Have a Holly Jolly Christmas (Episode)

Since my list of favorite Christmas movies would probably look much the same as Ginger's (although I would have found room for "Love Actually," "While You Were Sleeping," and "Little Women"), I've decided to compile a list of my favorite Christmas television episodes. Translation: pretty much just the best Christmas episodes from my favorite shows. No one said this had to be an unbiased list....

The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie, Friends- How could I not include an episode that features such a heart-felt Christmas song from Phoebe? If I could sing and play the guitar, I would totally write you guys a Christmas song.


Forgiveness and Stuff, Gilmore Girls- There is snow! Christmas parties! A crazy local Christmas program with a girl baby doll playing the part of Jesus! Plus- Luke makes Lorelai a Santa Burger! Heart!! Please watch at least the beginning of this clip. You'll like it:


Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, Grey's Anatomy- Most of what Grey's Anatomy is about is convenient storytelling. It involves a lot of ironic circumstances, contrived situations, and scenes set up for the sake of creating a specific quotable line or memorable image. And they certainly know what they're doing, because it makes for a very entertaining show indeed. This is a great Christmas episode, filled with longing and hope and drama and struggles and all the other cheesy things that make up Grey's. But the episode sticks with me. The most memorable image is that of three friends lying beneath a Christmas tree, just staring at the colored lights and savoring Christmas. I love to stop and savor Christmas. (Skip to 1:26 in this clip. It's lovely.)


The One with the Routine, Friends- Any storyline involving Rachel, Phoebe, and Chandler is automatically hilarious. The storyline where the three of them are searching for Monica's hidden Christmas presents is therefore automatically hilarious. They spend almost the entire episode searching, and even find a few fake presents Monica planted to throw them off. This scene is from when they finally find the gifts:


An Echolls Family Christmas, Veronica Mars- Definitely not your typically sweet and cheerful Christmas special, this episode of the consistantly genius "Veronica Mars" speaks to the bittersweet feelings of melancholy that somtimes accompany Christmas. It's an episode containing the usual brilliant villain-unveiling by Veronica that we've come to expect, but it's also filled with more disillusionment and heartache for our poor heroine. Veronica ends the episode by concluding: "What was I thinking? Christmas in Neptune is, was and always will be, about the trappings: the lights and the tinsel they use to cover up the sordidness, the corruption. No, Veronica, there is no Santa Claus."
I couldn't find a really great clip or preview of this episode that really captures its Christmas melancholy, so here instead is a funny Logan/Veronica moment from the same episode:


Christmas Party, The Office- The original and still the best "Office" Christmas episode. "Happy birthday, Jesus. Sorry your party's so lame." "'A real man makes his own luck,' Billy Zane, Titanic." "Yankee Swap is like Machiavelli meets... Christmas."


The Best Christmukkah Ever, The O.C.- I unashamedly love this show. Seriously. And this is an amazing, amazing episode, as 'Chrismukkah' is an essential part of "The O.C." This episode just has everything: Ryan and Marissa happy, Ryan and Marissa fighting, Seth and Summer, Seth and Anna, the Seth Cohen starter pack (The Goonies, Death Cab for Cutie, etc.), a big fancy O.C. party, and Sandy and Kirsten being typically sweet and hilarious. Throw in that ending shot of Ryan finally hanging his stocking up with the rest of the family and the slow pan to the Cohen's "Happy Chrismukkah" card and...it's just too much. I am too full.


The Bracebridge Dinner, Gilmore Girls- From the very best season of my very favorite television show, we finally come to the perfect and enchanting Christmas episode, The Bracebridge Dinner. It's an amazing balance between the sweet and the hilarious, the magical and the zany. I love the snow, the twinkle lights, the crazy waiters in costume, the fights, the sleigh rides, the snowman contest, and everything in between.
Lorelai welcomes everyone to the Bracebridge Dinner: