10 Holiday TV Episodes We Still Love Watching Year-Round
PAUL DRINKWATER/NBC
This article originally appeared on Instyle.com.
Holiday-themed television episodes are some of the show's very best—so good, in fact, that we continue to watch them even when it's not seasonally appropriate. There are so many wonderful holiday TV episodes out there we had a tough time picking our top 10. So, curl up on the couch, grab a mug of hot chocolate, and get ready to binge-watch every holiday episode ever, starting with these 10 suggestions from us, obviously.
RELATED: How to Have the Best Chrismukkah Ever, According to The O.C.
Scroll down below to take a look at our favorite holiday TV episodes, ever.
Friends: "The One With the Routine"
We always love a good Friends episode focused on the Geller siblings, and this one is by far the greatest. When Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) dancer roommate invites Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica (Courteney Cox) to be back up dancers on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve special, the Geller siblings have to break out "The Routine," a hilarious dance number they made up as kids. We don't know what's better, the routine itself, or the fact that the duo don't have a clue how terrible their dancing really is.
The O.C.: "The Best Chrismukkah Ever"
Marissa (Mischa Barton) is shoplifting and sneaking vodka! Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Anna (Samaire Armstrong) are fighting over Seth (Adam Brody)! Caleb (Alan Dale) tried to screw over Sandy (Peter Gallagher) with a shady real estate deal! Kristen (Kelly Rowan) is worried about her family dinner! Sounds like an average Christmukkah dinner at the Cohen household to us.
The Office: "The Christmas Party"
The first Holiday-themed episode of The Office did not disappoint. Michael (Steve Carell) organizes a company-wide Secret Santa, only to turn it into a "Yankee Swap" after being disappointed in his homemade oven mitt he received from Phyllis (Phyllis Smith). And in a classic Michael move, he gave Ryan (B.J. Novak) a $400 video iPod as his Secret Santa gift. There's also the Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) plotline that looks all too familiar: Jim is about to tell Pam his true feelings through a note he left in her Secret Santa gift (a teapot), only to chicken out in the end and remove it from the pot. Come on, Jim, man up!
Gilmore Girls: "The Bracebridge Dinner"
Although this episode doesn't technically have much to do with the actual holidays, it all happens during Stars Hollow's magical winter season, and features a few sweet moments between Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), one of which takes place in a sleigh. That's holiday enough for us.
Full House: "A Very Tanner Christmas"
As with all Full House episodes, this Christmas special has a small plot line for every member of the Tanner family, but our favorite has to be the one with Jesse (John Stamos) and Becky (Lori Loughlin). After Becky reveals to Jesse that she misses her Nebraska white Christmases, he brings the snow to her—in their own backyard. As it turns out, Jesse has a friend who makes snow cones, so he had him bring over enough to fill their yard and build a snowman. Jesse and Becky forever!!
Parks and Recreation: "Ron & Diane"
Donna (Retta), April (Aubrey Plaza), Tom (Aziz Ansari), and Andy (Chris Pratt) realize that Jerry (Jim O'Heir) has thrown a Christmas party without inviting them! Except he did invite them, they just never received the email, thanks to their automatic setting to send every email from Jerry into the junk folder. The episode's other plot line isn't about the holidays, but it is amazing nonetheless: Ron's (Nick Offerman) ex-wife Tammy (Megan Mullally) shows up to a wood-working awards ceremony, where Ron wins "Best Chair," in an attempt to terrorize his girlfriend Diane (Lucy Lawless). But her attempts are thwarted by Leslie (Amy Poehler) who ends up physically fighting her all night, and stops Tammy from getting to Ron.
30 Rock: "Ludachristmas"
When Jack's (Alec Baldwin) mother and Liz's (Tina Fey) parents and brother decide to spend a festive day together, you know chaos will ensue. And it did. Back at the TGS office, Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) takes on the mission of teaching the unruly staff the true meaning of Christmas. Chaos ensues there as well.
Rugrats: "A Rugrats Chanukah"
Every 90's kid loved this Chanukah special (along with the springtime's "A Rugrat's Passover"), with Tommy obviously starring in the babies' Chanukah fantasy as Judah Maccabee (the hero of the traditional Chanukah story), and Angelina as the evil King "Antonica."
Arrested Development: "Afternoon Delight"
The best part of this Holiday Party at the Bluth company was absolutely Michael (Jason Bateman) singing "Afternoon Delight" with his teenage niece Maeby (Alia Shawkat), neither of them realizing the true meaning of the song.
Friends: "The One With the Holiday Armadillo"
What would this list even be without more than one Friends mention? In the season seven holiday episode, Ross wants to teach his son Ben about Chanukah, but doesn't want to deprive him of the season's Christmas spirit. He tries to rent a Santa suit the day before Christmas, but after realizing every costume store is sold out of Santa suits, he settles an armadillo costume and becomes "The Holiday Armadillo," and teaches Ben about the meaning of Chanukah.
