Two years ago I posted a list here at Idol Chatter of some of my favorite Christmas episodes of some of my favorite TV shows of years past. I’ve decided to trot out a revised version of that list.
Are there any favorite holiday episodes you try to catch in reruns that you would like to add to my list? “Seinfeld’s” infamous episode with Elaine picking the Christmas card, perhaps? Or maybe “The Office” and its Christmas party episode is your new favorite Christmas classic. Be sure to tell us in the comment box below, and you might also want to check out a great website that has downloads of numerous classic holiday episodes you can watch anytime.

My So-Called Life: “So-Called Angels”: This episode of the angst-filled teen
drama always makes me cry. Angela Chase (Claire Danes) and her agnostic family find their spiritual and emotional preconceptions challenged when Angela’s friend Rickie goes missing and the Chases’ search for him lead them to a mysterious encounter with a homeless teen.
Once & Again: “Gingerbread House”: In my opinion, this series–which focused on two divorcees trying to find a way to be in love and blend their families while also dealing with their exes–was one of the best shows ever on television. This episode focuses on mom Lily’s attempt to create a perfect gingerbread house over the holidays as the ultimate metaphor for trying to piece back together her broken life and heal her relationship with new love Rick after a major transgression on her part. Lily learns that trying to achieve reconciliation is neither easy nor pretty, always fragile, but always possible. The other touching twist in this episode is the way Lily’s youngest daughter, Zoey, also has some of her own holiday dreams unexpectedly shattered.
X-Files: “5X05 Christmas Carol”: Faith and science collided over and over again on this series, but in this episode the always-skeptical Scully is home for the holidays and begins to have nightmares which she thinks may connect her to a murdered woman’s daughter. As Scully tries to unravel the mystery, she comes face to face with her past. The episode (it’s the first of a two-parter) is not so much about Christmas but about reconnecting with family with some supernatural help. Can’t we all use of that?
Studio 60: “The Christmas Show:
This is a new favorite on my list, not only for the witty writers’ room banter about debunking the Christmas story, but also for its tender subplot which highlighted the plight of a group of post- Katrina New Orleans musicians.