Old-School Broadcast of 'A Muppet Family Christmas' Was Once Interrupted By Alarming 'Nightline' Teaser

Ahh Holiday spirit, a seemingly difficult commodity to come by in a year defined by a global pandemic, murder hornets, and a nightmarish election season. While some may chalk this up to the dumpster fiery-of the past 365 days, it may have actually always been this hard to get in the holiday spirit -- at least according to a vintage snippet of a wholesome Muppets broadcast kneecapped by a highly concerning Nightline report.

On Tuesday,  Mike Scollins, a writer for Late Night With Seth Meyers, took to Twitter to share a seriously alarming clip,  proving even before 2020, we could never really have nice things. In the 17-second clip, we see the ending of the beloved Jim Henson special, all of our favorite felt faces, including Kermit, to Miss Piggy and even Big Bird waving goodbye and wishing the viewer a merry Christmas. As the credits begin to roll above an exterior shot of their quaint cottage, the ominous voice of Nightline's Dr. Timothy Johnson shatters the peaceful scene with talk of dying children. 

"I'm Dr. Timothy Johnson. Later on Nightline, it's a controversy about life and death, do you a doomed baby alive so its organs can be used to save the lives of others?" he says, the cheerful tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" playing in the background. Ahh, nothing like an alarming story about dying infants to stop any semblance of holiday cheer right in its tracks -- or, well as Scollins put it - "I've never been brought back to Earth so fast." 

Soon after the writer posted the video, other Twitter users began sharing their memories of the terrible TV transition, according to AV Club. 

"I used to watch that muppet special so many times as a kid and hadn't seen it in decades," wrote user @minorlydiddled. "So, on Thanksgiving/my birthday when I went looking for it, I was not ready for that whiplash at the end. Of course, it's 2020 so I had to jump on TikTok and share the horror." she added, featuring a copy of the TikTok in question. 

"OKAY WE WERE WATCHING MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS ON YOUTUBE AND ITS A VHS RIP FROM ITS ORIGINAL AIRING AND THE AUDIO PREVIEW FOR NIGHTLINE CAME ON DURING THE CREDITS AND OHHHHHH MY GOD," recalled user @ZackPaslay in yet another appropriate use of all caps, which he later retweeted at Scollins. 

Yikes. Well, happy holidays, folks, May the ending credits of any television Christmas specials you watch this year ease you back into the real world instead of whatever the hell that was. 

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.