The holiday season is upon us, and what better way is there to celebrate than by watching hilarious Christmas scenarios play out on screen? Thankfully, the television world has us covered. From stories about crazy Christmas parties to catching holiday flights, popular sitcoms have explored it all. We’re here now to look at some of the best festive episodes out there.
Before we get started, it’s worth noting that as much as we’d love to cover every holiday episode from every sitcom, we’re limiting it to one episode per show and capping it off at 10. That being said, you’ll definitely want to work beyond this list; there’s a lot of strong content out there. With that out of the way, it’s time to get cozy and laugh a lot. From The Office to Friends, here are the best Christmas episodes the sitcom scene has to offer.
The Office - Christmas Party (S2E10)
Though all of The Office’s many holiday episodes are hilarious, nothing beats the original: Season 2’s “Christmas Party,” where Dunder Mifflin’s employees gather together for a round of Secret Santa.
The problem comes when Michael, unimpressed by the items being given, decides to change the meeting into a white elephant gift exchange. This causes all sorts of issues, like when the teapot Jim had intended for Pam ends up in Dwight’s hands while Ryan ends up with a colorful nameplate that says “Kelly.” And that’s just the beginning of their problems!
New Girl - Laxmas (S4E11)
The members of the loft have one goal in mind: to make their Christmas flights. As luck would have it, however, the airport is incredibly packed, and getting to their respective destinations proves to be a challenge.
While Winston and Nick have trouble catching a flight to Chicago, Jess starts to get cold feet about meeting her boyfriend’s affluent parents in England, and Coach starts to have second thoughts on skipping out on the family for a trip to Hawaii.
How I Met Your Mother - Symphony Of Illumination (S7E12)
If you’re asking for a Christmas episode that’s a little more heartwarming than funny, this is your answer. Instead of Ted telling kids about how he met their mother, in this episode, Robin takes the reigns by telling her kids about how she met their father.
The flashback main story has Robin thinking she’s pregnant, only to soon learn that in actuality, she’s unable to have children. The subplot sees Marshall trying to put up Christmas lights on the house, only to be forced to deal with an annoying teenager.
Black-ish - Stuff (S2E10)
Frustrated by the commercialization of Christmas and the focus on gifts, Dre decides to cut down on the presents. However, not happy with the situation, the kids decide to put on their best act in an attempt to make their parents change their minds.
The subplot has Daphne deciding to celebrate the season with the Johnson family, being single during the holidays for the first time ever.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Yippie Kayak (S3E10)
Jake decides to act out Die Hard in real life after the team comes across a robbery that seems to involve hostages. He tells Terry, who is then forced to ditch Christmas dinner in order to get in on the crime-fighting action.
Meanwhile, Amy decides to tag along with Holt and Rosa for a freezing “Polar Swim.” “Yippie Kayak” had all the elements one could ever ask for in a Christmas episode, and the Die Hard setup definitely helped push the plot along.
Parks & Recreation - Ron & Diane (S5E9)
Ron and his girlfriend Diane are enjoying the newness of their relationship at an awards ceremony hosted by the Indiana Fine Woodworking Association. However, things don’t go quite as well when Tammy decides to crash the fun.
Meanwhile, the gang learns that Jerry is throwing a giant Christmas bash and soon decides that the only thing worse than being invited to a party at Jerry’s is to not be invited to a party at Jerry’s.
Community - Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas (S2E11)
The cult-followed comedy known as none other than Community decided to forgo a traditional live-action setup in favor of a stop motion animation for its first Christmas-themed episode.
Also keeping with the holiday theme, Abed and the study group try to understand the real meaning behind Christmas after he wakes up to discover he’s been transformed into a claymation character. An intertwined plot has Jeff and Britta stressing about Abed’s mental state, and asking Professor Duncan to help him out. This has the crew entering hypnosis and discovering there’s more to understand than they at first believed.
30 Rock - Ludachristmas (S2E9)
Having received little affection at his own home while growing up, Jack ends up getting attached to Liz’s parents. This comes about after the Donaghys and Lemons Jack’s mother tries to bring down the Lemon’s consistently cheery mood at the dinner they go to together.
Meanwhile, the 30 Rock staff tries to plan a raunchy holiday bash. This isn’t easy, however, when Kenneth works hard to instead keep Christmas sacred.
Seinfeld - The Pick (S4E13)
This holiday episode is so iconic, it literally created “a Festivus for the rest of us.” The first plotline has George regretting his break up with Susan, and against all of his friend’s warnings, setting out to get back together with her. Spoiler alert: This does not end well.
The next story has Elaine dealing with her embarrassing Christmas cards featuring a photo of herself that shows way more than she intended. Finally, Jerry is happy dating the model he recently got together with until she breaks up with him for picking his nose. It’s full of that holiday spirit, huh?
Friends - The One With The Holiday Armadillo (S7E10)
Last but not least, this hilarious episode of Friends has Ross trying to teach his son about Hanukkah. This is no easy task being that Christmas (which is anything but Hanukkah) is… well… everywhere.
The subplot has Phoebe missing Rachel. Because she wants her to move back into their apartment, she takes a few drastic measures in order to make Rachel want to leave her current roommate, Joey. If you’re wondering where the armadillo comes in, you’re going to have to wonder a little longer because we’re not here to spoil things. However, we’ll give you one hint: It’s one of Ross’s shenanigans.
