Over its 33 seasons, The Simpsons has aired 20 Christmas episodes ranging from beloved, classic outings to critically-disliked later season efforts. Since its inception, The Simpsons has offered viewers an anarchic subversion of traditional family sitcoms. As such, it may come as a surprise to some readers to learn that the very first episode of The Simpsons was a Christmas special, establishing one of the show’s most popular trends right from the outset.
However, the first Simpsons Christmas special was no saccharine, sentimental affair. Instead, season 1’s “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” is as subversive and cynical as many of the show’s early episodes, and darker than a lot of more recent outings from the series. Before becoming the zanier, cartoon-y hit fans know and love, The Simpsons had plenty of mean-spirited moments as proven by a rewatch of the pilot.
That said, even despite this tonal shift, the style of The Simpsons was already set in stone by “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire.” The first episode of the sitcom balances sentimental moments of sweetness with the inventive comedy that made Golden Age Simpsons episodes so critically acclaimed, and although the outing may not feature as many jokes as later episodes, the comedy still holds up surprisingly well. However, it has been over thirty years and over thirty seasons since the pilot aired, so naturally there has been an evolution in The Simpsons’ Christmas episodes. Here’s how The Simpsons’ 20 Christmas episodes compare to each other, and, ultimately, which ones are the best of the bunch.
Sideshow Bob might be a beloved supporting character, and Kelsey Gramer’s erudite villain has proven he can anchor a classic outing of The Simpsons. However, the attempted murderer is ill-suited to a Yuletide setting, and unfortunately, “Bobby, It’s Cold Outside” (The Simpsons season 31, episode 10) proves this point. While The Simpsons’ best horror parody “Cape Feare,” (The Simpsons season 5, episode 2) showed that Bob was a stellar antagonist for darker episodes of the show, this Christmas special softens the character into a more forgiving figure and it is a predictable twist that proves too saccharine for the usually sharper series.
Strangely, “Tis The 30th Season” (The Simpsons season 30, episode 10) is the second of two Simpsons Christmas episodes that pit Marge against Gil, the Death of a Salesman-inspired sad sack who is many fan’s favorite supporting Springfield citizen. Unfortunately, Marge’s beef with Gil is not central to the story of this forgettable outing, which tells the tale of the titular family heading to Florida for Christmas after a disastrous Black Friday. Anyone expecting a theme park episode as funny as The Simpsons‘ classic Westworld parody will be disappointed by this middling effort.
There is not a lot to hate about White Christmas Blues” (The Simpsons season 25, episode 8), although none of the episode’s stories ever gel into an effective whole. The crux of the plot centers around the Simpsons turning their home into a B+B to make some extra cash around the holidays, but not much comedic gold is mined from this potentially interesting premise. Instead, “White Christmas Blues” turns out to be a late-season dud from The Simpsons and a missed opportunity to skewer the then-relevant Air B+B craze.
To be fair to “The Nightmare After Krustmas” (The Simpsons season 28, episode 10), it is not as disliked as The Simpsons’ season 27 premiere. That said, this scattershot outing (which takes the form of a festive Krusty the clown variety show) does suffer from a lack of focus and earned a surprising amount of online ire as a result. While “The Nightmare After Krustmas” probably doesn’t deserve to be among the lowest-rated episodes of The Simpsons when there are many more egregiously bad episodes of the show, it is not likely to wow any fans either. That said, the episode does manage to parody both Frozen and Bing Crosby, cramming Christmas institutions both old and new into its brief runtime.
“I Won’t Be Home For Christmas”(The Simpsons season 26, episode 9) is a bleak Simpsons Christmas episode and one that is a touch too short on laughs to pull off its dark tone. The idea of Homer starring in an It’s A Wonderful Life-style story has potential but, like The Simpsons’ mean-spirited low point, this episode overplays the darkness and fails to find the humor in this premise. The finished episode is too sad for its own good, but not unwatchable.
“Gone Boy” (The Simpsons season 29, episode 9) makes the surprising choice to parody Gone Girl, and ends up being a surprisingly fun spoof as the story of Bart’s mysterious disappearance gradually unravels. The episode loses points for being a festive Simpsons episode that barely focuses on the holiday and fails to take advantage of its dramatic premise (Bart’s not just missing, he’s missing at Christmas). Nonetheless, “Gone Boy” is a strong, fun outing for a later season Simpsons episode.
The funniest thing in Kill Gil, Volumes I & II” (The Simpsons season 18, episode 9) is the Grumple, a surreal parody of The Grinch That Stole Christmas that gets into a long-lasting beef with Homer. Outside of this running gag, this episode is a solid piece of cringe comedy wherein Marge can’t bring herself to kick out lovable loser Gil despite him proving an imposition on the eponymous family. It’s a little overstuffed, resulting in an absurdly abrupt ending, but “Kill Gil, Volumes I & II” still has the playful, often surreal sense of humor that marks some mid-season Simpsons episodes out as standouts.
One of the stronger later Simpsons Christmas outings, “Tis The Fifteenth Season” (The Simpsons season 15, episode 7) saw the show parody The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (again) with Homer playing the title role. With a playful Claymation interlude entitled Christmas with the California Prunes it’s impossible to hate this outing. That said, its messy plot does muddle together A Christmas Carol and the Dr. Seuss classic without ever focusing on one over the other.
Season 31’s finale is one of many Simpsons Christmas episodes that aired at an odd time, arriving in mid-May. However, the tale of how the Simpsons came to own their beloved family dog Santa’s Little Helper is still firmly a Christmas episode and a surprisingly sweet one at that. Flashing back to earlier outings is always a risky proposition for a long-running show and can backfire, as seen when The Simpsons season 33 retconned a beloved episode. However, in this instance, the risk paid off with a sweet, rewarding season finale.
The question of Lisa’s religion is one that few viewers expected The Simpsons to address, but “She Of Little Faith” (The Simpsons season 13, episode 6) did make for one of the show’s more moving, understated festive episodes. When Bart’s space-bound hamster accidentally burns down the local church through a convoluted opening act, Mr. Burns opens his deep pockets and refurbishes the town institution at a high cost. The new gaudy megachurch is a monument to Burns rather than god and puts Lisa off religion entirely until she eventually discovers Buddhism with the help of guest star Richard Gere. While Gere is a game Simpsons celebrity guest star, “She Of Little Faith”’s thoughtful satire of religion mainly falls a little short because it is far from the most fun festive outing of the series.
“Manger Things” (The Simpsons season 32, episode 16) aired in March, has enough bizarre hallucinatory scenes to feel like a Halloween special, and in one unconventional subplot, unveils a new hidden room in the Simpson family home. Despite, or perhaps because of, this fast-paced absurdity, the episode is one of The Simpsons’ best holiday outings in years. Nitpicking fans will be annoyed to see that Homer’s good name is never cleared (he wasn’t drunk, Lenny and Carl spiked his soda), but otherwise, this is an unusually solid outing for the recently tired series.
Like so many Treehouse of Horror Simpsons specials, “Simpsons Christmas Stories” (The Simpsons season 18, episode 9) is an uneven offering. However, almost any episode split into three shorter stories is bound to have a weak link, and even the crammed-in Nutcracker parody that takes up this outing’s closing third is still pretty strong. The nativity that substitutes Bart, Homer, and Marge for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, however, is a superb segment (if a touch heretical) and the story of a young Grampa and Burns helping Santa save Christmas is as zany as the summary implies. All in all, a serviceable Simpsons Christmas outing and a strong later-season showing.
Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will likely get a kick out of “A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas” (The Simpsons season 32, episode 10), wherein celebrity guest star Ellie Kemper’s movie producer shoots one of the televised confections in Springfield. Like season 32’s other Christmas-centric episode, “A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas” is a breath of fresh air for the tired show and the opportunity to send up corny television movies gives The Simpsons a sense of purpose to its fast-paced antics. Add in the always-welcome Richard Kind and viewers ended up with the show’s best Christmas episode for some time.
While there’s not a lot wrong with “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace” (The Simpsons season 9, episode 10), it is a shockingly dark Christmas episode that proves The Simpsons can occasionally veer a little too far into bleak black humor. One of the darkest non-Halloween Simpsons episodes, “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace” sees Bart accidentally destroy the family’s gifts before lying about this, causing a daisy chain of unfortunate events that culminates in Springfield’s citizens leaving the family without a possession between them. It is a very funny episode, but “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace” is relentlessly mean-spirited in a way that even classic Simpsons writing can’t entirely hide.
“The Fight Before Christmas” (The Simpsons season 22, episode 8) crams a lot into its brief runtime, but like the best Treehouse of Horror episodes, the outing finds time for every Simpsons family member to shine. Martha Stewart’s appearance is a rare genuinely funny Simpsons celebrity cameo, while the Polar Express parody hits just the right balance of irreverent spoof and cute homage. Meanwhile, a live-action sequence that turns the titular family into puppets proves that late-season Simpsons can still surprise viewers, and its unexpectedly raunchy Katy Perry cameo is another welcome surprise in this risqué, fast-paced, and unexpectedly good post-season-20 episode.
While The Simpsons has a grand total of 20 festive-themed episodes, only the five best could be called stone-cold classics. With over 700 episodes aired, is only fair that The Simpsons struggles to make every outing a winner, but “Holidays Of Future Past” (The Simpsons season 23, episode 9) proves the show can still provide stellar funny, moving sitcom entertainment. Originally planned as an ending for The Simpsons back when the series was facing cancellation, “Holidays Of Future Past” jumps a few decades into the future to reunite a burnt-out Bart, a bitter Lisa, and a hilariously still wordless Maggie for a Christmas special that is poignant, sweet, and, above all, as funny as anything the show’s Golden Age has to offer.
The first episode of The Simpsons still holds up as a surprisingly solid and entertaining debut for the show, although there is little evidence of the mile-a-minute gag rate that would later come to define the series. Still, “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire”’s story of how the family came to own their beloved dog is a moving, funny one. A charming sing of things to come, the very first Simpsons episode proves that the show had heart long before it had guest stars like Elon Musk and Lady Gaga in every episode.
While “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace” was mean-spirited for no reason, “Marge Be Not Proud” (The Simpsons season 7, episode 11) proved The Simpsons could pull off sadder stories with grace and style. The story of Bart stealing a video game and growing distant from Marge after he gets caught, this moving episode manages to wring both pathos and a surprising amount of wacky humor out of a potentially mawkish sitcom setup. Laurence Tierney’s inspired Don Brodka helps, as does the unforgettable video game “Lee Carvalho’s Putting Challenge,” but ultimately, it is Bart’s poignant reunion with his mother that makes this one a holiday classic.
Yes, “Marge Be Not Proud” is the more critically acclaimed episode. However, in terms of pure fun, “Skinner’s Sense Of Snow” is tough to beat. Like season 9’s “Das Bus,” season 10’s “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken,” and season 6’s “Lemon of Troy,” “Skinner’s Sense Of Snow” makes a compelling case that The Simpsons is at its funniest when focusing on its younger stars. Stranding the children of Springfield Elementary School with Principal Skinner is an inspired premise that prompts all manner of wild sequences, from “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t But Then Was” to Homer and Ned’s doomed attempts to save their offspring. Surreal, silly, and irresistible, “Skinner’s Sense Of Snow” is proof of the potential The Simpsons has when the show prioritizes a child-like sense of cartoony fun.
For sharp satire, goofy cartoony antics, and clever character comedy, Simpsons fans can’t do better than “Grift Of The Magi.” In terms of guest stars, the episode has The Shawshank Redemption’s Tim Robbins as a hilariously sleazy toy company executive, but also Gary Coleman as an absurd self-parody. As if proving that The Simpsons could do both great one-off characters and funny meta-cameos weren’t enough, “Grift Of The Magi” is filled with pointed satire of corporate America and the state of public education. However, for those who simply want some festive fun, the episode crams in spoofs of everything from the Grinch to It’s A Wonderful Life to A Christmas Carol, to The Terminator and Gremlins. Endlessly quotable and filled with classic gags, “Grift Of The Magi” remains the greatest of The Simpsons‘ 20 Christmas episodes.