Holiday TV episodes & The Christmas Chronicles
Since it's my final time to give you some festive recommendations until next year, I've compiled a list of the best holiday TV episodes for you to consume in the next few days:
In the second season of The Office, Dunder Mifflin's secret Santa party goes awry, when Michael gifts a $400 iPod to Ryan and then decides to turn the party into a White Elephant gift exchange. As trouble continues, Jim struggles to get the tea kettle (which is filled with other surprises gifts and a love letter) he intended for Pam back from Dwight, who steals it during the exchange. The Jim/Pam will-they-won't-they is at peak cute in mid-season two and the rest of the office is up to their usual shenanigans, as the holiday party spirals out of control when Michael shows up with vodka to apologize for ruining everyone's presents.
The Office was one of the few TV shows that committed to airing a holiday episode in almost every season, so I'll give one more shout out to the show's season seven two-parter, Classy Christmas. With Toby out on jury duty, Holly is brought back to Scranton to fill-in as the branch's HR rep. Michael immediately overreacts and forces the office to host a classy Christmas party to welcome her back. Michael grows jealous of Holly's new boyfriend, Jim and Dwight get into a snowball fight that quickly goes too far and Darryl tries to make the holidays special for his daughter, who tags along to the party.
If I had to choose my favorite of the New Girl holiday episodes, it's season two's Santa. Jess is upset after breaking up with her casual boyfriend Sam, so she convinces the roommates, plus CeCe, to go on a holiday party crawl. Schmidt and CeCe are on the outs after she rejected him, but they're forced to spend time together during the evening and CeCe is trying to reconcile. Meanwhile, Nick brings along his new girlfriend (played by the funny Olivia Munn) and their differing personalities clash throughout the night, and Jess runs into Sam at one of the parties and he tries to win her back. It's full of fun moments and ends with a magical sighting of Santa himself!
In season one of Boy Meets World, the holidays cause a slight rift in Cory and Shawn's relationship. After both friends brag to each other about the massive number of Christmas presents they'll each be getting, Cory gets home and finds out that Shawn's father recently lost his job. The two best friends get into an argument after Cory expects praise for giving Shawn one this presents. Meanwhile, Morgan pays a visit to Santa at the mall and promptly freaks out after Santa has some health problems while she's there. It's both a jolly, funny and moving episode of the series, and it ends with Mr. Feeny dressed up like Santa.
In season one's Forgiveness and Stuff, the Gilmore Girls are at odds after a huge fight at the end of the previous episode. With Rory, Lorelai and Emily all barely on speaking terms, it's not a very festive start to the show. After Richard collapses at the annual Gilmore Christmas party, everyone rushes to the hospital and begins to show signs of forgiveness. Luke and Lorelai have sizzling chemistry, as Luke tries to cheer her up (and makes her a disgusting, albeit festive, Santa burger) and accompanies her to the hospital for support, and Lorelai and Emily have some important moments in their relationship as well. It's especially refreshing to revisit the early episode following the show's revival, where the ramifications of actor Edward Hermann's passing play out in the Gilmore world in the reboot's Winter episode. Watching the reactions of Emily, Lorelai and Rory to Richard's angina in season one compared to the reactions to his death in the revival, make Forgiveness and Stuff extra impactful on repeat viewing. It's not as jolly as some of the show's other episodes, so if you're looking for some classic Lorelai snow moments, watch this instead.
In season six of Friends, The One with The Routine gives us a Christmas/New Year's Eve combo episode. As Monica, Ross and Joey head to an advanced taping of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, the Gellar siblings fight to get a prominent spot on the broadcast and decide to bust out their infamous "routine." While left unsupervised, Rachel, Phoebe and Chandler hunt through Monica's apartment to try and find where she's hid their Christmas presents.
As Seen on Screen
When I first saw the trailer for The Christmas Chronicles pop up on my Netflix screen, I squinted and saw a gruff looking Kurt Russell in a Santa get-up and kept on scrolling. But after a strong recommendation from my brother, I decided to give this movie another chance. I was looking for something to break-up my diet of Hallmark movie after Hallmark movie, and this did the trick! I was blown away by how captivated I was by the movie, which made me both laugh out loud and brush away tears (I was watching on my friend's couch and it was embarrassing!!) The movie tells the story of siblings Teddy and Kate, who are celebrating their first Christmas after their father has passed away. Teddy is a teenager and acting out, and Kate is 10 and desperately trying to get her brother to enjoy the magic of the season. While their mom has to cover a late-night nursing shift on Christmas Eve, the two siblings plot to catch Santa delivering presents to their house via an elaborate trap and a camcorder. They more than succeed and end up on Santa's sleigh and then stranded with him in Chicago after a mishap in the air. Kurt Russell plays this less jolly version of Santa, but manages to strike the perfect balance between gruff, kind and endearing in the part. As the three try and save Christmas so that Santa can deliver all of his presents, the two siblings also bond and begin to talk about the emotions they've been bottling up for the past year. The kid actors are perfectly cast and the whole movie feels a bit like Stranger Things (minus the scary parts and the 80s setting), as they go on this magical adventure. Will they save Christmas? I'm certainly not going to spoil the ending for you, but I highly recommend you find out for yourself! And brace yourself for some tears at the end!
Required Reading
On Christmas day, On the Basis of Sex hits theaters, meaning our love for RBG will reach new heights as we get to watch Felicity Jones portray her in this new film. When I first saw the trailer, I was equal parts excited and worried that the movie wouldn't do the beloved Supreme Court Justice, justice. Fortunately, On the Basis of Sex is penned by Ruth Bader Ginsburg's own nephew, and RBG herself gave him notes on drafts of the script, so I'm optimistic that the portrayal is accurate and inspiring. The New Yorker published an interview with the movie's writer, Daniel Stiepleman, who shares insights into what he's learned from his aunt and how she helped the writing process. The Cut published some additional insight after Ruth Bader Ginsburg shared her two cents during a screening. Referencing a scene where Felicity Jones' Ruth messes up during one of the arguments, Ruth herself assures audiences that moment was added for dramatic effect: "I didn't stumble," she said. What a powerful move; what a powerful lady; what a powerful movie to enjoy over the holidays.
