The Best Christmas TV Episodes and Specials
Television tells a Christmas story differently from a film, in an episode or special you watch at home, and you get to vote on which ones do it best. Each entry's IMDb record is a TV episode, special, short or movie, anything but an episode runs 60 minutes or less, and theatrical films and feature-length TV movies are out. The title, or the plot summary of the linked record or its Wikipedia article, names Christmas, Christmas Eve, Santa or the Nativity, and an entry whose title doesn't says what the summary names. Fifteen publications' lists count, each dated by the latest date its page prints, relative dates included, and a seat takes 3 namings from lists eligible to name the entry; its tally counts only those lists. No list turns down what aired after its date, outside its stated years or scope, or of the other kind, episode or special. Entries named by 4 or more form the first group, the rest the second, and votes move the order inside each. Spoilers ahead.
White Christmas (Black Mirror, 2014) is #1 on “The Best Christmas TV Episodes and Specials”.
- 1
White Christmas (Black Mirror, 2014)
Charlie Brooker wrote it, Carl Tibbetts directed, and Channel 4 aired it on 16 December 2014. Jon Hamm's Matt and Rafe Spall's Joe have lived together in a remote cabin for five years, and on Christmas Day Matt gets Joe talking, starting with his old job coaching socially awkward men in real time through an eye implant. IndieWire printed it 3rd, and it's named by 6 of its 9 lists, while JOE, TVLine and The Week don't include it.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3973198/ - 2
Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (Community, 2010)
Abed starts seeing the world in stop motion after learning his mother isn't visiting for Christmas, and he tells the study group about it in the cafeteria. Duke Johnson directed a script by Dino Stamatopoulos and Dan Harmon for NBC's December 9, 2010 broadcast, with 23D Films on the animation, and the episode brought the show its only Emmy win. It's named by 6 of its 10 lists, Den of Geek, IndieWire and JOE among them.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640854/ - 3
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Sent to find a tree for the Christmas play, Charlie Brown brings back a small one, the only real tree there, and later Linus recites the Nativity story and tells him that's what the day is about. Bill Melendez directed Charles M. Schulz's script, Vince Guaraldi wrote the music, and CBS aired the 25-minute special on December 9, 1965, with Coca-Cola as sponsor; it's named by 5 of its 5 lists, MeTV's and Looper's included.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059026/ - 4
The One with the Holiday Armadillo (Friends, 2000)
Ross wants his son Ben to love Hanukkah, Ben would rather have Christmas, and when Ross can't get a Santa costume he turns up dressed as the Holiday Armadillo instead. Gregory S. Malins wrote it and Gary Halvorson directed the episode, first shown December 14, 2000, and it's named by 7 of its 8 lists; JOE is the one passing on it.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0583613/ - 5
Fishes (The Bear, 2023)
Carmy comes home to spend Christmas with family and friends, and Donna, drinking through the day, cooks a meal based on the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Jamie Lee Curtis won the Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for playing Donna. Christopher Storer directed and co-wrote it with Joanna Calo for Hulu, which released the 66-minute episode on June 22, 2023; it's named by 4 of its 6 lists, TVLine's among them.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26230386/ - 6
Christmas Special: Part 1 (The Office UK, 2003)
Made redundant from Wernham Hogg, David Brent is a travelling salesman doing demeaning nightclub appearances, and he keeps dropping back into the office to keep up morale, which Gareth and Neil could do without. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote and directed both parts; this links Part 1, which 7.17 million watched on BBC One on 26 December 2003. The Radio Times poll printed the special 1st, and it's named by 5 of its 10 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0664502/ - 7
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Hermey is an elf who would rather be a dentist, and he and Rudolph end up on the Island of Misfit Toys, where a winged lion named King Moonracer rules over the toys nobody wanted, while Santa calls off Christmas over a snowstorm. Larry Roemer directed the stop-motion special, Burl Ives narrates, NBC first aired it on December 6, 1964, and it's named by 5 of its 5 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058536/ - 8
Christmas Party (The Office US, 2005)
Michael blows past the $20 Secret Santa limit with a $400 video iPod for Ryan, then turns the exchange into a Yankee swap, and Jim's teapot for Pam, packed with small mementos and a letter, goes into the swap with everything else. Michael Schur wrote it, Charles McDougall directed, and the NBC broadcast on December 6, 2005 drew 9.7 million viewers. It's named by 5 of its 9 lists, with IndieWire printing it 11th.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0664513/ - 9
The Best Chrismukkah Ever (The O.C., 2003)
Ryan is introduced to a Cohen family tradition while unpleasant memories of holidays back home come back, and Seth can't choose between Anna and Summer. Wikipedia's episode summary says Ryan's Christmas doesn't go as planned. Stephanie Savage wrote it and Sanford Bookstaver directed for a December 3, 2003 airing; JOE, the New York Post and The Week leave it off, so it's named by 5 of its 8 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0663865/ - 10
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
Disguised as Santa, with his dog Max made to play the reindeer, the Grinch cleans out Whoville, and Cindy Lou Who spots him. Boris Karloff narrates and voices the Grinch, but the singer on You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch is Thurl Ravenscroft, who went uncredited. Chuck Jones and Ben Washam directed for CBS, which aired it December 18, 1966, and it's named by 4 of its 5 lists, all but the New York Post's.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060345/ - 11
Christmas Special 2008 (Gavin & Stacey, 2008)
Stacey's family, Nessa and Dave Coaches all spend Christmas with Pam and Mick, Gavin's news about a job in Cardiff goes down badly with Pam and Smithy, and Smithy feels side-lined by Dave. James Corden and Ruth Jones wrote it, and the BBC One broadcast on Christmas Eve 2008 averaged 7.19 million viewers. The Radio Times poll put it 3rd, and in all it's named by 5 of its 11 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1346770/ - 12
The Constant (Lost, 2008)
In 1996 Penny won't see Desmond, but he gets her phone number and asks her not to change it, since, as Wikipedia tells the plot, he means to call her on Christmas Eve 2004. ABC aired it on February 28, 2008; Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof wrote it and Jack Bender directed. IndieWire's 21st-century list printed it 1st, and with Den of Geek, GamesRadar+ and TVLine it's named by 4 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0994365/ - 13
A Christmassy Ted (Father Ted, 1996)
Lost in the largest lingerie section in Ireland, Dougal and Ted find six other priests stuck there, and Ted leads the escape. All he wanted was an ordinary Christmas, and he gets a Golden Cleric award out of it, with no cash prize. Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews wrote the 55-minute special for Channel 4 on 24 December 1996. Den of Geek has it 5th and the Radio Times poll 7th, and it's named by 4 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0578500/ - 14
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Professor Hinkle's magic hat brings Frosty to life at a school party, and later Hinkle locks Frosty and Karen in a greenhouse, in a story that opens on Christmas Eve. Jimmy Durante narrates, Paul Coker Jr. drew it to look like a Christmas card, and the 25-minute special first ran on CBS on December 7, 1969. TheBlaze, Looper, MeTV and TV Insider put it on their lists, so it's named by 4 of its 5.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064349/ - 15
Seasonal Beatings (Peep Show, 2010)
Mark hosts Christmas dinner at the flat to assert himself in front of his sister and parents, with Jez, Dobby and Hans at the table too, and he starts out pretending Dobby is just a friend. Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain wrote it and Becky Martin directed for 24 December 2010. It's named by 4 of its 11 lists, among them the Radio Times poll, which printed it 13th.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1774083/ - 16
The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
Aaron, an orphan who vowed to hate everyone after bandits killed his parents, heads for Bethlehem with his donkey and lamb, and when a Roman chariot hurts the lamb, the Magi point him to the newborn baby in a manger at Bethlehem. Greer Garson narrates, the Vienna Boys' Choir sings the title song, and CTV aired it December 19, 1968; it's named by 4 of its 5 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063230/ - 17
Knowing Me Knowing Yule with Alan Partridge (Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge, 1995)
Partridge's Christmas show has a bellringer, a paralysed former golfer, a drag act and Mick Hucknall among its guests, along with Tony Hayers, the BBC's chief commissioning editor. BBC2 aired the 46-minute special on 29 December 1995, and it's named by 4 of its 9 lists, the Radio Times poll printing it 18th.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462388/ - 18
Marge Be Not Proud (The Simpsons, 1995)
As Christmas gets close, Marge won't buy Bart the video game Bonestorm, so he shoplifts it from the Try-N-Save and gets caught by a security guard voiced by Lawrence Tierney. Mike Scully wrote it from his own childhood shoplifting incident, and Steven Dean Moore directed it for December 17, 1995; it's named by 3 of its 8 lists, The A.V. Club's included.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701168/ - 19
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
The frame has Mr. Magoo heading to a Broadway theater, where he's starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical of A Christmas Carol, and once it starts, Marley's ghost warns Scrooge to heed three spirits. Jule Styne and Bob Merrill wrote the songs, Abe Levitow directed for UPA, and NBC aired it December 18, 1962. Wikipedia describes it as the first animated Christmas special produced specifically for television, and it's named by 3 of its 5 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123179/ - 20
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (The X-Files, 1998)
Mulder calls Scully out on Christmas Eve to a Maryland house said to be haunted every year by a couple who made a suicide pact in 1917, and inside, the same library keeps turning up whichever door they try. Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner guest as Lyda and Maurice. Chris Carter wrote and directed it, shot on a single set, for December 13, 1998; it's named by 3 of its 7 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751138/ - 21
Xmas Story (Futurama, 1999)
Fry buys Leela a parrot, it escapes, and when Leela goes after him at sundown, a murderous robotic Santa Claus voiced by John Goodman comes for them both. David X. Cohen wrote it, Peter Avanzino directed, and it aired December 19, 1999. Den of Geek printed it 9th, Mental Floss and GamesRadar+ list it too, and so it's named by 3 of its 8 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0584465/ - 22
A Christmas Carol (Doctor Who, 2010)
Over four thousand people are aboard a crashing space liner that needs Kazran Sardick to clear the clouds, he refuses, and the Doctor goes to work on him, which along the way means Abigail's singing calming a flying shark. Steven Moffat wrote it, Michael Gambon plays Kazran and Katherine Jenkins plays Abigail, and BBC One drew 12.11 million viewers for it on 25 December 2010, and it's named by 3 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1672218/ - 23
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970)
Burgermeister Meisterburger trips over a toy duck and bans every toy, and young Kris Kringle, voiced by Mickey Rooney, wins over the Winter Warlock with a toy train. Fred Astaire narrates as the mailman S.D. Kluger. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass directed the stop-motion story of how Santa got started for ABC, which aired it on December 13, 1970, and it's named by 3 of its 5 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066327/ - 24
Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo (South Park, 1997)
Kyle feels shut out of the town's Christmas, the school strips its play down to a happy, non-offensive, non-denominational version, and his only friend through it is a talking piece of poo nobody else can see. Mr. Hankey started as an idea Trey Parker's father had while toilet-training him. Parker and Matt Stone wrote and directed it for Comedy Central on December 17, 1997; it's named by 3 of its 8 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0705945/ - 25
Christmas Comes But Once a Year (Mad Men, 2010)
Lee Garner Jr. of Lucky Strike invites himself to the office Christmas party, so the whole night is rebuilt around him, and he publicly humiliates Roger by forcing him into a Santa suit. Freddy Rumsen comes back sober with the Pond's account. Matthew Weiner and Tracy McMillan wrote it, and it aired on August 1, 2010, a long way from December, which hasn't kept it from being named by 3 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615661/ - 26
Merry Christmas Mr Bean (Mr. Bean, 1992)
At Harrods, Bean takes over a Nativity display and stages a scene with the toys around it until a manager orders him out, and back home he gets a turkey stuck on his head. Richard Curtis co-wrote it, and 18.48 million watched on ITV on 29 December 1992. The Radio Times poll had it 11th and Den of Geek 10th, and with Mental Floss that makes it named by 3 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365495/ - 27
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Unwell, and told nobody cares about Christmas, Santa decides to skip his Christmas Eve run, and the story drags in Snow Miser and Heat Miser, brothers feuding over the weather in Southtown. Mickey Rooney voices Santa, and Shirley Booth narrates as Mrs. Claus in her last acting credit. ABC aired it December 10, 1974; TheBlaze and the New York Post pass on it, so the special is named by 3 of its 5 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072424/ - 28
A Very Supernatural Christmas (Supernatural, 2007)
Sam and Dean hunt two pagan gods who take a human sacrifice every year, and flashbacks show the brothers alone in a motel on Christmas Eve 1991. Jeremy Carver wrote it for December 13, 2007. At Eric Kripke's insistence it opens on a spinning title card CBS used in the 1980s, and it's named by 3 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032140/ - 29
The Christmas Lunch Incident (The Vicar of Dibley, 1996)
Invited to four separate Christmas dinners, Geraldine can't bring herself to refuse any of them, so she eats all four, with Mel Giedroyc and Carol MacReady guesting as Alice's sister and mother. Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer wrote it and Gareth Carrivick directed for 25 December 1996; the Radio Times poll placed it 4th, and it's named by 3 of its 9 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0739937/ - 30
Christmas at Downton Abbey (Downton Abbey, 2011)
The household prepares for Christmas, the staff try a ouija board, Bates goes on trial for Vera's murder, and Cora tells Robert about Mary and Pamuk. Julian Fellowes wrote the series' scripts, and this one went out on 25 December 2011; IndieWire, Mental Floss and TVLine carry it, so it's named by 3 of its 9.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2013429/ - 31
Ludachristmas (30 Rock, 2007)
Wikipedia's account has Kenneth wanting the TGS staff's annual Ludachristmas party traded for a talk on the true meaning of Christmas, while Liz's family visits for the holidays and Colleen, the mother Jack thought was stuck in Florida, reaches New York anyway. Tami Sagher wrote it and Don Scardino directed for December 13, 2007, when it drew an average of 5.6 million viewers, and it's named by 3 of its 10 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001594/ - 32
Christmas Special (30 Rock, 2008)
Jack backs his car into his mother in Florida and has to put her up while she recovers, so the TGS staff ditch their plans to make a last-minute Christmas show that keeps him away from her. Liz, suspecting a charity scam, tells two children Santa isn't real. Kay Cannon and Tina Fey wrote it for NBC on December 11, 2008, Elaine Stritch got an Emmy nomination as Colleen, and it's named by 3 of its 10 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1248348/ - 33
A Very Sunny Christmas (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 2009)
Mac and Charlie lose their holiday cheer once they learn the truth about the Christmases they had as kids, and Dennis and Dee spend the episode plotting revenge on Frank. It came out direct to DVD and Blu-ray on November 17, 2009, the year IMDb gives it, and FX aired it as the sixth season's final episode in December 2010; it's named by 3 of its 10 lists.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1478620/
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