It’s that time of year again
folks, some of you might be sitting around wallowing in the loss of another
year or dreading the inevitable family functions but I have a better idea.
Let’s talk Christmas in Pop Culture – Anyway I thought I would attempt to
spread some Christmas cheer the only way I know how – a top 10 list! I know top
10 lists annoy everyone but it’s Christmas so you have to forgive me.
I have a bit of a confession to make – I love Christmas! I am not religious in any way or anything it’s just that I love the excitement and sentiment of this time of year. I love the cards and the presents and the tinsel and the trees… just everything about Christmas makes me supremely happy. You are right, this doesn’t really have all that much to do with this blog except for the fact that I tend to lose my cynical nature when it comes to the depiction of Christmas – so expect happiness and cliché without even a hint of irony and if you don’t like it I hope someone turns up soon to teach you the real meaning of Christmas.
I feel like this should be a
given at this point but the Internet if full of angry people who have the
ability to be offended by everyone… so this list is based on personal taste. I
have no scientific data to back up this blog so please don’t get upset if I
left your favs off. I promise you I did not do it intentionally, you are really
not that important to me.
10. “The Christmas Lunch Incident” The
Vicar of Dibley (1.08)
This is a fun upbeat way to begin
this list and while there are other fantastic Christmas episodes from this
English gem this one is the most consistently funny. It’s the simplicity that
makes this episode work so well and it deals with one of those classic Christmas
traditions we can all relate to, the feast. Also unlike the Gilmore girls or the many other characters
that have attempted to eat many meals in one day, I actually believe that
Geraldine Granger could do it. I wouldn’t advise a large meal before watching
this ep because the laugher will give you a stitch – fact.
9. “Amends” - Buffy the Vampire
Slayer (3.10)
Nothing says Christmas like a
little bit of heartbreak… but for a Joss Whedon show this episode is actually
surprisingly uplifting. It’s all about forgiveness, which is always a good
thing to have in a holiday episode.
This episode makes me happy, and the sight of Buffy and Angel walking
hand and hand through the snow never fails to make me cry. This episode is
about love and that is what you want at this time of year. Well-done Joss for
showing some self-restraint and not killing anyone’s Christmas
(literally).
8. “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” – The Simpsons (1.01)
I know it seems cliché but it
wouldn’t be Christmas without this episode of The Simpsons. Anyway Christmas is the time for cliché and this
episode is hard to deny because it is literally the start of an era. It’s the
first full-length episode of The Simpsons
so that has to count for something. Its before it became totally cynical which
gives it a sweet, naïve quality that I think is so important for Christmas
episode. Let’s be honest – this
episode has everything, an unfortunate tattoo, Homer as a shopping mall Santa
and problem gambling, what more could you ask?
7. “My Own Personal Jesus” – Scrubs
(1.11)
I’m not usually a fan of
Christmas episodes that go all preachy. I usually prefer the ones that take
religion out of the equation or at least consider the fact that Christmas is
not solely a Christian holiday. But somehow I still like this episode. It’s all
about questioning faith, and what it means to believe through the good and the
bad, which is something I find intriguing. Also it has a Christmas miracle and
I can’t help it I am a sucker for Christmas miracles.
6. “An Echolls Family Christmas” – Veronica
Mars (1.10)
This one isn’t really a happy
one, but it’s Veronica Mars so what
did you expect. Yet this episode still makes the list despite it’s lack of
happy because not only is it one of my favorite Christmas episodes it also
happens to be one of my all time favorite Veronica
Mars episodes. It’s got some great Veronica and Logan moments, a fabulous
Hollywood Christmas party and an adorable ‘decorate the tree’ moment between
Veronica and Keith – not a dry eye in the house I bet.
5. “Christmas Special” – Gavin
and Stacey (2.08)
This show gets families, or at
least how I experience family so it’s no wonder that they do this holiday
period so well. It’s a time when families come together, people that would
never normally interact do and to the extreme because of the pressure that
people pile onto this holiday. We know the English do the Christmas special
better than anyone and this is one of my all time favorites. There are some
hilarious moments, a ‘perfect’ turkey and a Christmas family argument (it’s
going happen and you know it). It’s all right because while Christmas brings
out the worst in people, it also brings out the best so everyone is friends
again in time to open the presents.
4. “The One With the Holiday Armadillo” – Friends (7.10)
Friends had a lot of Christmas themed episodes, and I’ll admit that
it was hard to pick just one but this one just had to be it for pure hilarity.
Sure it’s got the Christmas message and all of those things we have come to
love about holiday specials but let’s face it the reason it’s on the list is
the sight of Ross in that Armadillo costume. It’s always funny, no matter how
many times I watch it (and I have watched it a lot). And Phoebe’s hilarious
attempts to bride Joey might have made me pee myself once. This is Friends at it’s best, besides how many
Christmas episodes have Santa, Superman, and a giant Armadillo in the same
room?
3. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” – Supernatural (3.08)
Yes it’s Supernatural again and I regret nothing! I love this episode, I
don’t generally think that Supernatural’s themed episodes are their best but I
make an exception for this one. It has that perfect mix of holiday special and
character arc – it’s totally heartbreaking yet somehow completely uplifting.
While this episode does have aspects of religion it is not about Christianity –
nope this Christmas extravaganza is all about the holiday’s pagan roots. I say
that but this episode is really about family, and how Christmas brings families
together even if they don’t want to be – and that makes me cynical heart melt
like butter.
2. “Comparative Religion”
– Community (1.12)
Quite a few people will probably
think that I should have included Community’s
second season Christmas ep… but while I think that ep is amazing, especially in
effects terms I still liked this first one better. It deals with all those
issues of religion and political correctness that come up during the holiday,
also it’s Community so it is full of
the ridiculousness and pop culture absurdity that we have all come to know and
love. If you are not sold on this one yet I will add that there is a fight in a
Christmas display with Anthony Michael Hall. Yup, now you want to watch it.
1. “The Runaway Bride” – Doctor
Who (3.X)
Doctor Who was always going to be my number one but it was really
hard to pick which of the series of amazing Christmas specials was my favorite.
In fact I was tossing up between this one and “The Christmas Invasion” until
the very last minute. I was even
going to go with “The Christmas Invasion” because it’s definitely more
Christmasy and it has a sword fight, which is hard to beat but if I’m honest
with myself the one that I love the one I keep going back to every year is “The
Runaway Bride”. It’s got Catherine Tate as Donna Noble, which just rocks and
there are even some really sweet Doctor/Rose moments (despite the fact that
Piper has existed the show in the previous episode). Again we have killer Christmas trees but as a bonus we also
get a killer Christmas star that gets blown up by tanks… I defy any other
Christmas special to beat that. This episode is fun and you can watch it even
if you have never seen the show before. So if you are bored this Christmas and
looking for a little bit of Sci-Fi cheer check out this special you will not
regret it.
So there you have it my top ten
TV Christmas episodes… if this doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit then I
don’t know what will. If you will excuse me I have to go drape my self in
tinsel, turn up some carols and bake some pumpkin pie. I do plan on writing
some more Christmas themed posts but I may get too enthusiastic and forget
about it.
