Olivia is one of the more recent in a long line of amusing pig characters that began for most of us with "Charlotte's Web" in book form. This little piggy is more anthropomorphic than Wilbur ever was; she's basically a little girl in pig form, based on her life at home and school. A perfectly normal little girl, except she looks like a little pig. It's harder to get one's head around than to just accept it, judging by the fact that kids have been falling in love with Olivia since her first appearance a decade ago. The books picked up several awards for their distinctive design, which didn't necessarily carry over to the show. The show has a nice animation style, very clean and unabashedly computer-generated, in contrast to the trend of many children's shows that favor a hand-drawn or cut-paper design aesthetic. What Olivia carries over intact from book to show format is the humor that made the books such fun to read, the kind of moment that had kids chuckling and looking forward to a re-read.

A timely release, Merry Christmas, Olivia devotes four of its eight episodes to either a holiday or Winter theme. The remaining episodes are cute collections from the show's first season that only began last year. Think of them as bonus episodes, although there's a real honest-to-goodness bonus episode here, "Olivia's Pirate Treasure." The Christmas and Winter theme will be the clencher for your kiddies, and who can resist the image of Olivia dressed as Santa? In both the "Olivia Claus" and "Olivia's Ice Spectacular," Olivia is really dreaming. On one hand, she imagines what it would be like to do Santa's work, but she somewhat selfishly twists the tale to suit her own needs, when a favorite toy goes missing. The "Ice Spectacular" revolves around an improvised ice-rink where it become a simple matter to imagine playing a Cinderella role...

Merry Christmas, Olivia is ideal for kids around ages 2-5, and the older set may find it too tame compared to fast-paced action shows like The Backyardigans or Little Einsteins. Much like the spare, black-and-white backdrop of the Olivia books, the show delivers a funny spin on everyday events, combined with the larger-than-life imagination all kids seem to possess. It's much like a more sophisticated and genuinely funny version of Caillou, one that often prompts a wry smile from parents as it amuses the kids in the room.