Po figures out how to get the Furious Five on board with helping. Will Po pull it off? Will he get to spend the holiday with his father? Watch it and find out!
• Gift of the Night Fury-While the other episodes are touching in their own way, I think this How to Train Your Dragon episode has the sweetest ending. I won’t ruin it for you, but let’s say Toothless gives Hiccup one of the greatest gifts of all. The episode also features adorable baby dragons! What more could you ask for?

Click on the picture to get the larger printable version

If your kids love the Dreamworks characters, they’ll love the Dreamworks Holiday Collection. Each episode is destined to become a classic akin to Frosty, Rudolph and the like. Speaking of, you can also get the Original Christmas Classics Collection on DVD! I’m talking THE BIG THREE: Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. No holiday is complete without those episodes. I remember as a child waiting for them to come on television each year. We didn’t have DVDs back then! In fact, we didn’t have VHS until I was about 10. Remember those days? The moment Rudolph appeared on television, I knew the holiday season was in full gear.

The Original Christmas Classics Collection also features: The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas (one of my mom’s favorite from her childhood!) and Frosty Returns. Find both collections in stores now. Want to take the fun even further? Check out the Dreamworks-inspired recipes I posted the other day. Next week, I’ll share recipes from the classics! Plus, come back on Sunday and enter my Holiday #HoHoHo Hop giveaway for a chance to win both sets!