This Holiday Season, a Very Special Episode of Your Favorite TV Shows

Around this time each year, our favorite shows often take a quick break from the major season storylines to cook up a special holiday-themed episode. Let's take a look back at some of our favorites over the years, from comedies, dramas, and everything in between.

On Christmas Eve in 1956, "I Love Lucy" aired one of TV's earliest holiday specials, which also happened to be one of the earliest clip shows. As Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel trim the Christmas tree, they reminisce about moments from the past few years, including the night Little Ricky was born.

"The Twilight Zone" aired several Christmas-themed episodes during its five-season run. The first, "The Night of the Meek," aired on December 23, 1960. Art Carney plays a down-on-his-luck department store Santa who drinks to try to forget about the poverty-stricken children outside seeking toys, food, and even jobs for their parents. But everyone's luck is about to turn around after a visit to the Twilight Zone. Season two's "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" is another classic Christmas-themed episode; a lesser known gem is season three's "The Changing of the Guard."

In December 1969, TV viewers spent their first Christmas with "The Brady Bunch." In the episode "The Voice of Christmas," Carol comes down with laryngitis, which means she will not be able to sing at church on Christmas Day. Cindy is devastated and asks a department store Santa for a very special gift – for her mom to get her voice back in time for the holiday.

Shortly before Christmas in 1974, the immensely popular "Happy Days" aired its classic episode "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas." The Cunninghams are all set to celebrate the holiday, but when Richie finds out that Fonzie plans to spend the holiday all alone, he invites him to join the family festivities.

If you would like to spend the holidays with "The Golden Girls," you have several options, the first one being season two's "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas," which aired in December of 1986. In this episode, the ladies plan to spend Christmas with their respective families, but they instead find themselves being held hostage by a man dressed as Santa at the grief counseling center. Three years later, in "Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas," the girls volunteered at a homeless shelter on Christmas day where they learned that Dorothy's ex-husband Stan is living on the streets.

In 1989, TV viewers spent their first holiday season with "The Simpsons." In the very first episode of the long-running series, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," Homer and Bart go to the dog track on Christmas Eve to try to earn cash to save the family's Christmas. They put the little money they have on Santa's Little Helper, who loses the race but wins a spot on the couch with the dysfunctional yet loving family.

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" aired several Christmas specials during its six-season run, the first being the 1990 season one episode "Deck the Halls." When Will learns that Ashley has never experienced a traditional family Christmas, he goes all out to get everyone in the holiday spirit. However, not everyone in the neighborhood appreciates the bright lights and decorations outside the mansion. The Banks family celebrated the holiday again in special episodes airing in 1991, 1993, and 1995.

In the 1990s, holiday specials began to branch out and reflect a more diverse world. The animated children's show "Rugrats" was one of the first television programs to include a Hanukkah special. In "A Rugrats Chanukah," which aired in December of 1996, the babies learn the story of Hanukkah while grandpa feuds with his co-star in the local synagogue's play.

Five years later, the show aired the special "A Rugrats Kwanzaa," in which the babies learn about the celebration of African-American culture when their friend's great-aunt comes to visit.

Speaking of Christmas alternatives, in December of 1997 "Seinfeld" introduced the world to a new holiday called Festivus. In the episode called "The Strike," Frank Costanza explains the symbolism of the traditional aluminum pole, the airing of grievances, and the feats of strength.

In December of 2000, "Friends" celebrated several holidays with the introduction of a unique mascot of sorts. In the episode "The One With the Holiday Armadillo," Ross, unable to obtain a holiday-themed suit so late in December, surprises his son Ben by dressing up as a giant armadillo to explain the story of Hanukkah. Things go off the rails when Chandler shows up dressed as Santa.

No holiday season is complete without attending the annual office holiday party. And no one throws a party like everyone's favorite boss Michael Scott of "The Office." The team at Dunder Mifflin threw seven holiday parties from 2005 to 2012. Whether partying at Benihana or the office itself, the Scranton natives shared many sacred holiday traditions with TV viewers.

While Kwanzaa is not as well represented in mainstream television specials as other holidays, in 2007 Chris Rock taught TV viewers about the spirit of the holiday in the "Everybody Hates Chris" episode "Everybody Hates Kwanzaa." In this holiday special, Julius talks the family into celebrating Kwanzaa instead of Christmas for a change, in the hopes of saving money.

In 2010, "Mad Men" applied a dramatic spin to company Christmas parties, as Don Draper and his colleagues celebrated the season while facing tough decisions in their personal and work lives. In the season-four episode "Christmas Comes But Once a Year," Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce intends to throw a scaled-down office party to save money, but that changes when a major client invites himself to the celebration.

"The Goldbergs" have celebrated the holiday season with TV viewers many times over the last decade, most memorably in 2015 with the third-season episode "A Christmas Story." Frustrated by her family's disinterest in the holiday season, Beverly creates "Super Hanukkah" to get them into the holiday spirit.

Over the last few years as streaming services have grown in popularity, holiday specials have begun airing all year long. In August 2021, "Ted Lasso" surprised viewers with a Christmas special titled "Carol of the Bells." In this episode, Ted plans to celebrate the holiday alone for the first time since his divorce and move to London, but Rebecca has other plans.

In June of this year, "The Bear" aired what will surely go down as one of the most devastating Christmas episodes of any series. In the star-studded and anxiety-inducing episode "Fishes," viewers are treated to a flashback of an increasingly chaotic Christmas dinner with the Berzatto family. This episode shines a brutal light on the stresses associated with the holiday season and family get-togethers and is only recommended for those seeking a cathartic crying session this holiday season.

We hope you enjoy these holiday specials, and we look forward to new specials coming soon as productions start up again following the resolution of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Happy Holidays!