10 Best Animated Holiday Episodes to Get in the Spirit

Happy holidays! It’s that time of year when we watch our favorite festive episodes on repeat to get into the spirit of the season. If you’re a TV fiend like me, this might be how you celebrate the holiday season (while bundling up under a pile of blankets to keep warm).

Below, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 best animated holiday episodes to crank up the cheer to an 11. So, put on your favorite ugly sweater, string up some twinkling lights, and grab a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Let’s dive in.

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“Into the Unknown” – Over the Garden Wall

It’s safe to say that Over the Garden Wall is a positively autumnal series. It just gives off those vibes. The penultimate outing of the show, “Into the Unknown,” is a bona fide Halloween episode. Sure, Halloween is in our rearview mirror, but it’s still fall and, as far as I’m concerned, the ‘ber months (September-December) are the holiday season.

“Into the Unknown” (not to be confused with the Frozen 2 song) sees Wirt fashion himself a Halloween costume (with a Christmas hat!). He broods over his unrequited crush on Sara. Then, he embarks on a madcap adventure with his brother Greg as he attempts to retrieve a tape he made for Sara, hoping it doesn’t fall into her hands. It’s a magical mixture of relatable teen hijinks and folktale-inspired lore, complete with soothing visuals.

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“Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” – Community

If you’re in the mood for a meta-infused, stop motion-animated musical explosion (and there is an actual explosion in the episode), look no further than Community’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas.” Sitting pretty as the cult comedy’s second holiday special, the episode explores Christmas through the lens of our favorite pop culture-obsessed filmmaker.

The songs are as hilarious as they are catchy, and the stop motion animation is truly impressive for a sitcom. And in true Community fashion, beneath all that incisive, occasionally snarky humor is a heaping helping of heart. Christmas Pterodactyl!

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“Something Borrowed, Something Green” – Star Trek: Lower Decks

Yes, I know. The Star Trek franchise is known for not having your stereotypical Christmas or holiday-themed stories. That said, some episodes in the canon can easily take a slot in your festive watch rotations. Enter “Something Borrowed, Something Green” from Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4. In it, Tendi returns home to Orion for a wedding. Tendi is the first Orion to join Starfleet (in the Prime Timeline), and the planet is something of a mystery, making this trek (hee-hee) to said planet a treat for Trekkies.

So, why am I including this entry on the list? It’s all about family, for better or worse. We meet Tendi’s parents and her sister, D’Erika. Despite the strain in their relationship, Tendi and D’Erika ultimately mend fences by the episode’s end. If family healing isn’t a cornerstone of the holiday season, I don’t know what is.

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“Xmas Story” – Futurama

Far into the distant future, humanity can look forward to a subversion of Christmas as we know it. No longer a time of celebration and cheer, Robot Santa rules the roost with an iron fist, emerging once a year to go on a killing spree.

Naturally, Fry is bewildered when he learns this. It’s nothing like the warm, nostalgia-filled 20th-century Christmases he used to know. Futurama’s “Xmas Story” is the perfect festive watch, if anything, for something that turns the traditional holiday-themed episode on its head with razor-sharp humor (to complement Robot Santa’s razor-sharp teeth).

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“Sinsmas” – Helluva Boss

How do demons celebrate the holiday season in Hell? With their own devilish twist, of course — Sinsmas. Basically, Sinsmas is Christmas but for sinners. Helluva Boss’ festive outing sees our core characters come together to commemorate the occasion with gifts and decorations. The color palette is quite aesthetically pleasing, especially if you’re a fan of Vivienne Medrano’s trademark animation style. There’s something homey and warm about it.

“Sinsmas” is also a crucial episode in the narrative as Stolas attempts to contact his daughter, Via, after Satan strips him of his status. But when you have two truly evil Goetia like Stella and Andrealphus whispering lies in Via’s ear, that highly anticipated reunion becomes tainted. Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. At least Stolas and Blitzø (the “o” is silent) finally rekindle their romance.

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“Turkey Guys” – Family Guy

There’s a dearth of Thanksgiving-themed animated episodes, so I thought I’d include Family Guy’s “Turkey Guys” on this list. The episode is unadulterated mayhem as a simple trip to the store to buy a turkey morphs into a trial by fire for Peter and Brian. Tensions reach a boiling point between Brian and Peter before they finally find a turkey at the zoo. Unfortunately, Peter befriends the very creature his family will inevitably eat, and he decides to invite the bird to Thanksgiving dinner as a guest. As you can imagine, that doesn’t go over well, but at least the episode sure is funny.

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“Holly Jolly Secrets” – Adventure Time

The holiday season just got a dose of the whimsical. Cult hit animated series Adventure Time has a two-part Christmas episode, “Holly Jolly Secrets,” that’s perfect for getting cozy by the fire on a cold December night. In it, Jake and Finn attempt to dissect secrets from the Ice King’s video diary. As is par for the course in the Land of Ooo, nothing goes according to plan. However, in the end, our heroes establish a new Christmas tradition and extend a hand across the aisle to the misunderstood Ice King. Empathy is the name of the game during the holidays, am I right?

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“Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation” – Rick and Morty

What happens when you combine Christmas, Rick and Morty, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Star Wars™? “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation,” of course. On Christmas Day, an unusually generous Rick gifts his family with delights from across the multiverse, including a Lightsaber for Morty. In true Rick and Morty fashion, what transpires next is a zany, breathless romp as our eponymous grandfather-grandson duo attempt to stop Morty’s murderous Lightsaber from, well, murdering people. It’s a Christmas to remember, bedecked with scathing one-liners, action, and an appearance from the president.

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“BoJack Horseman Christmas Special: Sabrina’s Christmas Wish” – BoJack Horseman

‘Tis the season to horse around! It’s not truly the holidays without an appearance from everyone’s favorite depressed, washed-up actor, as seen in BoJack Horseman. In “BoJack Horseman Christmas Special: Sabrina’s Christmas Wish,” our titular character and Todd watch the Horsin’ Around Christmas episode. It’s your typical glossy, over-the-top ’80s-style sitcom outing, made particularly poignant given what we know about Sabrina’s heartbreaking fate. Much like the series, the festive sheen and acerbic wit mask an undercurrent of tragedy.

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“Christmas Who?” – SpongeBob SquarePants

*Over-exaggerated French accent* “It’s Christmas in Bikini Bottom…”

Sandy Cheeks decides to inject some holiday cheer into Bikini Bottom by introducing its denizens to the concept of Christmas. Naturally, SpongeBob’s infectious enthusiasm takes the wheel, and he and the others wait with bated breath for Santa Claus to visit them. Unfortunately, in SpongeBob SquarePants’ “Christmas Who?” Old Saint Nick isn’t a strong swimmer (my headcanon), so everyone’s left disappointed when he doesn’t arrive.

Even Squidward, the world’s squid-iest curmudgeon, falls victim to the spirit of the season, and he saves the day in the jolliest way.

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What are your favorite animated holiday episodes?

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