Friends is such a classic show. Every time I watch it, I get a feeling of nostalgia and happiness that I haven’t been able to find from any other show. Unfortunately, Netflix is removing Friends on January 1st, meaning us Netflix users have less than a month to enjoy it. With the holiday season among us, I thought it would be a good idea to watch every Christmas episode over the next few weeks. So below I have ranked each Christmas episode from best to worst so you too can enjoy them.
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“The One with the Routine”
Season 6, Episode 10
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Even though this episode is more focused on New Year’s Eve than Christmas, it is my favorite holiday themed episode. Monica and Ross’ choreographed dance that they perform on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve show is absolutely hilarious. They take it so seriously but it is so, so bad. The other storyline taking place during this episode follows Rachel and Phoebe as they try to find the presents Monica bought them while easily convincing Chandler to help them.
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“The One with the Holiday Armadillo”
Season 7, Episode 10
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This episode is focused on Ross as he is trying to teach his son Ben about Hanukkah, but he soon finds that the only way he will be able to get his attention is by dressing up like Santa. Unfortunately, the Santa outfits are unavailable so Ross dresses up like the Holiday Armadillo. Things seem to be going fine with Ben until Chandler comes in dressed as Santa and Joey comes in dressed as Superman, both stealing the attention away from Ross. This is one of my favorites simply because of how ridiculous it is.
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“The One Where Rachel Quits”
Season 3, Episode 10
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Although this episode is mainly about Rachel quitting her job at Central Perk, my favorite part is the Christmas tree storyline. Joey is selling Christmas trees to make some extra money, but Phoebe is upset that the unwanted trees are being destroyed in the chipper. At the end of the episode, the gang surprises Phoebe by decorating the entire apartment with unwanted trees, much to her excitement.
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“The One with Phoebe’s Dad”
Season 2, Episode 9
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This episode follows Phoebe as she tries to track down her father; she eventually chickens out and can’t bring herself to meet him. Although you feel bad for Phoebe, the end of the episode is very light hearted. Chandler and Joey hand out their Christmas presents to everyone, all of which they have bought from a gas station.
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“The One with the Inappropriate Sister”
Season 5, Episode 10
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My favorite part about this episode is Phoebe, who is volunteering to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. She goes into the experience very enthusiastically, but soon sees how everyone is disrespecting her and becomes very hostile by the end of the episode. Seeing Phoebe get so mad is really what makes this episode so funny.
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“The One with the Monkey”
Season 1, Episode 10
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This episode is when we are first introduced to Ross’ monkey, Marcel. The friends all vow to enter the New Year on their own. By the end of the episode they all learn that all they really need is each other, which is really cute.
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“The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie”
Season 4, Episode 10
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This episode is mainly focused on Ross’ dating life, but the best part of the episode comes at the end. Phoebe performs her Christmas song at Central Perk where she incorporates all her friend’s names into it, even though she still can’t come up with anything that rhymes with Chandler.
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“The One with the Creepy Holiday Card”
Season 8, Episode 11
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This episode isn’t the most Christmassy, which is why it’s not on the top of my list. It is pretty funny though as it shows Ross struggling with commitment issues with his girlfriend Mona.
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“The One with Christmas in Tulsa”
Season 9, Episode 10
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This ranks as my least favorite Christmas episode for one main reason-the gang isn’t together. Chandler is in Oklahoma, which is really a shame for the final Christmas episode of the series. It would have been nice for everyone to be together. This episode is just a bit of a letdown.
The perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit, in my opinion, is to watch all the Christmas episodes of Friends…hopefully this has convinced you to go have a major binging session.