Whether you prefer saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays,” or if neither suits your preference for declaring “Happy Hanukkah,” “Happy Kwanzaa” or whatever salutation best fits your preferred holiday celebration, television is rife with shows dedicating episodes to the season. Ever since the beginnings of modern broadcasting, dramas, comedies, dramedies and everything in between and without have celebrated the holidays in some form. Determining which of these episodes, and from which shows or time periods, is an impossible task. However, declaring which ones are your favorites is much easier. Hence why Metro has put together a short list of its favorite Christmas-themed episode of television. Some are older or more recent than others, but chances are that even if readers disagree with one or two of our selections, they will generally agree with our choices of the best Christmas TV episodes below.
The 8 best Christmas TV episodes
South Park, “Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo”
The 22nd season of Comedy Central’s South Park just aired, and as often happens with a show that’s been running for so long, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone included an episode that apologized to former Vice President Al Gore. Apologies notwithstanding, the majority of South Park’s early seasons are filled with comedy gold that has stood the test of time, including its first-ever Christmas episode about “Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo.” While the citizens of South Park decide to remove all religious affiliations from Christmas to maintain a sense of political correctness, the titular talking feces visits Kyle, a Jew, in order to make him feel included.
Seinfeld, “The Strike”
The regularly unemployed Kramer discovers that the 12-year-long strike at his old job, H&H Bagels, is finally over, hence the episode’s title. However, the 10th episode of Seinfeld’s 9th season is best known for gifting modern popular culture with the concept of “Festivus,”a holiday invented by George Costanza’s father Frank. From the annual airing of grievances to the monotone Festivus pole, the faux holiday has become a staple of the modern holiday season. Even Sen. Rand Paul (R-Tennessee) regularly celebrate its.
The West Wing, “In Excelsis Deo”
Best known for walk-and-talks and creator Aaron Sorkin’s penchant for incessant dialogue, The West Wing’s first season also provided one of television’s most moving Christmas TV episodes to date. “In Excelsis Deo” finds Toby Ziegler involving himself in the case of a homeless Korean War veteran whose body is found in the National Mall. The coat he died in contained a car with Toby’s name on, a coat that he had mindlessly donated to a homeless shelter. Stricken with grief and guilt, Toby and the White House staff endeavor to make sure the deceased vet is given a proper military burial at Arlington National Cemetary.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves”
Musicals on television aren’t for everyone, though FOX’s Glee made waves with this in the last decade. Yet The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has done even more for the hybrid genre, thanks in large part to creator and star Rachel Bloom’s amazing ability to create new stories and songs on a weekly basis. The first season is a smorgasbord of original and funny musical numbers, including the showstopping number “California Christmastime” at the end of the first season’s Christmas episode “My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves.”
Doctor Who, “A Christmas Carol”
The modern version of the classic British science-fiction series Doctor Who has regularly put out Christmas TV episodes during the holidays. The current Doctor’s (Jodie Whittaker) first season will be doing a New Year’s Day episode instead, but her predecessors have starred in some really good Christmas-y material. Like “A Christmas Carol,” in which the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) grapples with the Scrooge-like Kazran Sardick (Michael Gambon) in order to save a crashing interstellar cruise liner in the space above his planet.
The Office, “Christmas Party”
The many seasons of The Office are filled with memorable Christmas TV episodes and similarly-themed holiday moments, but the second season’s “Christmas Party” stands out for how far its writers and lead cast member Steve Carell were willing to go with the show’s cringe-worthy style of comedy. What starts as a game of Secret Santa, which Jim hopes to use to get something really nice for Pam, becomes a Yankee Swap at boss Michael Scott’s request. The latter’s gift then proves to cost far more than the agreed-upon maximum limit and chaos ensues.
The X-Files, “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”
A show like The X-Files might not seem like the kind of program that would get into the holiday spirit, yet Chris Carter’s iconic blend of science fiction, paranormal fantasy and police procedural did so often. Season 6’s “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” is one of its best, as FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully find themselves trapped in an old house that’s haunted by two ghosts every Christmas Eve. The ghosts are played by Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin to great effect.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “A Very Sunny Christmas”
The 13th season of FXX’s brilliantly dark comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ended on one of its highest-ever notes. Long before “Mac Finds His Pride” came crashing through our televisions, however, the show tackled the specter of Christmas with great fanfare at the end of season 6. The holidays have always been about playing pranks on one another, but for “A Very Sunny Christmas,” the gang tries to rediscover the true meaning of the holidays by teaching the deplorable Frank about the reason for the season. It works as well as you’d think it does.
