Cozy up and bring out the hot cocoa because these episodes are perfect to get you into the Christmas spirit
There are many things I love about the holidays: the gifts, the food and the celebrations. But one of the traditions that makes me the happiest and makes me wait in anticipation for December is Christmas episodes.
Every year, once finals are over and winter break starts, my sister and I embark on a holiday TV show episode extravaganza and rewatch all our favorite characters celebrate one of our favorite seasons. We get a bunch of blankets on the sofa and make our parents buy us hot chocolate packets and mini marshmallows, and we spend the limbo that are those few weeks before Christmas submerged in the world of cheesy sitcoms and childhood series.
This is an unofficial ranking of what I believe are the best Christmas episodes we have watched over the years. It is unofficial because my sister did not participate in the ranking, but I still heavily recommend these paired with your favorite holiday drink and Christmas pajamas to start this December off on the right foot.
7. That 70s Show: Season 1, Episode 12 “The Best Christmas Ever”
The only reason this episode ranks last is because it faced strong contenders, but it is one of my favorite episodes from this show. I always watch this episode and episode 13 of the same season (“Ski Trip”) because if I watch one, I must watch the next one too. Like every episode, it is a hilarious attempt of Eric Forman trying to be cool and doing something behind his parents’ back, so it is worthwhile. It includes a Christmas party, time with friends and a spiked punch and is followed by the ski trip episode, which has one of the best lines in television: “Well damn Jackie, I can’t control the weather.”
6. The Office: Season 2, Episode 10 “Christmas Party”
This is, in my opinion, one of the funniest Christmas episodes ever. There is a Secret Santa gone wrong, drunk coworkers and a love confession. Kevin also makes photocopies of his butt and puts them around the office. This episode is the perfect mayhem of the holidays, and it encapsulates the chaos and comedy of the entire show, so it is perfect to watch at the beginning of the Christmas episode marathon to get your palate ready for the rest.
5. New Girl: Season 6, Episode 10 “Christmas Eve Eve”
I quote Nick Miller daily, so it was extremely hard to choose one out of the many “New Girl” holiday episodes. However, this one hit close to home because I relate a lot to Jess and her love for Christmas and giving gifts. The episode is sweet, and it shows how well the characters know each other with the gifts they exchange in their Secret Santa. It also has fake snow and celebrity cameos, so you really can’t ask for more.
4. Good Luck Charlie “It’s Christmas”
This ranking needs to be prefaced by saying that technically this is a movie, not an episode. However, it is a movie from a TV show, and I am not lying when I say that it changed my life, so it deserved a high spot on this list. I have cried multiple times to the last episode of “Good Luck, Charlie,” so you must understand how much this movie means to me. Teddy and her mom go through many trials and tribulations trying to get to where the rest of the family is by Christmas day, and in the process, they realize some problems in their mother-daughter relationship and better understand the importance of the holidays. It has Christmas carols, family fights, reconciliation and a plot twist ending that had 8-year-old me gasping. Hands down, it is one of the best holiday specials from my favorite childhood TV shows.
3. Friends: Season 7, Episode 10 “The One With the Holiday Armadillo”
This one is just a classic. My mom, my dad and my stepmom love “Friends,” so I was raised hearing Ross complain about someone taking his sandwich and Phoebe singing “Smelly Cat” on repeat. The show has multiple Christmas and holiday episodes, but this one is my favorite because it shows how much the friends care about each other when Chandler and Ross must make up a story of a “Holiday Armadillo” who is friends with Santa Claus to teach Ross’ son about Jewish traditions and Christmas. The jokes make me giggle, the costumes are ridiculous, and the episode shows the true holiday spirit of love and unity throughout the holidays, so it ranks high in my list of must-see episodes.
2. Gilmore Girls: Season 5, Episode 11 “Women of Questionable Morals”
My mom showed me this TV show at an impressionable age, so I based my entire personality off Rory Gilmore. It was insanely hard to pick a single holiday episode for this ranking, but this one made the cut for a special reason. Without spoilers, I would say this episode solidified how simple but perfect a romantic gesture can be. There is snow, there is love, and Gilmore Girls is the perfect show to watch during the fall and winter seasons, so when December comes around every year, this episode is mandatory.
1. How I Met Your Mother: Season 8, Episode 12 “The Final Page, Part 2”
I must admit that there is a lot of bias in this first-place ranking, but it is one of my favorite episodes in the history of sitcoms. This is one of my favorite shows, and this episode centers around one of my favorite couples, so although there are not many mentions of Christmas, the kiss under the mistletoe and the marriage proposal in a New York City building rooftop are more than enough to make it number one.
Final thoughts
Like I warned you all in the beginning, this is a biased and unofficial list, but I believe these are the best Christmas episodes from the TV shows I have watched. There is laughter, love, gifts and celebration in each of them, and they make me feel warm and excited about the upcoming season. Right now, as I make my way through final exams and projects, I can survive these last few weeks of the semester by imagining how good it will be to go back home and curl up on the sofa with my sister to watch some of the best TV ever made.