15 Most Rewatchable Christmas TV Episodes, Ranked

The 15 Most Rewatchable Christmas TV Episodes, Ranked Community episode Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (1)

By Jennie Richardson Updated 8 hours ago Jennie Richardson is a TV Features and Lists Writer for Collider, and a graduate student pursuing an MFA in Fiction Writing. In other words, she really loves stories. Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

'Tis the season to snuggle up with a cup of hot chocolate and a warm blanket while watching some holiday-themed movies and TV episodes. There are some great new Christmas movies to put on, like Hot Frosty and Our Little Secret, and if you're looking for a new television episode, Abbott Elementary has a cozy new two-part special. There is an abundance of brand-new content to watch this holiday season.

Sometimes, though, a piece of Christmas media can become a part of a tradition. Each year, there might be one movie or television episode that you rewatch regularly for the holidays. This can be an episode full of cozy holiday cheer or one that touches on some of the more emotional and somber feelings that come with this season. These are the most rewatchable Christmas episodes, ranked.

15 "The One with the Holiday Armadillo"

'Friends' Season 7, Episode 10 (2000)

David Schimmer as Ross and Courteney Cox as Monica in Friends, "The One With The Holiday Armadillo."Image via NBC

Friends has a number of excellent Christmas episodes, but "The One with the Holiday Armadillo" makes for an especially fun rewatch. In the episode, Ross (David Schwimmer) is dismayed to learn that Ben (Cole Sprouse) is only interested in celebrating Christmas. Ross tries to take this year to teach Ben about Hanukkah, but when Ben is upset about the change, Ross tries to get a Santa costume to give Ben a visit from Santa.

"The One with the Holiday Armadillo" is a fun and silly episode that shows Ross struggling to give Ben a great holiday after learning that the Santa costumes have all sold out. His solution is to dress up as the Holiday Armadillo. He's later joined by Chandler (Matthew Perry) as Santa and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) as Superman, and the three of them give Ben an unforgettable holiday.

14 "My Mom, Greg's Mom, and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves!"

'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Season 1, Episode 8 (2015)

Rebecca, Josh, and Daryl dancing onstage at Christmastime in Crazy Ex-GirlfriendImage via The CW

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Christmas episode, "My Mom, Greg's Mom, and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves," shows Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) dealing with an unwelcome visit from her mother, Naomi (Tovah Feldshuh). Rebecca tries to change Naomi's mind about her new life in West Covina, while Greg (Santino Fontana) introduces Heather (Vella Lovell) to his family, and Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III) reconnects with his former dance crew.

"My Mom, Greg's Mom, and Josh's Sweet Dance Moves" is a fun and chaotic episode that shows everything going wrong, ending with Naomi learning that Rebecca moved to West Covina in order to be closer to Josh. It also has a catchy original Christmas song, "California Christmastime," that gives an honest and hilarious portrayal of what it's like to celebrate the holiday season in a warm-weather climate.

13 "Christmas"

'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Season 1, Episode 11 (2013)

Jake Peralta and Captain Holt handcuffed together in Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 1 Christmas episode.Image via FOX

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is best known for its hilarious and over-the-top Halloween episodes, but it has one of the funniest Christmas episodes in Season 1's "Christmas." In this episode, Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) receives a death threat, so Jake (Andy Samberg) temporarily becomes his bodyguard. Jake has a little bit of a power trip in his new position, so he handcuffs himself and Holt together.

"Christmas" is a very funny episode that uses the holiday as a backdrop to an otherwise unrelated storyline. The episode builds up to an intense and suspenseful scene where Holt learns who has been threatening him, and Charles (Joe Lo Truglio) gets shot. Even after knowing the episode's big twist, "Christmas" makes for an excellent and wildly funny rewatch.

12 "The Twelve Hours of Christmas"

'Mythic Quest' Season 3, Episode 6 (2022)

David and Jo in Mythic Quest Christmas episodeImage via Apple TV+

Mythic Quest's "The Twelve Hours of Christmas" puts David (David Hornsby) in the role of the Grinch, as he forces everyone to work on Christmas. David sees how upset everyone is, and rather than let them leave, he decides to decorate the office and have everyone celebrate Christmas there together while they work.

"The Twelve Hours of Christmas" is a fun play on a bottle episode, as it takes place entirely at the MQ and GrimPop offices. David tries to one-up Ian (Rob Mac) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) when they throw a Christmas party at their office, and the Mythic Quest employees struggle to have holiday cheer until they receive end-of-year bonuses, thanks to Rachel (Ashly Burch).

11 "No-Ho-Ho"

'Happy Endings' Season 3, Episode 7 (2012)

Jane Kerkovich-Williams spraying pepperspray in front of a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner in Happy EndingsImage via ABC

Happy Endings' "No-Ho-Ho" is a wonderfully unconventional Christmas episode. Everyone learns that Jane (Eliza Coupe) has been lying about her birthday to cover up the fact that she was really born on Christmas. They decide to give up on celebrating Christmas that year in order to celebrate Jane's birthday, but they all end up going into withdrawal due to the sudden lack of Christmas.

Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) is desperate to rip open wrapping paper, while Max (Adam Pally) is craving eggnog. The episode builds up to all of the secret Christmas contraband getting exposed, and Jane joining (and quickly leaving) a group of Christmas babies, before ultimately coming to terms with the fact that her birthday is on a major holiday.

10 "Symphony of Illumination"

'How I Met Your Mother' Season 7, Episode 12 (2011)

Robin's imaginary children in How I Met Your Mother.Image via CBS

How I Met Your Mother has some very great and funny Christmas episodes, from "How Lily Stole Christmas" to "Little Minnesota." It also does sad Christmas episodes very well, and its Season 7 holiday installment, "Symphony of Illumination," is a stunning and heartbreaking episode. It is always enjoyable to celebrate this time of year with something festive and fun to watch for the holidays, but sometimes a sad watch can be important and cathartic as well.

"Symphony of Illumination" is a heavy Christmas episode, told through the structure of Robin (Cobie Smulders) telling a story to her future kids when she believes that she might be pregnant with Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) baby. It is then slowly revealed that Robin cannot have children and that the kids in her mind are imaginary. This is a very poignant and strong episode, and it incorporates the holiday season in a beautiful way, with a light show from Ted at the end. If you're looking for a sad Christmas episode to rewatch, this is a great one to choose.

9 "The Christmas Spirit"

'9-1-1' Season 3, Episode 10 (2019)

The 118 fire family sharing Christmas dinner in 9-1-1.Image via FOX

No modern procedural has managed to pull off holiday episodes quite as well as 9-1-1 has, from Valentine's Day to Halloween to Christmas. It has some truly great Christmas episodes, but its most rewatchable one is its Season 3 installment, "The Christmas Spirit." Like all of 9-1-1's Christmas episodes, this one tackles some more serious plotlines, like Maddie dealing with past trauma, Bobby dealing with a health scare, and Michael opening up about his brain tumor.

The highlight of this episode is the Christmas dinner at the firehouse at the end. Looking back, this episode feels like one of the major turning points in what made the 118 and their loved ones into a found family. It is an episode that balances the happy and sad moments for a powerful Christmas installment, along with memorable holiday-themed emergencies that the first responders tend to in between celebrating the holiday.

8 "Holiday"

'Degrassi: The Next Generation' Season 3, Episode 11-12 (2003)

Manny looking at Ashley through a mirror in Degrassi: The Next Generation.Image via CTV

Degrassi: The Next Generation was always very drama-heavy, but its Season 3 two-part Christmas episode heightens all the drama to the max. This episode takes two of the show's major love triangles and sees them finally reach explosive conclusions. Catilin comes between Joey and his girlfriend Sydney, and the iconic Degrassi couple finally get back together (sadly, just temporarily).

Meanwhile, Craig has been cheating on Ashley with Manny for quite a while. He previously told Manny that he and Ashley had broken up, but he is secretly still dating both of them. Due to a mix-up with Christmas presents, the two girls find out the truth. This leads to a messy and iconic scene where Ashley slaps Craig onstage in front of the entire school. This is such a fun episode that uses Christmas to elevate the drama.

7 "Christmas Special"

'30 Rock' Season 3, Episode 6 (2008)

Jack Donaghy and his mother Colleen at the piano for Christmas in 30 Rock.Image via NBC

30 Rock has some of the unique and wildly funny holiday-themed episodes. In "Christmas Special," Jack (Alec Baldwin) visits his mother, Colleen (Elaine Stritch), in Florida for an early Christmas, so that he can spend the actual holiday on vacation. When Jack accidentally backs his car into Colleen, though, she comes to stay with him for the holidays. In order to get away from her, Jack hilariously throws an impromptu TGS Christmas special and makes everyone work on the holiday.

Meanwhile, Liz (Tina Fey) participates in a program where she helps bring gifts to children who write letters to Santa. Of course, any goodness of this gesture goes out the window when Liz becomes too focused on her idea of what this should look like. She ends up accusing some of the recipients of lying to get presents, and then accidentally telling their kids that Santa isn't real. It is a hilarious and weird episode with a sweet scene between Jack and Colleen at the end.

6 "A Very Sunny Christmas"

'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 5, Episode 13 (2010)

Charlie confronts a mall Santa in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.Image via FXX

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is definitely not the sort of sitcom that would have had a simple feel-good Christmas episode. The gang's holiday traditions are very fitting, like Frank buying Dennis and Dee's dream presents for himself just to torture them since they were children. Mac and Charlie have an odd but sweet tradition of throwing rocks at trains, which leads to a surprisingly lovely scene with the gang at the end of the episode.

"A Very Sunny Christmas" is the perfect rewatch for dark comedy fans, with elements like Frank's nemesis returning to ruin Christmas for the gang, and Charlie biting a mall Santa. It is a wild Always Sunny episode that doesn't shy from weirdness or sadness, as Charlie and Mac have some heartbreaking realizations about their childhoods and react in unexpected ways. This is a hilarious, sad, and emotional episode that is worth rewatching every December.

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