Ryoko Yonekura returns to the airwaves as Arisa, the housewife-witch patterned after Samantha of the old U.S. sitcom "Bewitched," for a special Christmas show. In "The Plan to Rescue Santa Claus" (TBS, Tue., 9 p.m.), Arisa and her daughter, Tsubasa, return to the world of mortals and husband Joji after a five-year stay in the land of witches, where Tsubasa received her education.
In the meantime, Joji's boss, Suzuki (Naoto Takenaka), has grown despondent because his wife has left him. Tsubasa returns to regular schools for mortals and tries to rekindle her friendship with Suzuki's son, Shotaro, but the boy claims he doesn't remember Tsubasa.
Shotaro also says he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, and when Tsubasa informs her busybody grandmother of this, the old lady decides to produce the real Santa Claus as proof that he does exist, using magic "that can only be utilized on Christmas Eve."