Your Pick for the Top 10 Best Sitcom Christmas Episodes

[Adamantium]

1. The Honeymooners - "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
On Christmas Eve, Ralph is left without a gift for Alice and tries to find a way to get money and make it to a store.

2. Happy Days - "Guess Who's Coming for Christmas"
Fonzie's alone for the holidays and gets invited over to the Cunninghams.

3. The Monkees - "The Christmas Show"
The Monkees have to take care of a rich little boy, who doesn't know the true meaning of Christmas.

4. Bewitched - "A Vision of Sugar Plums"
Sam and Darrin take in a boy for the holidays, who doesn't believe in Santa Claus. So Samantha takes the boy to the North Pole.

5. NewsRadio - "Xmas Story"
For Christmas, Mr. James gets everyone at the station a new car. Everyone except for Matthew (Andy Dick), who's given a collection of Fibber McGee and Molly cassettes. Meanwhile, Bill believes the lobby Santa is out to kill him.

6. The Andy Griffith Show - "The Christmas Story"
Nasty old Ben Weaver gets on Andy's case about locking up a citizen of Mayberry during Christmas. Andy and the gang celebrate Christmas in the jailhouse, so the prisoner can be with his family.

7. That 70's Show - "The Best Christmas Ever"
While the adults are upstairs for Christmas, Eric and his friends are having a party in the basement.

8. The Brady Bunch - "The Voice of Christmas"
Carol loses her voice just before she's suppose to sing at a Church on Christmas morning. Cindy goes to the mall Santa and wishes for her mom to get her voice back.

9. Perfect Strangers - "A Christmas Story"
Larry's homesick for Christmas, so Balki tries his best to give him a great Christmas.

10. Boy Meets World - "Santa's Little Helper"
Cory finds out that Shawn's dad has lost his job, so he gives him a basketball. Shawn thinks of it as charity and doesn't want it. Meanwhile, Morgan thinks she killed the mall Santa Claus.

Those are my picks. What's yours?

[treky]

the episode of "W.K.R.P. in Cinncinati" (I don't know the name of it) where everyone's mad because Mr. Carlson won't give them Christmas bonuses; instead he says he's spending the money on something for the station, but they all know he's just doing it to impress his mother. He falls asleep in his office, and dreams he sees the ghosts of Christmas past (Jennifer), present (Venus) & future (Johnny). The episodes a parody of "A Christmas Carol".

The "All in the Family" episode titled "The Draft Dodger" where Mike & Gloria invite over a friend who's a draft dodger, & Archie invites over a friend of his whos son was killed in Vietnam.

The "MASH" episode titled "Dear Dad" where Hawkeye writes a letter home to his father telling all about the latest goings-on at the 4077th, including Christmas goings-on.

[vashti1999]

Six off the top of my head:


Brady Bunch, The - Season 1
Voice of Christmas, The

Honeymooners, The
Twas the Night Before Christmas

Three's Company - Season 2
Three's Christmas

What's Happening!! - Season 1
Christmas

Kenan and Kel - Season 1
Merry Christmas Kenan

Welcome Back Kotter - Season 3
Sweathogs Christmas Special

[friendsfan77]

1. The Jeffersons - "The Christmas Wedding"
2. Mary Tyler Moore - "Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid"
3. The Golden Girls - "'Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas"
4. A Different World - "For Whom The Jingle Bell Tolls"
5. Happy Days - "Christmas Time"
6. Charles In Charge - "Home for the Holidays"
7. Dick Van Dyke Show - "The Alan Brady Show Presents"
8. Friends - "The One With the Holiday Armadillo"
9. Night Court - "The Night Court Before Christmas"
10. Mama's Family - "Santa Mama"

btw treky, the episode of WKRP you mentioned was called "Bah, Humbug"

[Chocoholic]

Originally Posted by TVAdam

5. NewsRadio - "Xmas Story"
For Christmas, Mr. James gets everyone at the station a new car. Everyone except for Matthew (Andy Dick), who's given a collection of Fibber McGee and Molly cassettes. Meanwhile, Bill believes the lobby Santa is out to kill him.


Those are my picks. What's yours?

That's one of my favorite Christmas episodes too. I also love the MASH episode where Hawkeye writes a Christmas letter to his dad and the first episode of The Simpsons. The two Futurama Christmas episodes are both great too.

And Adam my friend, how could you NOT include any Wings episodes on your list? I thought for sure you were going to list one. My pick would be the one where Antonio was being held hostage by that angry air-traffic controller.

[vashti1999]

I'm adding Everybody Hates Chris, Season 1 episode "Everybody Hates Christmas" to my list

A funny, new classic

[gilligan fanatic]

#1 Father Knows Best - The Christmas Story
#2 The Dick Van Dyke Show - Alan Brady Presents
#3 Bob Newhart - Bob Has His Tonsils Out
#4 Welcome Back Kotter - Hark the Sweathogs
#5 All in the Family - Christmas Day at the Bunkers
#6 The Andy Griffith Show - Christmas Story
#7 Tiny Toon Adventures Christmas Special
#8 Happy Days - Guess Who's Coming to Christmas
#9 Mister Ed - Ed's Christmas Story
#10 Gilligan's Island - Birds Got to Fly Fish Got to Talk

[Adamantium]

Originally Posted by Homeriffic

That's one of my favorite Christmas episodes too. I also love the MASH episode where Hawkeye writes a Christmas letter to his dad and the first episode of The Simpsons. The two Futurama Christmas episodes are both great too.

And Adam my friend, how could you NOT include any Wings episodes on your list? I thought for sure you were going to list one. My pick would be the one where Antonio was being held hostage by that angry air-traffic controller.

I wanted to, trust me. I liked all the Christmas episodes. But I couldn't decide which one was the best. I like the episode you mentioned, but I don't consider it to be Christmas-ee enough. Neither does N@N and USA, because they both showed that episode in the regualr rotation. I'm sure one of the "Wings" Christmas episodes makes it in my top 15 list. My favorite Christmas episode was most of the fan's least favorite "The Customer Is Usually Right."

I also wanted to include a "M*A*S*H" episode as well. I couldn't decide which one to include. I think for Christmas, the later years had the best ones. I was close to putting "Death Takes a Holiday" on the list.

I also wanted to include (at least) the first Christmas Futurama, but it just didn't make the cut. I wasn't going with the order of my favorite shows, just which shows had the best Christmas episodes. In retrospect, maybe the "Boy Meets World" episode isn't the best, but it's one I've always remembered and liked.

I also wanted to include "Ellen", but I really didn't like any of the Christmas episodes.

And hey, thanks for calling me "Friend."

[Kristen]

My picks....

The Mary Tyler Moore Show:"Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid"
The Dick Van Dyke Show:"The Alan Brady Show Presents"
Murphy Brown:"Murphy's Pony"
Wings:"Insanity Claus" ("That was Bob's jelly donut!" hehe!)

[Chain Gang Member]

Three's Company

Sanford & Son

Night COurt

That 70's Show(The one where Eric finally gets the tape player that he's been wanting since the 2nd episode)

The O.C

[ky24943]

1. Married With Children (It's A Bundyful Life)
2. Kenan & Kel (Merry Christmas Kenan)
3. Roseanne (White Trash Christmas)
4. Everybody Hates Chris (Everybody Hates Christmas)
5. Step By Step (Christmas Story)
6. Full House (Our Very First Christmas)
7. Step By Step (Too Many Santas)
8. Cousin Skeeter (Christmas Special)
9.The Simpson's (Christmas Special)
10.Eddie McDowd (Christmas Special)

[Brian Damage]

I am not good with episode names, but...

Taxi- Get me through the holidays

Cheers- Christmas Cheers

Norm- Norm Vs Christmas

The Honeymooners- Twas the Night Before Christmas

Frasier- Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz

[friendsfan77]

Originally Posted by Chain Gang Member

Night COurt

Was there one in particular or did you mean all of them?

[Sal]

1. Family Affair - Christmas Came A Little Early - Dec. 11, 1968

Eve Plumb of "The Brady Bunch" plays a classmate of Buffy's who is sick with an incurable disease and spends all her time in bed. The Davises try to cheer her up by celebrating Christmas with her earlier than usual, with Mr. French dressing up as Santa Claus. It is only at the end when Buffy realizes the truth about her friend and cries uncontrollably and it is at that moment that you can't help crying along with her.

2. Bewitched - Sisters At Heart - Dec. 24, 1970

This episode was written by an elementary school class and won a special Emmy Governor's Award in 1971. Tabitha's friend Lisa spends Christmas with her at home and they get along so well that they think of themselves as sisters, until they realize that Tabitha is white and Lisa is black. To make them look more alike, Tabitha makes spots appear on both of their faces. They are then visited by a client of Darrin, who is a bigot. He believes that Lisa is the Stephens' daughter and considers cancelling his account with Darrin. Samantha uses her magic to make him change his ways for good and then tells Tabitha that she and Lisa can be sisters on the inside no matter what they look like.

3. Bewitched - A Vision of Sugar Plums - Dec. 24, 1964

Samantha and Darrin take a little boy to the North Pole to visit the real Santa Claus. In this episode, the real magic lies not in Samantha's witchcraft, it's when the boy, who was very cynical at first, starts to believe in Santa Claus and in Christmas itself.

4. Happy Days - Guess Who's Coming to Christmas - Dec. 17, 1974

The Cunninghams invite Fonzie to spend Christmas with them but he refuses by telling them that he's too busy. Richie finds out the truth when he sees Fonzie alone in his garage eating from a can.

5. The Brady Bunch - The Voice of Christmas - Dec. 19, 1969

Carol loses her voice just before she has to sing in church for a Christmas Mass so Cindy asks Santa to give it back to her as her Christmas present.

6. ALF - ALF's Special Christmas - Dec. 14, 1987

After being scolded by Willie for taking Christmas too lightly, ALF runs away and ends up in a children's hospital where he is befriended by a little girl who thinks he is a toy until she hears him speak. It is then when ALF realizes what Christmas on Earth is all about.

7. Family Ties - A Keaton Christmas Carol - Dec. 14, 1983

Alex has a dream where he is Scrooge and the rest of the Keaton family appear as ghosts to try to help make him change his ways.

8. Gilligan's Island - Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk - Dec. 19, 1964

The Castaways spend their first Christmas on the island by reminiscing about how they got there. Worth watching for the flashback sequence from the original pilot where Gilligan wakes up on the Minnow and realizes that he has reached land while in the background you can clearly see the actors who were first chosen to play the Professor, Mary Ann, and Ginger (here known as Bunny).

9. The Partridge Family - Don't Bring Your Guns To Town, Santa - Dec. 17, 1971

The Partridge Family are stuck in a ghost town for Christmas, where they dream about living in the old West, highlighted by an old-fashioned shootout between Danny and Reuben Kincaid. A change of pace for a series not known for taking chances --- and it works!

10. The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Alan Brady Show Presents - Dec. 18, 1963

The staff of "The Alan Brady Show" put on a special Christmas variety show filled with great musical numbers and comedy skits. Better than many of the real variety shows that followed it.

[SD_Blaise]

My Top Ten Christmas Episodes:

1. Taxi: Get Me Through the Holidays
2. M*A*S*H: Dear Dad
3. Cheers: Christmas Cheers
4. The Odd Couple: Scrooge Gets an Oscar
5. ALF: ALF's Special Christmas
6. Family Ties: A Keaton Christmas Carol
7. Frasier: Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street
8. Mork & Mindy: Mork's First Christmas
9. Friends: The One with Phoebes Dad
10. Home Improvement: Yule Better Watch Out