‘Tis the season for celebrating the holidays with our favorite TV characters. Whether you’re in the mood for the wacky workplace hijinks of The Office or 30 Rock, the good old-fashioned coziness of Downton Abbey or Gilmore Girls, or the subversive snark of South Park, Christmas episodes offer a little something for everyone, depending on your taste.
The beauty of television is that it can offer an escape from the chaos of our lives, a comfort blanket to help us feel less alone, or a sobering reflection that rings powerfully true. Ahead, we’ve rounded up our go-to Christmas episodes worth revisiting this season, many of which have become perennial traditions in the lead-up to Dec. 25.
30 Rock, “Christmas Special” (season 3, episode 6)
Kent Eanes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
What better subject for a Christmas TV show than the making of a Christmas TV show? And what better way to spend Christmas than with family? And what better family than Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) mom (Elaine Stritch)?! —Mary Sollosi
Where to watch 30 Rock: Peacock
Abbott Elementary, “Holiday Hookah” (season 2, episode 10)
Christopher Willard/ABC
Abbott Elementary is the gift that keeps on giving. See how Abbott’s faculty kicks off their winter break — from Jacob (Chris Perfetti) crashing Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa’s (Lisa Ann Walter) sacred after-school dinner with his Scrooge-like tirades to Ava (Janelle James) freely sidestepping the hookah club queue because she doesn’t “speak line.”
Plus, Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) have a tension-filled moment on the dance floor. (As Barbara would say, “Sweet baby Jesus and the grown one too!”) —James Mercadante
Where to watch Abbott Elementary: Hulu
The Bear, “Fishes” (season 2, episode 6)
Chuck Hodes/FX
At a Berzatto Christmas, the only things getting unwrapped are layers of family trauma. Set five years before the show’s main timeline, this yuletide episode of The Bear — featuring guest appearances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, and Gillian Jacobs — finds Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) attending a family dinner based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes, where forks are thrown and a car comes crashing in the living room. —J.M.
Where to watch The Bear: Hulu
Black-ish, “Black Santa/White Christmas” (season 1, episode 10)
Adam Rose/ABC/Getty Images
Black-ish took on the “Black people can’t be racist” argument in its first season’s Christmas episode, in which Dre (Anthony Anderson) insists that his office Christmas party needs a Black Santa (specifically him). —M.S.
Where to watch Black-ish: Hulu
Black Mirror, “White Christmas” (season 2, episode 4)
Hal Shinnie/Netflix
Black Mirror does Christmas! And it’s exactly what that sounds like! —M.S.
Where to watch Black Mirror: Netflix
Boy Meets World, “A Very Topanga Christmas” (season 5, episode 11)
Buena Vista Television
Can you imagine a better Ghost of Christmas Anything than Boy Meets World‘s Mr. Feeny (William Daniels)? —M.S.
Where to watch Boy Meets World: Disney+
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Yippie Kayak” (season 3, episode 10)
FOX Image Collection via Getty
The Nine-Nine always celebrated holidays in style, as demonstrated by this season 3 episode, in which Jake (Andy Samberg) lives out his Die Hard fantasies when he finds himself in a hostage situation while Christmas shopping. —Kevin Jacobsen
Where to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Peacock
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Amends” (season 3, episode 10)
20th Century Fox
Buffy‘s only Christmas episode is a low point for a memory-haunted Angel (David Boreanaz), who plans to kill himself by standing outside as the sun rises, that turns into one of the most touching scenes of his and Buffy’s romance: When the sun is blocked by snowfall, he and Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) take a daytime walk through Sunnydale together for the very first time. —M.S.
Where to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hulu
Community, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” (season 2, episode 11)
NBC
We all grew up watching Christmas stories in stop-motion on TV, so it only feels right that Community went the Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970) route for its season 2 holiday episode. —M.S.
Where to watch Community: Peacock
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!” (season 1, episode 8)
Greg Gayne/The CW
“Well, you can take your snow and shove it.” We couldn’t possibly leave Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s season 1 holiday ep off the list if only ’cause this is California, and we do Christmas right! —M.S.
Where to watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Amazon Prime Video (to buy)
Doctor Who, “A Christmas Carol” (2010)
BBC
The classic novella has gotten plenty of small-screen adaptations, but none more singular than Doctor Who‘s version — which was somehow very clearly Dickensian but also distinctly, unquestionably, entirely Doctor Who. —M.S.
Where to watch Doctor Who: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)
Downton Abbey, “Christmas at Downton Abbey” (season 2, episode 9)
PBS
Downton‘s second season ended with a perfectly elegant Christmas episode — which itself ended with a perfectly romantic marriage proposal in the snow. —M.S.
Where to watch Downton Abbey: Peacock
Friends, “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” (season 7, episode 10)
NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Friends celebrated more than just Thanksgiving! If you can make it through the Hanukkah lesson from the Holiday Armadillo (a.k.a. David Schwimmer‘s Ross) all the way to the arrival of Superman (Matt LeBlanc’s Joey) without once dissolving into a pile of Christmas giggles, you’re stronger than we are. —M.S.
Where to watch Friends: HBO Max
Ghosts, “Christmas Spirit” (season 2, episodes 9 and 10)
Bertrand Calmeau/CBS
No one loves holiday rom-coms more than Sam (Rose McIver), who’s dead-set on playing Cupid for her sister-in-law (Punam Patel) and her plus-one (Andrew Leeds) at Woodstone Manor. But Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) — a resident ghost full of venom toward Christmas — possesses Sam to spoil her Hallmark-type optimism.
Also, this two-parter gifts us plenty of other Christmas miracles, such as Isaac’s (Brandon Scott Jones) and Nigel’s (John Hartman) first kiss. —J.M.
Where to watch Ghosts: Paramount+
Gilmore Girls, “The Bracebridge Dinner” (season 2, episode 10)
The CW
Snowy Connecticut! A hyper-specific Stars Hollow event hosted by Lauren Graham‘s Lorelai! Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) drama! Sneaky, snarky, flirty Jess (Milo Ventimiglia)! What more could you possibly want from a Gilmore Girls Christmas? —M.S.
Where to watch Gilmore Girls: Netflix
Glee, “A Very Glee Christmas” (season 2, episode 10)
Justin Lubin/FOX
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” has, in recent years, been reappraised as a particularly problematic holiday song. Forget that for a minute and just listen to Chris Colfer and Darren Criss as Kurt and Blaine singing it on Glee. You’re welcome. —M.S.
Where to watch Glee: Hulu
Grey’s Anatomy, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” (season 2, episode 12)
Richard Cartwright/ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
Serialized TV usually doesn’t lend itself to watching episodes in isolation, but this season 2 episode of Grey’s Anatomy is a rare exception. As the doctors offer their perspectives on the holiday season, one of the episode’s memorable cases centers on a woman hit by a car after hunting for the ideal Christmas tree. —K.J.
Where to watch Grey’s Anatomy: Hulu
Hacks, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” (season 3, episode 7)
John Johnson/Max
Nutcracker shrines, fake snow, designer gingerbread houses, Dyson Airwrap giveaways — just your average holiday party at Deborah Vance’s (Jean Smart) humble abode. She’s serious about hosting Late Night, so she must perfect the craft of entertaining guests, even if it means opening her home to her sworn enemy/sister, Kathy (J. Smith-Cameron). —J.M.
Where to watch Hacks: HBO Max
Hey Arnold!, “Arnold’s Christmas” (season 1, episode 20)
Nickelodeon/Courtesy Everett Collection
Regarded as a groundbreaking episode for its time, this season 1 standout finds Arnold being selected as Mr. Hyunh’s secret Santa. When he finds out that Mr. Hyunh’s daughter has been separated from him after the events of the Vietnam War, he resolves to reunite them, leading to a touching catharsis. —K.J.
Where to watch Hey Arnold!: Paramount+
How I Met Your Mother, “How Lily Stole Christmas” (season 2, episode 11)
NBC
Second only to “eating a sandwich” among narrator Ted’s (Josh Radnor) various sanitized revisions of his younger days is his tale of the time he called Alyson Hannigan‘s Lily a “grinch” (decide for yourself what word he really used) at Christmastime. —M.S.
Where to watch How I Met Your Mother: Hulu
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “A Very Sunny Christmas” (season 6, episode 13)
Patrick McElhenney/FX
Always Sunny‘s holiday episode at the end of season 6 had to be twice as long to fit so much Christmas spirit into it. —M.S.
Where to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Hulu
Lizzie McGuire, “Xtreme Xmas” (season 2, episode 20)
Disney
Although we love the Aaron Carter Christmas episode in season 1, the most Xtreme holiday on Lizzie McGuire had to be season 2’s Steven Tyler-assisted Xtravaganza. —M.S.
Where to watch Lizzie McGuire: Disney+
Lost, “The Constant” (season 4, episode 5)
ABC
Forget just being one of the best Christmas episodes — Lost‘s indelible time-travel masterpiece ranks among the greatest TV episodes ever, period. —M.S.
Where to watch Lost: Hulu
Mad Men, “Christmas Waltz” (season 5, episode 10)
AMC
It was fun when Roger (John Slattery) wore a Santa suit, but Mad Men‘s best yuletide hour had to be this bittersweet season 5 entry. Nobody wears heartache quite so gorgeously as Don (Jon Hamm) and Joan (Christina Hendricks) at a bar — or in a Jaguar — at Christmas. —M.S.
Where to watch Mad Men: HBO Max
The Mindy Project, “Christmas Party Sex Trap” (season 2, episode 11)
Jordin Althaus/FOX
Who knew Danny Castellano (Chris Messina) and Aaliyah were such a perfect match? —M.S.
Where to watch The Mindy Project: Hulu
New Girl, “The 23rd” (season 1, episode 9)
Fox
New Girl‘s first Christmas episode brought hilarity (oh, Schmidt) and heart (Candy Cane Lane!) in equal measure, making for a high point of the sitcom’s earliest season. —M.S.
Where to watch New Girl: Hulu
The O.C., “The Best Chrismukkah Ever” (season 1, episode 13)
WB
Season 1’s episode surrounding Seth Cohen’s (Adam Brody) favorite holiday really was “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”! —M.S.
Where to watch The O.C.: HBO Max
The Office, “Christmas Party” (season 2, episode 10)
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
The Office‘s Dunder Mifflin had its fair share of memorable Christmases, but between an inappropriate iPod gift and some classic Jim-Pam (John Krasinski–Jenna Fischer) romantic tension, nothing tops season 2’s Secret Santa gone awry. —M.S.
Where to watch The Office: Peacock
The Real Housewives of New York City, “December: Berkshires County” (season 8, episode 9)
Bravo
Dorinda decorated. She cooked. She made it nice. —M.S.
Where to watch The Real Housewives of New York City: Peacock
Seinfeld, “The Strike” (season 9, episode 10)
Columbia Pictures Television
We apologize for referring to “The Strike” as Seinfeld‘s Christmas episode. Happy Festivus, everyone. —M.S.
Where to watch Seinfeld: Netflix
South Park, “Woodland Creature Christmas” (season 8, episode 14)
Comedy Central
Celebrate Christmas the South Park way: An intrusive narrator; woodland creatures who aren’t as innocent as they seem; abortion; the arrival of the Antichrist; and a shotgun-toting Santa. —K.J.
Where to watch South Park: Paramount+
Ted Lasso, “Carol of the Bells” (season 2, episode 4)
Apple TV+
Ted Lasso boldly dropped its season 2 Christmas episode in the middle of the summer, but the polarizing installment is packed with enough wholesome holiday sweetness (including a handful of 2003’s Love Actually references) to convince anyone it’s cold outside. —M.S.
Where to watch Ted Lasso: Apple TV
Will & Grace, “Jingle Balls” (season 4, episode 12)
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
The spirit and the glamour of Christmas are on full display in this Will & Grace episode, wherein Grace (Debra Messing) selflessly plays Santa Claus for Jack (Sean Hayes) by designing a gorgeous holiday window display at Barneys. —M.S.
Where to watch Will & Grace: Hulu
The X-Files, “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” (season 6, episode 6)
Fox
After dealing with a tricky pair of older married ghosts, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) Christmas gift exchange makes for one of The X-Files duo’s all-time greatest moments. —M.S.
Where to watch The X-Files: Hulu