12 Christmas episodes to re-watch from your beloved TV shows to make the holidays even better!

Christmas movies aren’t the only ones bringing the festive feels- iconic TV show holiday episodes deliver just as much coziness and these ones are always worth the rewatch!

Sure, Christmas movies are a holiday staple but sometimes, nothing hits quite like a perfectly timed Christmas episode from a beloved TV show. These episodes give us everything we love about the holiday season - chaotic office parties, dramatic family dinners, over-the-top costumes, heartfelt confessions, and the kind of cozy nostalgia that makes you want to curl up under a blanket and hit the next episode! From Friends' Christmas episodes, Christmukkuh in The O.C. to the Upper East Side’s most dramatic holiday gatherings, awkward Secret Santa exchanges at Dunder Mifflin and the warmth of Stars Hollow under twinkling lights, these episodes capture the magic, mess and meaning of the holidays perfectly!

Whether it’s Jake Peralta chasing the perfect Christmas gift, Ted Lasso spreading kindness one bell at a time or modern sitcom families completely failing at having a ‘normal’ holiday, these Christmas episodes remind us why we fell in love with these shows in the first place! Equal parts funny, emotional, romantic, and comforting, they’re endlessly rewatchable and guaranteed to make your holiday season even better. So grab some hot chocolate, light up your Christmas tree and dive into these unforgettable Christmas episodes that feel like home!

Also Read: 2025: The year that brought back men who yearn!

Check them out!

The O.C.- Season 1, Episode 13, ‘The Best Christmukkuh Ever’ 

Not only was this episode the introduction of Seth's own version of the holiday season, but it also had everything from a big party, to a Sandy vs. Caleb  showdown, a drunk Marissa, and, of course, the Anna vs. Summer competition, which featured Summer in a Wonder Woman costume. Plus, there was also a romantic mall sequence for Ryan and Marissa which made this episode the best out of all Christmas episodes of The O.C.

Friends - Season 6, Episode 10: ‘The One With The Routine’ and Season 7, Episode 10 ‘The One With The Holiday Armadillo’

Out of all the sitcoms we have ever seen, Friends is popularly known for its holiday episodes. Across 10 seasons, there are a plethora of Christmas moments we love and while every single one of them holds a special place in our hearts, these two in particular bring in the nostalgia and leave us feeling all warm on the inside. ‘The One With The Routine’ in season 6 is the episode where Monica and Ross film the iconic dance routine for the New Year special pre-recording and meanwhile Chandler, Phoebe and Rachel frantically search for Monica’s hiding spot for the Christmas presents. 

Season 7 had ‘The One With The Holiday Armadillo’  where Ross dresses up as an armadillo to teach his son, Ben, about Hanukkah and their Jewish heritage. However, Chandler impresses him more when he dresses up as Santa and don't get us started on Joey as Superman. Elsewhere, Phoebe tries to drive Rachel out of Joey's apartment and move back in with her after her apartment renovations are done!

Gossip Girl - Season 1, Episode 11: ‘Roman Holiday’

Any day living on the Upper East Side is filled with its dose of drama and controversy, but a Gossip Girl holiday gathering is the tipping point for almost every arc of that season. In the Christmas episode in season one, Blair’s estranged father brings home his lover Roman, Chuck and Nate jet off to Monaco and Dan tries to surprise Serena for the holidays while Vanessa and Jenny help Serena find him a lonely boy-approved gift. The episode is part dramatic and part wholesome as Blair finds her footing in her new normal and we as viewers just get to see the ultra rich kids celebrate the holidays in one of the biggest cities in the world!

The Office - Season 2, Episode 10: ‘Christmas Party’

On the series' first Christmas episode, the Scranton branch throws a holiday party. Michael Scott aka the boss of the branch insists on swapping Secret Santa gifts, and Jim Halpert worries his sweet and sentimental present for Pam Beesly will end up in Dwight Schrute's hands. Jim’s Christmas gift to Pam is one of the sweetest moments on the show and the point where we all realise that he is down for her bad!

Gilmore Girls - Season 2, Episode 10: ‘The Bracebridge Dinner’

When a holiday convention at the Independence Inn gets cancelled at the last minute, Lorelai and Sookie are stuck with the makings of a Renaissance-style dinner party with no guests to attend it. This is cue for every person at the Stars Hollow to come to the rescue. The episode brings all the main characters in one place and we see a meaningful plot for Rory, Lorelai and the grandparents as well!

New Girl - Season 1, Episode 9: ‘The 23rd’

The first New Girl Christmas episode is by far the best, as it lets everyone shine in their own, perfectly quirky ways. Sacrificing his trip home, Nick takes the group on a detour down a Christmas street and the group convince the residents there to turn on their Christmas lights in the middle of the night. It’s a typical New Girl moment we’ve come to love over the years, and makes you long for a group of friends who will make sure you have a happy Christmas!

Ted Lasso - Season 2, Episode 4: ‘Carol of the Bells’

This is the only Christmas episode for the entirety of Ted Lasso but it’s so good that it makes up for the entire show! Ted intends to celebrate Christmas virtually with his ex-wife and son but as that idea fails, he finds himself alone on Christmas watching ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’. But when he meets Rebecca and learns that she spends her Christmas giving gifts to the underprivileged, he joins her in a heartbeat and the two have a rather fun time together! 

But the core of this episode really revolves around Roy Kent and the love he has for his niece. Roy and Keeley give up their Christmas to spend time with his niece who seems to have an oral hygiene issue. Hence the trio goes door to door to find a dentist and also confronts the boy who bullies his niece at school. The Love Actually reference they use with the poster boards will make you smile wide when you watch the scene! And to top this, we see the rest of the Richmond team celebrating Christmas with the Higgins family and bringing their own traditions from back home! 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season 4, Episode 10: ‘Captain Latvia

In this wholesome Christmas episode, we see the Nine-Nine precinct prepare for a competition against the MTA Police during the annual Christmas singing competition, Jake helps Charles search for a Captain Latvia action figure to give his son Nikolaj as a gift for the holidays. During their pursuit for the toy, they encounter a Latvian criminal ring. The episode has an iconic cold open and balances it off well with many comic and emotional moments!

Modern Family - Season 1, Episode 10: ‘Undeck The Halls’

The first Christmas episode of Modern Family was one of the best in the series, proving how quickly the show found its footing in terms of its characters and the comedy. Like many of the episodes of the first season, ‘Undeck the Halls’ splits the cast up into their individual households as they try and fail to have a normal Christmas. Jay clashes with the Colombian holiday traditions Manny and Gloria want to incorporate and Cam and Mitch accidentally get a mall Santa fired. However, the main storyline revolves around a cigarette burn on the Dunphy family couch which leads to Phil canceling Christmas when no one admits to being the culprit. It is peak comedy gold!

How I Met Your Mother - Season 2, Episode 11: ‘How Lily Stole Christmas’

How I Met Your Mother’s first Christmas-themed episode comes in the show’s second season. Ted is excited to spend the holidays with his friends while Lily is hard at work at making the apartment into a Winter Wonderland. While decorating, she finds an old answering machine that contains messages from when she and Marshall were broken up. On them, Ted can be heard calling her awful names. When Ted tries to apologize to Lily, he finds that she took all the Christmas decorations out of the apartment. Ted attempts to make amends before he decides to spend Christmas with his cousin in Staten Island. Marshall’s kind gesture towards Lily is when things really pick and turn back to normal!

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Season 3, Episode 2: ‘Last Christmas’

While the start of the episode shows Belly being devastated after learning that Jeremiah has cheated on her, the latter half shows a flash back between her and Conrad from past Christmas that left us all melting over Conrad yet again. When Jeremiah and his dad went for a Christmas trip last year, Belly decided to go to the cousins beach house and spend Christmas by herself. But little did she know her knight in shining armor would show up there as well after his flight got cancelled. 

The two end up watching Christmas movies on the couch and eating chocolate. The next morning when Belly falls from the stairs, Conrad picks her up in his arms and lays her down, making her realise that maybe a part of her will always love him. As he leaves the house without a trace, she sees a note he has left her inside a crossword puzzle with P.S. I Still Love You being the only rom-com that he hadn’t solved. The episode was romantic and Christmassy in every sense and definitely worth the re-watch this holiday season!

Which of these is your favorite Christmas episode to re-watch? Let us know in the comments below!

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