Abbie Sears
It’s my favourite time of the year! We’re only three days away from Christmas day and on Christmas day I love to go through my list of all my favourite shows and binge their Christmas episodes! To be honest, I do this all year round, but now it’s extra special. So I’m sharing my personal favourite Christmas TV specials with all of you in the hopes that it brings you the joy we should all be feeling at this time of year.
Miranda ‘The Perfect Christmas’
This particular episode is always the first thing to come to mind when I think Christmas specials. My mother and I usually watch this one every Christmas Eve. Miranda is a lighthearted sitcom and perfect for the festive season. This episode we are joined by the whole Miranda family. Miranda attempts to do Christmas at her place with Stevie, Tilly, Clive and Gary but it ends up in arguments and mess. She discovers that her mother’s organised Christmas is the greatest way to enjoy the day after all. It’s quite a common theme in Miranda for her to hate the thought of spending time with her mother but then when it comes down to it, they seem to get along, and they are very similar in many ways! It’s the perfect Chrismas ending, with all her friends and family.
GLOW ‘A Very GLOW Christmas’
I love a Christmas carol story in any form, and being performed in the ring by a group of female wrestlers in the 1980s might be the ultimate form of the tale! This is relatively new, but I already know this episode of GLOW is going to be on my Christmas watch list for years. I went into the show completely blind and became obsessed. It’s so funny to see Zoya the Destroya as Scrooge. Of course, it had to be her out of the team, Scrooge suits her perfectly.
Friends ‘The One With Phoebe’s Dad’
There are so many Friends holiday specials to choose from, I know. It took me a while. But I think this one just uplifts me. It’s ironic considering the unfortunate scenarios in this one, but it’s hilarious. Phoebe tracks down her father, who she thought was a famous tree surgeon in Burma. Her grandma comes clean and admits he is a pharmacist who lives right there in New York. Phoebe can be quite gullible at times despite actually being such a bright person. On the way out of her grandma’s house, she says goodbye to her grandpa: a picture of Albert Einstein. That cracks me up every time. One of my favourite scenes is the gang exchanging gifts, but Joey and Chandler didn’t have time to buy theirs, so Ross ends up with a cola drink and a lemon-lime! It’s just a classic episode, probably my favourite of all the holiday specials.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ‘My Mom, Greg’s Mom, And Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!’
Every episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is mega. This is one of my favourite episodes altogether, but it tops my Christmas viewing list because it gifts us the song ‘California Christmas Time,’ a song that has become the tune I wake up to on Christmas morn’! Sure, I don’t necessarily like witnessing Greg and Heather getting together, being #TeamGreg, but she’s dressed as an elf and I’m loving it. Greg’s family gives us that perfect family Christmas, Rebecca’s mother coming to visit gives us some festive family drama that we all have and Josh brings some serious self-discovery to the table with that sweet high-school dance routine.
Gilmore Girls ‘The Bracebridge Dinner’
Of course, Gilmore Girls had to make an appearance here. It kind of feels as if every episode of Gilmore Girls will make you feel festive, even when they’re not set at Christmas. It’s just that cosy Stars Hollow vibe that makes you feel the joy of Christmas all year round. That being said, ‘The Bracebridge Dinner’ in particular is a Christmas television classic. Stars Hollow in the snow, the entire town gathering for a feast at the inn, romantic horse rides, and funky snowmen. I love everything about this episode.
The Ranch ‘Merry Christmas (Wherever You Are)’
This is a contender for the number one Christmas episode of all time. I adore The Ranch. This episode has so many things that make it special to me: Colt and Abby, Christmas country music, a very festive set at Maggie’s bar, and it is one of the episodes starring Wilmer Valderrama. I love it when he stars in the show because it means The Ranch becomes even more of a That 70’s Show reunion than it already is with Hyde, Kelso, Kitty and Red. Which brings me to my next and final choice…
That ’70s Show ‘The Best Christmas Ever’
I just love to hang out with the That ’70s Show group and this episode lets me do that and feel festive at the same time. Eric wants the money Red gave him for a party, even though it was mostly for a Christmas tree, so the guys cut down a Christmas tree from the street, trouble is clearly on the horizon, but the gang have a party with beer, and Fez spends his time with drunken ladies. Fez loves the ladies.
The above are my favourite choices, but the list of Christmas episodes out there is endless and they’re all pretty magical. Hopefully you’ll feel inspired to revisit some of these, and I would love to hear your favourites too!
I’d encourage you to add Episode 10, Season 3 of NORTHERN EXPOSURE, which first aired December 16, 1991. It’s entitled “Seoul Mates” and integrates a multi-cultural view of the season (touching on Christian, Jewish, and Native American traditions, as well as introducing an unexpected subplot imported from Korea). One of the series’ best episodes for sure.