Evan’s Christmas List Is Taped Live in Front of a Studio Audience
For years now, I’ve been thinking of putting out a list of my favorite Christmas TV episodes. Holiday movies get all the love, but I’ve always been a TV guy instead. I like long-term character development, sue me. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and it strikes me that my other holiday content is either super negative or Urkel-based, so even though it’s a lot shorter than I intended it to be (getting it out has truly been a grind; I got COVID midway through writing it), I’m extremely happy to be sharing it with you this Christmas season.
(The ratings for the Christmas Spirit meter are out of five Christmas Trees )
(Boy Meets World)
1. Boy Meets World, Season Four, Episode 12: “Easy Street”
Original Air Date:
12/13/96
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Disney+ subscription, available for purchase on Apple TV
Why This Made the List:
Nostalgia. Cory and Shawn are my second favorite best friend television duos where one of their names is Shawn, which I think is a BIG deal. As often happened in this show, this episode was about Shawn Hunter going down a bad road and Cory Matthews showing him the way back through the power of friendship.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“Come over to my house, we’ll put the Teddy under the tree, and at the end of the night we’ll play a little game called, ‘Let’s guess the street value of the Teddy.’”
-Cory Matthews
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(Bojack Horseman)
2. BoJack Horseman Christmas Special: “Sabrina’s Christmas Wish”
Original Air Date:
12/19/14
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Netflix subscription.
Why This Made the List:
It’s fucking hysterical. Also, Allison Brie. Also, all the “But this is ridiculous!” jokes that mock every TV show we watched growing up. Also, the guy in the crowd who yells random shit. Also, IT’S FUCKING HYSTERICAL. The idea of two characters in a TV show Mystery Science Theatering a show that one of those fictional characters used to be on is a little meta, but in a good way. It doesn’t really leave you feeling the Christmas spirit, but it’s worth the watch.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“I like it when people on TV hug each other.”
-Todd Chavez
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(New Girl)
3. New Girl, Season One, Episode Nine, “The 23rd”
Original Air Date:
12/13/11
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Netflix subscription, available for purchase on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Prime.
Why This Made the List:
Elizabeth Merriweather knows how to do a holiday episode. Every Thanksgiving episode (besides the outdoor camping one that I DESPISE, possibly my least favorite New Girl episode) was written and performed masterfully, and the Christmas episodes were almost as good. If you don’t like New Girl, this might not be the list for you, because by next year there’s going to be at least three Christmas episodes from that show on here, and if they ever do a reunion Christmas special like the Brady Bunch did, that bad boy will probably make it on as well. Moving on to why I like this episode specifically, let’s talk details. In descending order of Christmas importance: The Candy Cane Lane scene, CeCe in a bikini, CeCe’s shitty boyfriend being played by the Green Arrow, Schmidt as Santa Claus, the glare that Stephen Amell gives Schmidt while he gives CeCe her present WHILE she’s in her bikini, Winston’s adorable friendship with Alvin, Jess dumping Paul (I love Justin, but a little Genzlinger goes a Long Way [pun obviously intended]), and CeCe in a bikini. This episode did trigger me a bit, since Jess’ relationship with Paul is every cuffing season relationship that I’ve ever had, but I can move past that since it’s so Christmasy.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“This is my nightmare!”
-Nick Miller, for what I believe is the first time
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(Community)
4. Community Season 3, Episode 10: Regional Holiday Music
Original Air Date:
12/8/11
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Netflix, Hulu, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video, and Philo subscriptions, available for purchase on YouTube, Apple TV, Vudu, and Google Play.
Why This Made the List:
You may find yourself surprised that I didn’t go with season two’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas,” but though I loved that one the first time I saw it, it’s rewatchability is sorely lacking, and one of the core requirements of Christmas episodes is that you can watch it every year. This musical episode, however, gets better every time I watch! Annie’s Christmas Seduction makes me feel weird things (again, Allison Brie), Troy and Abed’s rap is actually good (check out the video in the random quote section and then let yourself go down the rabbit hole of Community raps), and we wrap up the episode with a lesson about friendship, featuring the always-wonderful Tarran Killam admitting to murdering the Glee Club. The whole thing is a wonderful mockery of that show Glee, which stuck around too long and only helped the world by giving Jane Lynch more screen time and Grant Gustin the role of The Flash. This episode is not that Christmasy, but Dan Harmon’s cult classic has a weird magic about it that is similar to the one that makes us be nice to each other for exactly twenty-five days out of the year.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
All of this:
(Community)
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(The O.C.)
5. The O.C., Season One, Episode Thirteen, “Best Chrismukkah Ever”
Original Air Date:
12/3/03
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with subscription to Hulu and HBO Max, available to purchase on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, and Vudu.
Why This Made the List:
Okay, you must be a bit shocked that this is on here, right? I mean, I don’t strike myself as the kind of guy who would watch The O.C., so I can only imagine what you must be thinking. I started watching this show as a legitimate punishment (ex-wives can be cruel), but I fell in love with Seth Cohen’s witty charm, and this episode highlights that very charm. In fact, if you take away the teenage angst of Ryan and Marissa (wahhhhh I can’t accept anything in my life without alcohol or shoplifting), this whole episode fills me to the brim with Christmas cheer. Adam Brody carries this episode on his back, and watching his character use a made-up holiday in order to not have to choose between two gorgeous girls is a truly beautiful thing (even though Rachel Bilson is the correct choice when it comes to choosing between Rachel Bilson and anything). Also, even though I know where it’s going, it’s a bit heartwarming that he chooses to be friends with both of them instead of hurting either of them. The great thing about this episode (as you might have guessed from the title) is that it celebrates both Christian and Jewish traditions, and though it may come off as a bit hokey, it’s actually kind of nice. As a side note, any show that includes Peter Gallagher is doing all right by me!
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“C’mon man, don’t even say that. Chrismukkah is unruinable, it’s got twice the resistance of a normal holiday!”
-Seth Cohen (but also the entire cold open is a well-deserved candidate, my dude is a quote machine)
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(New Girl)
6. New Girl, Season Four, Episode Eleven, “LAXmas”
Original Air Date:
12/9/14
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Netflix subscription, available for purchase on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Prime. (Copy paste, baybay!)
Why This Made the List:
Here we are at the second New Girl episode on the list. Where to begin? This episode is stacked with guest stars, including Barry Bostnick as the douche bag in the airport lounge, Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) as pervert Santa, Steve Agee as Outside Dave, Curtis Armstong as Principal Foster, and Billy Eichner in a fantastic role as flight attendant Barry. Sure, Eichner is pretty much one-note, but that note is a fantastic one, and I enjoy him in pretty much everything I see him in. The only negative thing you could say about this episode is that there isn’t enough Winston or Nick, but they do shine in the relatively small roles they have. The idea of Jess’ friends getting off their respective planes at Christmastime LAX to help her build the courage to try and make it work with Ryan is heartwarming. It’s also no small feat of kindness. I’ve done Christmastime LAX several times, and it’s a nightmarish hellscape from which there is no escape. I’ve been conditioned over the last two decades to associate “God Only Knows” with Christmas Spirit, so having Zoe Deschanel singing a cover of that song to end the episode hits me right in the Kris Kringles (what can I say, I’m a sucker for British Prime Ministers dancing for no reason).
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“It’s actually a polio horse, originally they were bred as helper horses for people with polio, but I don’t think anything of what I just said was correct, so…”
Winston Bishop, AKA Winnie the Bish, AKA AKA Prank Sinatra
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(The West Wing)
7. The West Wing, Season Two, Episode Ten, “Noel”
Original Air Date:
12/20/00
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with an HBO Max subscription, available to purchase on YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, and Amazon Prime.
Why This Made the List:
This episode gets a lot of love, and like everything Aaron Sorkin has ever written, it deserves that love. However, I would wager that when most people think of The West Wing and Christmas, they are thinking about season one’s “In Excelsis Deo,” an episode about Toby attempting to give a proper burial to a homeless veteran, which, as a veteran myself, you might assume I love. I do love it, by the way, but it doesn’t really hit me in the yuletide feels. This episode, however, very much does. It’s set after the transcendent “In the Shadow of Two Gunmen” (yet another of Sorkin’s glorious episodes; honestly, just watch every episode of this show until he leaves after season four), in which Bradley Whitford’s Joshua Lyman was shot in the chest and nearly died. Whitford shines in this episode. It might be my favorite piece of acting he’s ever done, which is saying something, since he’s also crushed roles as a conniving businessman with no ethics (who drinks his own pee) and as a racist surgeon who gives white people black bodies. He’s not alone in giving a superb performance, however, as Adam Arkin (one of my favorite character actors, if not my favorite) guest stars and knocks his role of Dr. Stanley Keyworth out of the park. These two incredible actors playing off each other using Aaron Sorkin dialogue would be enough to make this episode worth watching, but it’s how Christmas bells are incorporated into Josh’s post-traumatic stress episodes that makes this episode as brilliant as it is, and it is the friendship of Josh’s colleagues that stirs the Christmas spirit within me. And, most importantly, this episode is the origin of the “Guy Falls Into a Hole” story that recurs throughout the series (and is featured in the random quotes section below), and is the moment that makes me feel Christmasy all over, because to me, Christmas is about being there for your friends and family. And drinks on Christmas Eve to get away from them 😉.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
(The West Wing)
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(Ted Lasso)
8. Ted Lasso, Season Two, Episode Four, “Carol of the Bells”
Originally Aired:
08/13/21
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with an Apple TV+ subscription
Why This Made the List:
Okay, it might seem a bit nuts to throw an episode that debuted this year on a list of my all-time favorite Christmas episodes, but when the show in question is one that’s this good, I feel like I deserve a pass. Also, like I wrote in the Community episode summary, the mark of a good Christmas episode is that it feels almost magical, and no show does that as well as Ted Lasso. I simply cannot believe the pure joy I get from watching this show, and I did not feel any different re-watching this episode for what is now the third time (I’ve already seen every Ted Lasso episode at least twice, except for the Coach Beard episode, which I didn’t like and skipped on the rewatch, but I feel like I will grow to love eventually). Oddly enough, I actually like it more, probably because the first time I watched it was in August and it means more at Christmastime. I love everything about this episode, from the Secret Santa with McAdoo as a bad-ass MC Santa, to Ted and Rebecca playing elves, to the Christmas party hosted by Higgins. I even love the obligatory “Love Actually” posterboard scene, because nothing involving Roy Kent can ever be bad. I do wish we could have seen a bit more Coach Beard, but since he’s spending Christmas with Jane, we can assume that he had a very frustrating time and didn’t really need to see it. Also, fuck Nate (I reserve the right to change my mind if he redeems himself before the series concludes).
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“To the family we’re born with, and to the family we make along the way, and most importantly, TO RICHMOND!”
-Leslie Higgins
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(Psych)
9. Psych, Season Five, Episode Fourteen, “Polarizing Express”
Why This Made the List:
I’m hardly going to make a list of things that are good without including James Roday-Rodriguez’s hair or Maggie Lawson’s smile. This episode is up there in my list of top Psych episodes, which is saying something. This show has its slow moments, but when it’s cooking, it’s cooking, and it’s certainly doing so in their season five Christmas special. Highlights include: Tony Cox playing himself in a Shawn Spencer dream sequence (the comedic chemistry between these two is insane considering that Tony is only in one episode of Psych and I couldn’t find anything else they’d been in together), Wilin’ with the Gusters (dream sitcom), Gus and Lassie’s different ways of getting nosy neighbors to go away, Gus’ Bill Compton impression, and Shawn using his incredible charm and hair to convince a neighborhood to testify against a piece of crap gangster. I also want to point out Jacob Vargas’ spectacular job as a grieving widow craving justice and willing to do anything to get it.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“It’s not about me and which roles I should I have gotten over Dinklage…”
-Tony Cox
Christmas Spirit Meter:
(It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
10. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 6, Episode 13, “A Very Sunny Christmas”
Original Air Date:
12/9/10
How to Stream This Episode in 2021:
Free with Hulu, Sling TV, and fuboTV subscriptions, available for purchase on Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, and Amazon Prime
Why This Made the List:
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a television program that focuses on five of the most despicable human beings in the world. That’s the premise of the show. So, it goes without saying that their characters experience Christmas in an extremely warped way. All four of the Sunny “kids” have had their own specific Christmas traumas bestowed on them. We have a father who buys whatever his kids wildest desires are and then gives them to himself to “teach them a lesson,” a father that makes his child an accessory to breaking and entering, and a mother who prostitutes herself all day long on Christmas. You would think that these grown children, upon realizing that their Christmas traumas were entirely caused by their parents, would grow from this and learn to cope, but this is Always Sunny, so they instead decide to band together and bully everyone around them into giving them the best Christmas they can have. This isn’t the cheeriest of holiday specials, but it’s so deliciously evil and wickedly funny that it is must-watch for me every yuletide season.
Random Quote That Evan Loves:
“Oh, you go fuck yourself in your fat fucking ass.”
-Dennis Reynolds, Christmas Cheer Expert
Christmas Spirit Meter:
