From ‘The O.C.’ to ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and ‘Ted Lasso,’ THR highlights the small screen’s best holiday moments.
‘Parks and Recreation’
Courtesy of Photofest
It’s the holiday season, which means it’s also time to sit by the fireside and turn on some memorable Christmas episodes.
While there is a world of possibilities for shows and episodes, The Hollywood Reporter has rounded up some fan favorites, new and old. And while there are always classic Christmas flicks that people love to watch, sometimes people may only have an hour to spare during the busy holiday season, which is perfect for a television episode.
So whether someone is sitting in front of a TV, computer or cellphone, shows such as The O.C., The Simpsons, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ted Lasso, Mad Men, Abbott Elementary, The Office and Gossip Girl have at least one festival installment.
Below, THR takes a look at 35 memorable episodes dedicated to the Christmas holiday.
‘The O.C.’
Image Credit: Fox/Photofest The first of several holiday episodes of the teen soap, which aired in 2003, introduced the new holiday (a combination of Hanukah and Christmas) to the pop culture lexicon. It was also the episode where Seth (Adam Brody) memorably fails to juggle two love interests, Anna (Samaire Armstrong) and Summer (Rachel Bilson), at his family’s Christmas party.
‘Seinfeld’
The classic episode introduced the world to the anti-Christmas holiday “Festivus.” After the episode aired, Festivus became more widely celebrated, with many honoring it on Dec. 23.
‘Friends’
Image Credit: Screengrab Friends has given us 10 seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes but in season eight, in the midst of the awkward phase between Ross and Mona’s relationship, instead of deciding to slow down, Ross takes huge steps forward in their romance by offering to send out a couple’s holiday card when he’s cornered. When he vents to the rest of the gang about his decision, they urge him to speak with Mona about the card but instead he leaves the conversation having just given her the only key to his apartment.
’30 Rock’
Image Credit: Nicole Rivelli/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Worlds collide when Jack’s sourpuss mother meets Liz’s eternally optimistic family. The season two episode also sees the writers celebrate “Ludachristmas,” Tracy legally prohibited from drinking alcohol, and Kenneth wanting to teach the gang the true meaning of Christmas.
‘Arrested Development’
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection The Bluth Company Christmas party gets awkward when Michael (Jason Bateman) and Maeby (Alia Shawkat) perform a duet of “Afternoon Delight.” (Ditto for Lindsay and George Michael.) Later, George Michael (Michael Cera) and his father bond by rebuilding the Banana stand, which local teens tore down as part of an annual Christmas tradition.
‘Gossip Girl’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Photofest Any day living on the Upper East Side is filled with its dose of drama and controversy, but a Gossip Girl holiday gathering is the boiling point for almost every storyline of the season. On Christmas in season one, Blair’s estranged father brings home his lover Roman, Chuck and Nate jet off to Monaco and Dan tries to surprise Serena for the holidays while Vanessa and Jenny help Serena find him a lonely boy-approved gift.
‘Community’
NBC’s Community brought stop-motion animation back into primetime with its 2010 Christmas episode. The show’s pop-culture encyclopedia, Abed (Danny Pudi), wakes up to find out that the entire world is in stop-motion — and brings the whole study group together to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
‘The Office’
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Through the years, The Office‘s Christmas parties and shenanigans have been orchestrated via Michael Scott, but in season nine, post-Michael Dunder Mifflin decides to let Dwight plan the annual holiday shindig. Being Dwight, he hosts a Pennsylvania-Dutch themed party that ends abruptly when Jim has to leave to tend to his other job.
‘The West Wing’
The White House drama’s first Christmas episode centered on Toby (Richard Schiff) going out of his way to give a homeless Korean War vet a proper funeral. The send-off set the tone for The West Wing. Aaron Sorkin, who penned the episode, and Schiff both won Emmys.
‘Gilmore Girls’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Photofest Even with their overly festive town pride and eclectic holidays, the Gilmore Girls never really got into the Christmas spirit through the seven seasons of the show. But in between Thanksgivings at Emily’s and the New Year in season two, there was a Bracebridge dinner that resembled a Christmas dinner. The Independence Inn hosts a gathering equipped with Elizabethan costumes for most of the town’s citizens while Rory tries to keep the budding rivalry between Dean and Jess under control. The festivities include horse-drawn sleighs and a Stars Hollow snowman competition.
‘Cheers’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection The holidays are all about chaos and Cheers‘ “Christmas Cheers” depicted that to a T. Everyone at Cheers is forced to work late on Christmas Eve, causing Sam (Ted Danson) to find a last-minute gift for Rebecca (Kirstie Alley), while Norm (George Wendt) and his group of friends arrive to bring in the holiday cheer.
‘Veronica Mars’
Who knew a Christmas party could get so bloody? In the 2004 episode, Veronica (Kristen Bell) goes on a quest to find out what happened to the missing money after a poker game at the Echolls‘ house, while her private investigator father Keith (Enrico Colantoni) gets hired by Aaron Echolls‘ wife, Lynn (Lisa Rinna), to see if he has a stalker. When it’s discovered that Aaron’s stalker is a woman he had an affair with, Lynn finds out about her husband’s extracurricular activities. If that doesn’t take the cake, Aaron (Harry Hamlin) gets stabbed at their Christmas party.
‘Family Guy’
It’s not a very merry Christmas Eve for the Griffin family after Peter mistakenly gives all of their gifts away to needy children. The family tries to buy more gifts at the mall, but things don’t work out and Lois ends up going on a rampage and (among other things) pushes It’s A Wonderful Life‘s George Bailey off a bridge.
‘M*A*S*H’
The most touching aspect of the 1980 episode, airing during M*A*S*H‘s later years, is Hawkeye (Alan Alda), B.J. (Mike Farrell) and Margaret (Loretta Swit) valiantly trying to keep a wounded soldier alive through Christmas Day.
‘South Park’
South Park really hit its stride with its season one Christmas special, which featured the lovable piece of — ahem — feces, Mr. Hankey. Mr. Hankey befriends Kyle after his mother forces him to quit the Christmas play. The 1997 episode lampooned the political correctness surrounding the holidays, and also marked the Comedy Central show’s first musical episode.
‘New Girl’
Image Credit: Courtesy of FOX As the roommates all depart on their separate ways to spend the Christmas break, they all find their holiday plans either canceled or delayed, leaving them spending the evening at the airport.
‘Dawson’s Creek’
As The WB’s teen staple neared the end of its run, the final Christmas episode of Dawson’s Creek was a tumultuous one. Joey (Katie Holmes), Dawson (James Van Der Beek) and Pacey (Joshua Jackson) returned to Capeside and reconvened in the Leery household in the 2002 episode. What they didn’t expect was to have their mishaps aired out in front of everyone. But the episode did prove significant, with Joey and Dawson — who have had their fair share of trials and errors — reconciling.
‘The Simpsons’
Fox’s long-running animated sitcom The Simpsons kicked off with a Christmas episode back in 1989 but several years later, it would air one of its most memorable in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” — the title a play on Miracle on 34th Street. After Bart burns down the family Christmas tree and presents, he fibs and says that a burglar broke in and stole everything, manufacturing a town-wide story and $15,000 in donations that would later come back to haunt them — and bring Marge to Jeopardy!
‘Doctor Who’
Image Credit: Everett Collection Doctor Who’s Christmas specials are an annual tradition on British (and U.S.) television, and often mark the end of a Doctor and the introduction of another. David Tennant’s final hurrah as a regular on Doctor Who — and the welcoming of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor — came in the two-part “The End of Time” that aired on Christmas Day in 2009 and New Year’s Day in 2010.
‘ER’
Image Credit: Everett Collection The 2001 episode marked the final appearance of Eriq La Salle, who played surgeon Dr. Benton, as a series regular on the NBC hospital drama. (He would, however, return later at several points in the eighth and 15 seasons.) Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle), meanwhile, copes with the bombshell news that his father is divorcing his mother.
‘Parks and Recreation’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Photofest Finding herself temporarily unemployed, Leslie Knope decides to keep busy by creating a community parks committee to keep tabs on the projects that need funding all while managing to give each member of her staff thoughtful and personalized Christmas presents. In order to repay her after years of rudimentary gift giving, the staff searches for the perfect present to give Leslie.
‘Mary Tyler Moore’
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) volunteers to work alone at WJM-TV on Christmas Eve after learning that a long-time colleague hasn’t been able to spend the holiday with his family for years because of his shift. Loneliness at the station, however, drives Mary nearly insane. But her friends come by to keep her company and they all ring in Christmas Day together. The episode’s title, “Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid II,” is a reference to a 1966 episode of That Girl.
‘Ally McBeal’
Elaine (Jane Krakowski) finds a baby in a nativity scene, bringing Cage (Peter MacNicol) and Ally (Calista Flockhart) in to help in a custody battle over the baby she intends on keeping. But any Ally McBeal episode isn’t complete without a memorable performance. In this 1999 effort, it’s Ally singing “Santa Baby” at her work’s Christmas party.
‘The Brady Bunch’
Just in time for the holidays, Carol (Florence Henderson) gets laryngitis and may be unable to perform during the Christmas shows, which causes Cindy (Susan Olsen) to ask Santa to bring her mother’s voice back.
‘Ted Lasso’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+ This Emmy Award winning series offered an episode in season two titled “Carol of the Bells,” where small-time football coach Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) has the holiday blues until Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) encourages him to spread some Christmas cheer.
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Patrick McElhenney/FX/Courtesy Everett Collection In the season six episode titled “A Very Sunny Christmas,” the gang set out on a holiday-themed adventure — though not quite in the traditional sense, because the sitcom is known for turning everything on its head — that uncovers shocking truths about their childhood Christmas traditions.
‘Bob’s Burgers’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox / courtesy Everett Collection Fans of the animated sitcom may remember “The Bleakening,” an episode in season eight where Linda hosts a party at the family’s burger joint to spread some holiday love and cheer, only to find that one of her ornaments is stolen. Of course, she turns on the guests, which sucks the Christmas spirit out of the gathering.
‘Abbott Elementary’
Image Credit: ABC/Christopher Willard In the season two episode, Abbott Elementary’s staff kick off their holiday break from school and students. The installment sees Jacob (Chris Perfetti) crash Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa’s (Lisa Ann Walter) after-school dinner, Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) have a moment while dancing, and Ava (Janelle James) decides she’s too good for lines and skips the hookah club queue.
‘The Mindy Project’
Image Credit: Fox/Everett Collection Mindy (Mindy Kaling) plans a Christmas party for the building in season two so she can spend more time with Cliff (Glenn Howerton), but her thunder is stolen by Brendan’s (Mark Duplass) date when she performs a “Santa Baby” dance for the guests.
‘Mad Men’
Image Credit: Everett Collection Though a season four episode saw the firm throw a Christmas party for its most important client, in season five, Don (Jon Hamm) and Joan (Christina Hendricks) have a memorable heartbreaking moment together at a bar at Christmas as the firm goes all out to for a second chance to land Jaguar as a client.
This story was first published in December 2016 and has been regularly updated to include additional Christmas-themed TV episodes.
‘Virgin River’
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix The Netflix series dropped its two Christmas episodes in 2023, titled “The More the Merrier” and “Father Christmas,” which saw the beloved Virgin River characters, including Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson), celebrating the most magical time of the year while also dealing with new and ongoing drama.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’
Image Credit: Prime Video Christmas in Cousins is truly magical, as seen in the season three episode, “Last Christmas.” It’s a pivotal moment between Belly (Lola Tung) and Conrad (Christopher Briney) as they reconnect at the beach house at Christmas when Conrad unexpectedly shows up due to a delayed flight. It’s also a period of calm before the upcoming summer chaos.
‘Black Mirror’
Image Credit: Everett Collection In season two, the show’s Christmas episode sees three interconnected tales of technology run amok during the holiday season, which are being told by two men, Joe Potter (Rafe Spall) and Matthew Trent (Jon Hamm), at a remote outpost in a snowy wilderness.
‘Black-ish’
Image Credit: Everett Collection In the first season of Black-ish in 2014, the episode titled “Black Santa/White Christmas” sees Dre (Anthony Anderson) trying to find a Black Santa for his annual office Christmas party. And he goes out of his way to fill the red suit, even though the head of HR already got the job.
‘Hacks’
Image Credit: Jake Giles Netter/Max The “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” aired during the show’s third season. The episode saw Deborah (Jean Smart) attempt to host a perfect holiday event, but everything quickly devolved into chaos, to no surprise.
