The Five Greatest Holiday Episodes of The Simpsons
The Simpsons gets festive in these five classic episodes.
One of the great calling cards of The Simpsons is the annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween specials. The show, however, has also hit it out of the park in episodes that celebrate other holidays, namely Christmas.
With Thanksgiving coming to an end and people gearing up for the Christmas season in full force, let’s take a look at some of the best festive episodes that The Simpsons has left in our stockings over the years.
5. Tis the Fifteenth Season (2003)
One of the overlooked gems of the post-golden-era, this episode sees Homer tick off the family by blowing the small fortune he had acquired from Comic Book Guy on a frivolous gadget for himself rather than on presents for his family. To compensate, he begins a spree of charitable behavior which leads to an escalating feud with Flanders over who is really the nicest man in town. When Lisa tells her father that her Buddhist faith leads her to believe that people would be better off without gifts, a misguided Homer takes it upon himself to steal Christmas.
This episode does a lot to turn established dynamics on their heads with Homer and Flanders effectively switching roles (Homer behaving charitably, while Flanders comes off as petty and bitter). The Grinch inspired sequence with Homer stealing gifts from the people of Springfield is highly memorable, particularly the song parody that comes along with it.
4. Grift of the Magi (1999)
This season 11 episode sees the toy company Kid First Industries taking control of Springfield Elementary to develop a new toy, “Funzo,” a Furbie parody. Funzo takes a turn for the malevolent when Bart and Lisa discover it destroying competing toys in an effort to reach market dominance. The pair decide to steal all of the Funzos from Springfield’s citizens, but they are stopped by Gary Coleman, who they eventually convince to assist them.
What makes this one so great is the guest stars. Gary Coleman is completely unexpected as Kid First’s security guard, Jim Hope, the fun-on-the-surface-but-still-pretty-sketchy president of the company is played by Oscar winner Tim Robbins, and legendary saxophone player Clarence Clemons has a turn as the narrator.
3. Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (1997)
In this classic from season 9, Bart sneaks out of bed early to open his Christmas presents, only to accidentally start a fire which destroys the family’s Christmas tree and presents. In a panic, Bart cooks up a story about a burglar in order to keep from getting into trouble. The story spreads around town and leads to an outpouring of sympathy, with Springfielders donating $15,000 to the family. However, the truth eventually comes out and leads to the furious townsfolk demanding their donations be returned.
This is another episode with some classic moments and big laughs. Kent Brockman’s news story about the “burglary” is a spot on parody of real life human interest stories. And of course, who could forget Marge finding out from Alex Trebek exactly what happens when Jeopardy! contestants finish with a negative amount?
2. Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (1989)
Here we have the one that started it all. Homer finds out that he will not be getting his Christmas bonus at the plant, leading him to take drastic measures to provide gifts for his family. He takes a job as a department store Santa, but finds that it pays only a pittance. In a desperate last attempt at saving Christmas, Homer and Bart go to the dog track to try to win some money. Homer bets on dog number 8, Santa’s Little Helper, but the dog finishes dead last. Dejected, Homer is ready to call it quits, but Bart convinces him to adopt the dog. The pair return home to the family, who immediately fall in love with their new pet.
It goes without saying that as the series premiere, this is one of, if not the most important episode in The Simpsons history. The family dynamic is established right away: Homer is bumbling but well-meaning (illustrated by his desperation to save Christmas without letting his family know anything is wrong), Marge is sensible and caring (saving money all year round for Christmas, only being forced to blow it on a tattoo removal for Bart), Lisa is wise far beyond her years (her performance as the “Santa Claus of the South Seas” in the school Christmas pageant), and Bart is an ultimately good kid with a bit of a rebellious streak (his willingness to pull on Santa/Homer’s beard, followed by his immediate attempts to help his father out). Great stuff all around.
1. Marge Be Not Proud (1995)
As should be readily apparent from the rest of this list, The Simpsons Christmas episodes tend to revolve around a character “ruining Christmas” and having to somehow redeem themselves to save the holiday. This one, while no different, definitely does it better than any other.
When Bart is desperate to get his hands on a new video game, “Bonestorm,” he attempts to shoplift it from the Try-N-Save. Unfortunately, he is caught by surly security guard Don Brodka, who tells him that he had best never return to the store. Bart attempts to keep his parents from finding out, but this falls through when Marge decides to have a family photo taken at the store. Brodka reveals Bart’s actions to Marge, leading her to shun him. In an effort to redeem himself in his mother’s eyes, Bart returns to the store yet again and has a new photo taken of himself to replace the family portrait that was ruined by Brodka yanking him out of the shot. This helps Bart and Marge reconcile.
The very best episodes of The Simpsons have a certain balance of laughs and heart, with this one as a prime example. Anyone who has ever known the feeling of disappointing a parent can sympathize with Bart, just as anyone who has ever been let down by a loved one can feel Marge’s pain. This central conflict is balanced with some genuinely great jokes such as Thrillhouse, Don Brodka’s weird belief that people think his name is a joke, and of course, the immortal “Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge”. This episode is a must watch around the holiday season.