All The 'Friends' Christmas Episodes
By The Big Lead
Christmas is fast approaching and you, reader, may be feeling the strong urge to watch all the holiday episodes from Friends. We are glad to help you out. It is, after all, one of the most popular shows in American television history and the warm feelings that reverberate off the screen hit even harder during Christmastime.
So without further ado, here are all the Friends Christmas episodes.
The One with The Monkey, Season 1, Episode 10 (1994)
A Christmas and New Year's episode all wrapped into one, there's a few good bits in here. None better than the introduction of Marcel the Monkey. Rachel getting attacked over a cab is a close second.
The One with Phoebe's Dad, Season 2, Episode 9 (1995)
Centered around the quest of Phoebe to learn who her father truly is and mixed with some classic Dudes Rock tropes (like leaving Christmas shopping until the last minute), the second Christmas episode of Friends attempts to strike an emotional tone with a slapstick ending. And succeeds. For the most part.
The One Where Rachel Quits, Season 3, Episode 10 (1996)
There aren't super strong Christmas vibes for this episode outside of Phoebe's shocking ignorance about what happens to Christmas trees if they aren't sold. But there are few better bits in media than that of the ruthless Girl Scout (or, in this universe, Brown Bird). Even around Christmas there's no room for competition in the Big Apple, as Ross comes to learn.
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The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie, Season 4, Episode 10 (1997)
Ross deals with the New York City centrism that all people from New York state and New Jersey have to deal with as he seriously considers dating a terrible person who lives in the Upper West Side instead of a nice girl from not-NYC. Monica deals with sexism in the work place. Rachel gets dumped because she hates being single. Honestly, not a joyful episode. But Phoebe sings at the end, so that's something.
The One with the Inappropriate Sister, Season 5, Episode 10 (1998)
A tremendous performance by Phoebe pulls this one together nicely as she suffers through many comedic errors while trying to collect money for charity dressed as an elf. Much better to focus in on that than the borderline incestuous storyline that the episode is named after. Side note: Ross gets no points from this blog for what he did to the hockey tickets.
The One with the Routine, Season 6, Episode 10 (1999)
Finally, we get a Dick Clark storyline. Yet another Christmas/New Year's Eve crossover, featuring a crucial lesson we all learn very early in life-- finding out what your presents are before Christmas actually sucks!
The One with All the Candy, Season 7, Episode 9 (2000)
Truly shocking how many people there are in New York City who can't ride a bike like Phoebe, but she learns. Monica deals with the consequences of being too nice to her neighbors. Rachel narrowly avoids an HR scandal. Not a ton of Christmas cheer, but some quality laughs.
The One with the Holiday Armadillo, Season 7, Episode 10 (2000)
The absolutely wild twist regarding Rachel's pet tarantula is the most interesting but also the most inconsequential part of the episode. The Holiday Armadillo is slightly problematic but ultimately teaches a lesson about different beliefs around Christmastime. Also, Chandler tries to bribe a host to get a table, something we've all at least thought about doing.
The One with Ross' Step Forward, Season 8, Episode 11 (2001)
Doug's extremely divorced energy makes many grateful for the love they enjoy around Christmas. Ross acts the fool for no reason. Phoebe does her best to help Rachel. The Rockefeller tree is featured, which makes it a Christmas episode.
The One with Christmas in Tulsa, Season 9, Episode 10 (2002)
The final Christmas episode of Friends is quite nostalgic, with plentiful flashbacks to the above episodes scattered throughout. Chandler makes a dramatic decision in order to ensure he spends Christmas with his friends and Monica. The truest Christmas episode of the show in every sense.