Baby, it’s cold outside.
‘Tis the season and when the temperatures are low and the snow is falling, nothing is better than snuggling up on the couch, getting cozy with family and friends, and passing the time with a marathon of Christmas episodes from some of your favorite sitcoms and dramas.
Set your big screen to any of the following classic holiday television episodes and you’ll experience anything but a silent night because your home will be filled with loads of big laughs and possibly even a few tinsel-toe tears. Either way, you’ll be in for a holly jolly good night.
From “Friends” and “Modern Family” to the “Big Bang Theory” and “Downton Abbey,” here’s the ultimate nice list of great Christmas television episodes to bring you good cheer and remind you that it’s the most wonderful time of the time year.
When Ross (David Schwimmer) gets his son Ben for Christmas, he decides it’s the perfect time to teach his half-Jewish child about the wonders of Hanukkah. Yet Ben is all about Christmas, especially since his mother Susan dresses up like Santa every year and Santa has reindeer that can fly.
But when Ross decides to give his son his wish, he struggles to find a Santa costume so close to Christmas. Ross does however locate an armadillo costume and he creates a unique character dubbed the “Holiday Armadillo” that finally gets Ben excited about all of the festivities around Hanukkah. That is until Chandler (Matthew Perry) arrives in a Santa costume and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) appears in a Superman costume and chaos ensues.
In this festive episode of the “Big Bang Theory,” the boys decide to celebrate the holidays with a unique tradition — a spirited game of Dungeons & Dragons but the girls are not invited.
Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who is the most excited about the game, takes on the role of Dungeon Master and leads the others through an imaginary quest that involves saving Santa Claus from impending doom. Raj (Kunal Nayyar) sadly gets killed almost immediately and asks the ladies if he can join them for their Girls Night Out.
“A Very Glee Christmas” brings on the cheer as The New Directions glee club decides to spread joy through the hallways of McKinley High by caroling and raising money for the local homeless shelter.
But things take a competitive turn when director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) declares that “this year, Glee Club is going full-out Santa” and the choir decides to participate in a tree-decorating contest that will most likely be sabotaged by their arch-nemesis — cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch).
Meanwhile at Dalton Academy, Kurt (Chris Colfer) can’t help but flirt with his gay crush Blaine (Darren Criss) with an iconic performance of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Gloria (Sofia Vergara) is dreaming of a “White Christmas” in this episode of “Modern Family” after years of celebrating Christmas in Columbia’s tropical weather,
As the family’s matriarch, she decides to rent a log cabin up in the mountains to celebrate her first Christmas as an American citizen but things don’t go according to plan when the weather outside is rather delightful and unseasonably hot when they get there and a woman named Fig (Andrea Martin) is inexplicably residing in the cabin as well.
Meanwhile, Haley (Sarah Hyland) and Andy (Adam DeVine) continue to fool around in secret but after they get caught things take a turn for the worse when his fiancé arrives at the log cabin to surprise him.
Hilarity ensues at the office of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company when their well-meaning but idiotic boss sets up an annual Secret Santa gift exchange for the Christmas party. The employees draw names for the exchange and Jim (John Krasinski) is excited when he gets his crush Pam (Jenna Fischer).
Jim puts a lot of thought into his Christmas gift for Pam and decides to declare his feelings for her by filling a teapot with inside jokes and personal mementos.
Michael ruins Jim’s plans however when he decides to turn the Secret Santa into a “White Elephant” gift exchange, where everyone can choose to either pick a new gift or steal someone else’s, and Jim’s gift for Pam ends up in the hands of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) instead.
“New Girl” Jess (Zooey Deschanel) is excited to celebrate her favorite holiday, Christmas, with her new roommates Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris).
After the gang exchanges Secret Santa gifts, Jess is thrown for a loop when her love interest Paul (Justin Long) gifts her two plane tickets to Vienna and passes for the Salzburg Music Festival. Jess frets over the expensive present because she bought Paul a very inexpensive stuffed replica of a 50-year-old non-smoker’s heart.
To make matters worse, Paul tries to cheer Jessica up by telling her he loves the gift but after blurting out that he loves her, all she can muster in response is a very sad “Thank you.” Yikes.
In this enchanting episode of “Gilmore Girls,” Lorelai (Lauren Graham) invites all of the residents of Stars Hollow to the Independence Inn for the Bracebridge Dinner, an elaborate feast and gala where guests are encouraged to wear Elizabethan costumes and ride in horse-drawn carriages.
Meanwhile, Rory (Alexis Bledel) struggles to fix the rivalry between Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki), who is Rory’s first boyfriend, and Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), the town bad boy who eventually wins her heart.
Premiering on December 17, 1989, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” is the first-ever full-length episode of “The Simpsons” and it would become one of the series’ most beloved.
When Bart gets a tattoo on a dare, Marge spends the family’s Christmas savings to remove it only to find out that Homer also didn’t receive his Christmas bonus from work after evil Mr. Burns cancels them at the plant.
To save Christmas and make some extra money, Homer takes a job as Santa at the Mall but as he leaves work on Christmas Eve, he is devastated when he discovers that his paycheck won’t arrive until after Christmas.
In a last-ditch effort to save the holiday, Homer and Bart Homer end up at the Springfield dog track hoping to win some cash but instead of money they take home an adorable pup named Santa’s Little Helper, and as his name suggests, the dog helps save Christmas.
In this hilarious episode of the “Black-ish” inaugural season, Johnson family patriarch Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson), a wealthy advertising executive at Stevens & Lido, decides to push management to feature a Black Santa at the Christmas office party. But things don’t go his way when he discovers that the honor of Santa has gone to the head of HR (Ana Ortiz).
Back at home Dre fears that the traditions of his childhood are evolving and that his family is disconnected from their cultural roots. So he pushes for the Johnsons to embrace a new, culturally-infused holiday experience.
Meanwhile Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) fights with Ruby (Jennifer Lewis) over who will have the honor of cooking the big Christmas Eve dinner.
In the “Abbott Elementary” winter season finale, the teachers are getting ready for their winter break but before they say their goodbyes, office besties Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) celebrate with their sacred after-school dinner. But the festivities come to a screeching halt when Jacob (Chris Perfetti) crashes the party bringing bah humbug bad vibes.
After the school day ends Janine (Quinta Brunson) undergoes a slight makeover and heads over to a hookah club where she bumps into principal Ava (Janelle James) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams). In a classic “will they, won’t they” moment, Gregory and Janine end up on the dance floor and look as if they are about to kiss.
Later in the evening, the lovebirds go outside and as snowflakes fall on Janine’s freshly pressed hair, Gregory says “Beautiful.” The beautiful moment is then ruined by Gregory’s friend, Maurice (Vince Staples).
This hilarious episode begins with the show’s protagonist Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) dragging a Christmas tree all on her own down the streets of New York to her office at Shulman & Associates medical practice but to her dismay when she arrives her colleagues have already put up a beautiful tree without her.
When Mindy asks what that is, Dr. Peter Prentice (Adam Pally) replies with a level of political incorrectness that is seldom matched saying, “How Hindu are you? It’s a Christmas tree.” Mindy retaliates by throwing the tree out window and with that, a classic Christmas television episode is born.
Mindy then decides to host a Christmas party at her house which ends with an epic dance Dr. Danny (Chris Messina) who gifts Mindy with a Secret Santa dance performance to Aaliyah’s “Try Again” video.
It’s literally the gift that keeps on giving.
The expertly crafted sixth episode of the second season titled “Fishes,” family trauma unfolds as we follow the ups and downs of the Berzatto family at their Christmas Eve dinner based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
Set five years before the series’ main timeline,
quite simply, follows the ups and downs (mostly downs!) of the Berzatto family’s Christmas Eve dinner.At a Berzatto Christmas, the only things getting unwrapped are layers of family trauma.
Set five years prior to the show’s main timeline, this yuletide episode of The Bear finds Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) attending a family dinner based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, where forks are weaponized. Prepare yourself for a star-studded festivity, featuring guest appearances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, and Gillian Jacobs.
In “Road to the North Pole,” Season 9, Episode 7 of “Family Guy,” Stewie and Brian embark on one of their iconic “Road to…” adventures, this time journeying to the North Pole to ensure Stewie’s Christmas wishes come true. The episode is a double-length holiday special that blends the typical irreverent humor of “Family Guy” with a festive theme.
Concerned about the lack of quality gifts from Santa, Stewie convinces Brian to join him on a quest to the North Pole. Their journey is filled with misadventures, including encounters with a jaded Santa Claus and a rather dark and twisted version of the North Pole itself.
Meanwhile, back at home, the Griffin family is dealing with the consequences of their naughty behavior, resulting in dire circumstances for Christmas. The episode cleverly juxtaposes Stewie and Brian’s misadventures with the chaos ensuing in Quahog, delivering laughs and a satirical take on the holiday season.
“Road to the North Pole” stands out for its mix of holiday cheer, dark humor, and the classic chemistry between Stewie and Brian. It’s a holiday-themed episode that captures the essence of “Family Guy” while delivering a satirical spin on Christmas traditions and expectations.
Johnny is hoping to ring in the holidays with a traditional Rose Christmas party like they used to. However, getting everyone to participate will be easier said than done.
What happened to the great tradition of Christmas episodes? Is it shorter seasons? Streaming dumping everything at once so that seasons don’t carry through over December? Whatever it is, they’re rarer than they used to be — a lost art. Ted Lasso did feature one in season two, but it aired in the summer, which throws things off a little. Schitt’s Creek, however, rose (heh) to the challenge in 2018. A holiday special and a whole extra episode released outside the regular season, it’s a Christmas gift all in itself. After having a dream about their old Christmas parties on the night before Christmas eve, Johnny decides to throw a Rose party all over again. He gets the family onboard but things don’t really go to plan, with messed up guest lists, overpriced Christmas trees, and David refusing to give the family ornaments for free from his store. Johnny realizes that Christmas may never again be like it was in their past — but that maybe, just maybe, that isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe the family has grown, learning to have fun and love one another no matter how much money they have to show off — and isn’t that the most Christmassy thing of all?
On the night before Christmas Eve, Johnny has a dream about the lavish Christmas parties they used to host. Feeling now that their lives are back on track, Johnny wants to have one of those old fashioned Rose Christmas parties this year, which if it is to happen means planning, organizing and arranging everything in approximately twelve hours. He has to get Moira, David and Alexis on board, and delegate the tasks to get it done, which may not be the easiest thing. But as one hurdle after another arises, from Alexis misinterpreting what it means to be in charge of the guest list which she and Ted will not be on anyway as they have other plans already to spend with Ted’s vet friends who Alexis has yet to meet, to Ray, who has the only Christmas tree lot in town, gouging his customers on this the day before Christmas, to David refusing to provide Christmas accouterments from the store preferring to sell such items to actual paying customers meaning that Johnny has to scrounge whatever old ornaments that Stevie’s grandmother may have left at the motel, Johnny begins to have the feeling that this Christmas may not be like the Christmases from their past, which may not be a totally bad thing. But the true spirit of Christmas may eventually surface in Schitt’s Creek at the Rosebud Motel.—Huggo
the Crawley family and the Downton Abbey staff come together to celebrate the holiday season in the grand estate. This episode usually features a festive atmosphere with decorations, elaborate Christmas dinners, and the exchange of gifts.
As with many episodes of “Downton Abbey,” the Christmas special tends to weave together various character storylines, including both the aristocratic Crawley family and the downstairs staff. Romantic entanglements, personal challenges, and moments of joy are often highlighted, making it a heartwarming and integral part of each season
Made-up holidays that become a big deal didn’t start with The O.C.’s Chrismukkah. They possibly did start with Seinfeld’s infamous Festivus, which first appears in “The Strike.” The episode opens with a Hanukkah party and continues with all the usual Seinfeldisms — shallowness and selfishness, namely — but there’s no repentance to be seen here. Instead, George tries to get the day off for Festivus, a holiday his father invented and which they celebrate instead of Christmas, with traditions including a Festivus pole, an airing of grievances, and feats of strength. The gang all attend a Festivus dinner at the Costanzas, united at last, and the holiday became a cultural hit, being adopted at large as an alternative to the capitalism of Christmas.
In the tradition of holiday episodes, Hanukkah specials are few and far between. But with Chrismukkah, The O.C.’s mash-up holiday of Christmas and Hanukkah, we have the next best thing. The holiday was a cultural sensation, and it all started with Seth Cohen waving a menorah and a candy cane in Ryan Atwood’s face and telling him he didn’t have to choose. There are four Chrismukkah episodes, but this one is special: It enters pretty wacky territory in the midst of a season full of self-referential, off-the-wall comedy, with Taylor and Ryan suffering head injuries in the middle of an argument and being thrown into a parallel universe, entering real soap-opera territory. Ryan sees a parallel universe where he never ended up in Orange County and Marissa dies in Tijuana, and in the real world, they’re in a coma while the families try to wake them and get Taylor’s insensitive mom to visit. Taylor awakes with a revelation that she needs to confront her mom, while Ryan awakes with the realization that there’s nothing he could have done to help Marissa. All is well, and some narrative difficulties are neatly wrapped up
