Movie Monday: Official Ranking of the Office Christmas Episodes

When The Office got things right, it got them right. Among those they got right was Christmas. They never put out a bad holiday episode (heck, I even enjoyed the Valentines ones), but the Christmas episodes were truly the star atop the holiday tree. Along with some pretty solid plots and typical Michael gaffes, we got to enjoy the most awkward office parties that we'll ever see. But at the same time, they were fun. Secret Santas, karaoke sessions, and parties courtesy of the party planning committee all took center stage. Here is my official ranking.

Christmas Wishes (S8)

One would expect an episode stuck in season 8, often considered the worst season, to not get a lot of credit. Well...yes and no. Basically Andy promises to make everyone's Christmas wish come true...at least that's what the synopsis says. There's not a huge focus here. I don't love the part with Andy's girlfriend, clearly being utilized to make Erin jealous. It seems kind of forced and not funny. Meanwhile, after complaints from Cathy, Andy announces to Jim and Dwight that if one of them pranks the other he will give both their bonuses to the one who was pranked. This leads to both of them pulling out all the stops to make it look like they are actually pranking each other, and Jim still comes out on top anyway. And don't forget the traditional Secret Santa scenes set to music, which are always classic. It's not the best episode but it's still pretty festive.



Moroccan Christmas (S5)

It's not a bad episode, but is by far the least Christmas-ey, so this one's near the bottom of my list. Meredith's hair catches fire after she has been drinking too much at Phyllis' Moroccan-inspired party, and so Michael improperly decides to stage an intervention to the employees' chagrin. It's the most awkward Christmas party that you'll ever see. It's also an episode where you'll wonder how in the world that Michael wasn't fired immediately after. From a holiday standpoint, it doesn't do that much for me, but it's a good episode on its own.

Meanwhile there are subplots. There's one where Dwight buys all the popular dolls in the area and then resells them at outrageous prices, which was mildly entertaining. There's another where Angela gets her just desserts, like she did in the previous Christmas episode: Phyllis now holds power over her after she catches Angela making out with Dwight in the office. If Angela doesn't want her secret spilled, she must do exactly what Phyllis asks. It's resolved in a different way than you'd think.





Secret Santa (S6)

Who will be Santa: Phyllis or Michael? That is the debacle of this year's Christmas party and Michael's temper tantrums don't help. Then Michael gets word that Dunder Mifflin is out of business and leaks it to his employees. You'd think this one would be a little dark, but it's surprisingly fun and lighthearted with the usual silliness. The secret Santa scenes themselves are also nice and put you in the Christmas spirit. I always like seeing what everyone got and the capturing of these little moments. But my favorite moments are at the end with Bob and Phyllis kissing and both dressed as Santa (Michael: "Get a room, Santas!") and then again with Andy getting Erin twelve drummers drumming as her final "12 Days" secret santa gift.




Dwight Christmas (S9)

Dwight gets the spotlight in this one, where he dresses up as Belsnickel rather than Santa Claus to determine whether each employee is impish or admirable at his Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas party. Not everyone is thrilled with a party planned by Dwight, except for Jim and Pam, who love every moment of it. I like this episode because it really shows how the Dwight/Jim/Pam friendship has evolved and is more than just pranks. This is especially true at the end; Dwight Christmas also serves as the calm before the storm in Jim and Pam's romantic life. Yes, there is a traditional Christmas party in the end when Dwight wants to make things up to Pam after Jim leaves for Philly.

Let's talk about the subplot. After Erin doesn't get a Die Hard reference, she and Pete watch the movie together. I really like the chemistry between them, and let's face it....they're a much better couple than Erin and Andy. Of course, I may be slightly jealous of Erin. ;)  It really starts to show hints of their relationship. I like the chemistry here. Oh, and Darryl isn't happy that Jim seems to have forgotten him in planning his new company. How does the show end its final Christmas special? By zooming out of the group looking down on a drunk Darryl, who has fallen backwards onto the refreshment table and crashed onto the floor. Welp, Merry Christmas to all!




Classy Christmas Parts 1 and 2 (S7)

The best part about this episode? There's two of them to enjoy! Somehow, I used to not like this one which shocks me now. The premise is that Holly is coming back to Scranton and Michael wants to scratch the traditional party and impress with a classy one, only to find out that Holly is serious with someone else. Of course not everything goes to plan, from the live music to Michael taking out his frustrations very childishly on a Woody doll. There's a lot of Christmas tradition here, too. Pam and Darryl go find the perfect Christmas tree, Darryl wants to impress his daughter during the party (in a different way than planned, again), and Pam makes a great gift for Jim.

The only thing I wonder about here is if Jim is out of character. Dwight decides to get his revenge with an intense snowball fight and Jim seems unusually furious about it, to the point of looking like he's about to cry at times. That's not really what I expect from that character, but whatever. I like how Dwight puts an end to everything, too.



Christmas Party (S2)

The Christmas episode that started it all. Michael wants to plan the best party of all time after he gets a definitely not Jelly-of-the-Month club bonus, and uses some of it to buy a super expensive Secret Santa gift even though the limit was $20. But after he gets a homemade oven mitt as his gift, he insists on turning it into a Yankee Swap solely so he can get something better. This doesn't go over well with the employees since they've picked personalized gifts for each other. Especially for Phyllis, whose handmade mitt is rebuffed by Michael, and for Jim, who created the perfect gift for Pam.

This is number one for most people in the Christmas realm, and I can see why. It's classic Michael with an extra side of Grinchiness.  But I do like a couple of others better than this one, though it's very close. The only thing that's curious to me is Pam's behavior. I'm not sure I believe that Pam would seriously choose the iPod over Jim's teapot given the choice. She ultimately ends up with the teapot, adding that "Roy is getting me an iPod anyway." (Otherwise she'd get a sweater from him.) You're better than that, Pam!



A Benihana Christmas (S3)

Why is this not just one of my favorite Christmas episodes, but one of my favorites of all time? It has everything great. It has Angela getting her just desserts. It has a fabulous Christmas party with the obligatory moments of employees just having fun and singing karaoke. It has two should-be rivals, Pam and Karen, collaborating in the name of good (to get Angela back), but then joining forces in the spirit of Christmas. It has a good Dwight prank. It has ridiculous Michael dating moments and even has you thinking that somehow he's going to get the girl he picked up...and then getting something better.

To summarize, Michael is sad because his girlfriend broke up with him and Andy takes him to Benihana to cheer him up, where he meets a cute waitress. Back at the office, Angela gets snippy with Karen at the party planning committee meeting, so Pam decides to team up with her to throw their own party instead. I hate girl drama, but that story is fun, and Angela more than deserves what comes to her (the "revenge" is everyone enjoying the other party much better than hers). Oh, and the thing about their collaboration? This episode helped me through a tough time when I was in Pam's shoes, meaning that the guy I liked was dating another girl. Eventually we even made nice with each other. I'm pretty sure I partially owe that to this episode. And it's not easy for Pam, either. Jim decides to stop pranking Dwight to look more responsible in front of Karen, which means he also initially rejects Pam's present to him. (Nooooooo!)

It's the little moments, too. Michael's complete ignorance again (at all Asian women looking the same), Kevin, Kelly, Dwight, and Angela singing karaoke, and Andy and Dwight's continued bickering all add to a great storyline.

But like in all Christmas episodes, everything ends on a positive note. A really good, Christmasey, feel-good episode with everything but the kitchen sink.





Merry Christmas everyone! Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices?