My Top 8 All-Time Favorite Christmas TV Episodes (#4)

Welcome back my friends as I count down my all-time favorite Christmas sitcom episodes. There are some series which kind of surprise you. Christmas episodes are most often found in more kid centered shows like the TGIF shows of the 80’s and 90’s  You’d never expect Christmas episodes from a well written series which is taken seriously (MASH? Wow!), and yet not only do they do them but they are really good!



Today my #4 favorite Christmas episode comes from :

“Frasier Grinch”














First aired December 19, 1995




Plot Synopsis:An hour before his son is due, Frasier discovers his expected gifts for did not arrive.



Best Line:”Oh, God… it’s my childhood Christmases all over again. Only now Mom isn’t here to say, “Shut up, you’ll hurt his feelings.” Frasier at seeing the over-decorated apartment.



Nitpick of the Episode:This is a general criticism for the series, but what is it with Frasier and his “sophisticated Christmas” crap? I mean would it really kill him to let his father have things his way for one lousy holiday? This is a regular argument the two have in all the Christmas episode and I am on Martin’s side everytime. Christmas is a time for loosening up a bit not being a big show off.



Standout Character: Martin, I love what he does at the end of the episode to save the day for Frasier.



Syndication Edit:Never saw the syndicated version



Episode Fun Fact:The child playing Freddy in this episode is a different kid than the one who would play him for the majority of the series



Final Thoughts:I feel safe in saying that this one is a bona fide classic. This is one of those episode that just does everything right. Frasier had a lot of Christmas episodes and they were all very well done. The only bad one was the last one, which felt as if the writers had kind of run of ideas. After 11 years, imagine. Actually I take that back the Season 1 episode was awful too, depressing. The second year saw an episode about the gang having an aggravating Christmas which is kind of classic to. Other episodes feature things like a Christmas parade, Frasier pretending he’s Jewish for a girlfriend’s mother, and Frasier’s attempts at throwing a kick ass Christmas party failing badly.

This is the stand out, airing in season three when the show as really clicking. And, the episode is just great. It works from start to finish. We open with the office Christmas party and then head to the overdecorated apartment. That moment when the audience first sees it is just classic. Then the reveal that Frasier has the wrong gifts and has to rush out to buy new one’s.

So what about the other characters? There really isn’t much going with them. This was before the series began to shoehorn in plots for all the characters even if there wasn’t enough time for them all. Though we do find out Niles has been cut off financially by Maris which makes for a big laugh toward the end of the mall scene. Speaking of that, the scene where Frasier and Niles look for gifts in the mall is just classic. The whole scene is perfect. While Daphne and Roz have some lines they really have no impact on the main plot. Martin is the hero of the episode the way he it ends as I already mentioned.

But at it’s core this episode is a character episode for Frasier. We see that he has a habit of buying gifts for people that he thinks people should like, rather than things they actually like. And that he’s doing this to his son too. It’s a humble moment when we find that Freddy really wanted something Frasier had not considered and has no time to buy. And the very last scene of the episode where Martin gives Frasier his gift is simply one of my favorite Christmas moments anywhere. Never seen it? Nah I won’t spoil this one check out the episode, it’s sweet and heartwarming and possibly one of my favorite scenes of the series.



Final Grade-A-




Honorable Mention:Punky Brewster.

Speaking of goofy kid shows. But seriously, “Yes, Punky, There Is A Santa Claus” is another episode that really should be here. This is one of the sweetest Christmas episodes ever, as Punky spends her first Christmas with Henry. But I had forgotten it for many years (it never got recorded like most of these) until I rediscovered it on YouTube. The episode is just perfect, hitting all the notes from decorating to Punky being told their is no Santa to the main plot being resolved with a bit of magic. The plot involves Punky asking Santa to bring her Mom for Christmas. Awww. The resolution is great without being totally contrived. Why do Christmas miracles only happen on TV? Anyway if you love Christmas episodes this episode is a MUST SEE. There were two other Christmas episodes from this series but neither come close to being as amazing as the first.





#3 coming in a few days my friends