I don't like it in theory either... and it sounds too cartoon characterish. For a character, it could work though.
As for the movie, it frequently finds its way into the long list of yearly Xmas specials along with "
Rudolph", "
Charlie Brown's
Christmas" (or whatever it's called), "Sound of Music" (still not sure why it's a Xmas special), "Frosty", "It's a Wonderful Life", etc. as an old standard.