On December 7, 1977, America’s favorite stone-age family, The Flintstones, has their first Christmas special courtesy of NBC and Hannah-Barbera Productions.

Running 60-minutes long, the special featured all of the beloved characters from the animated television series including Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty. When Santa Claus sprains his ankle delivering presents to the Flintstone house, he teaches Fred and Barney all they need to know in order to finish the job, allowing the duo to save Christmas for children all over the world. Fred, though, runs late for a Christmas party hosted by his boss, Mr. Slate, putting his job in jeopardy, but in the end, everyone learns the true meaning of the holidays and all is well.

Up until The Simpsons came along, The Flintstones were the longest-running animated family in prime time history, originally running from 1960-1966 on ABC.

The series, about a prehistoric working-class man, his family and their next door neighbors, modeled its humor after The Honeymooners in the town of Bedrock. One thing that stood out was the way The Flintstones used prehistoric animals as technology, a source of much laughter in the original run of the show.

Another Christmas special aired on ABC in 1993 titled, A Flintstone Family Christmas, but the original will always be remembered for first bringing the prehistoric family into the holiday setting. While it’s hard to find these days on DVD, you can still grab the old VHS tapes off of Amazon.com, but really, the best way to experience it is sitting around the television with your family this holiday season and catching it when it airs. That’s how I’ll be enjoying it, and afterward, maybe we’ll open some presents a little early. Wishful thinking, I know.