producers worked closely with Coleman to ensure its faithfulness to the historical events depicted. Being a children's show, the Vietnam War was never mentioned by name, but the team was committed to alluding to it in a "poetic" way, through a sequence complete with dramatic guitar by series composer Jim Lang. Lang cited this episode among his favorites to score for. To ensure that Mr. Hyunh's character speaks with an authentic accent, during the recording process Bartlett would rewrite any lines that Coleman felt were difficult or seemed uncomfortable for him to say. Reception "Arnold's Christmas" premiered on Nickelodeon on December 11, 1996. It was released to home video on VHS a year later. Hartford Courant review of the episode wrote that although the message of "greedy people learn[ing] the true spirit of Christmas from someone less fortunate" was cliché, the episode "uses an interesting historical twist to make the story fresh, and touching", while also teaching children aspects of the Vietnam War "seemingly incongruously". "Arnold's Christmas" is considered a memorable and groundbreaking episode in children's television. Commentators note that it is among the first instances in American television where the Vietnamese perspective of the Vietnam War is explored. Many Asian Americans who grew up in the 1990s, including Vietnamese Americans, recall it being one of the few times where their history was represented in pop culture and cite it as a source of inspiration. They appreciated Mr. Hyunh's ability to tell his own story, in an authentic accent. Due to the lack of social media when the episode aired, the show's creators did not know about the episode's impact on Asian American viewers until many of them grew up and talked about its impact on them. The episode is often included in lists of TV's best holiday episodes, including Variety's, Screen Rant's, IndieWire's, and Den of Geek's. It is also a fan favorite, ranking first in IMDb's user ratings of all Hey Arnold! episodes as well as all holiday episodes on Nickelodeon, third in all Christmas episodes, ninth in CBR's list of the show's saddest episodes, as well as first in the site's list of saddest moments in Nickelodeon cartoons. References Further reading External links Hey Arnold! episodes 1996 American television episodes Television episodes set in the United States Vietnam War in popular culture American Christmas television episodes