15 Greatest ’90s TV Christmas Episodes Rated By IMDb

That time of the year is here again. Ever since the 1950s, Christmas has provided infinite fodder for the television world to do their own themed episodes surrounding the holiday. From prestige dramas to multi-cam sitcoms, if a show lasted more than a season or two on the air, there was a strong chance a Christmas episode was right around the corner.

Of-the-era television represented something of a renaissance for the medium, and that was true on a micro-level, as well, when it came to the traditional Christmas episode. From classic sitcoms like Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to sci-fi shows like The X-Files, the ’90s was a decade full of great Christmas TV episodes.

15 Blossom – “It’s A Marginal Life” (1991)- 6.9

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Blossom is a charming story of a teenage girl growing up without her mother. The title character loves her dad Nick, sweet brother Anthony, and goofy brother Joey, and she gets through life with her quirky, fashionable best friend named Six. In this Christmas episode, Nick goes through a tough time when he struggles to find work, and he has to play music at the mall to make some money to cover the costs of the holiday season.

Nick is relatable in this episode as a parent who wants to do the best that he can for his kids. He and his family end up having a nice holiday — despite the fact that the tree lights on fire when the power goes out.

14 South Park – “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” (1999) – 7.3

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South Park has no shortage of Christmas episodes. The show’s titular small town provided lots of material for the writers to riff on various stereotypical nuclear family traditions.

“Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” is an anthology episode that eschews the typical narrative in favor of a series of shorts featuring the characters singing various carols, the iconic standout being Cartman’s terrible rendition of “O Holy Night.” Strangely poignant and full of memorable moments, the episode has excellent replay value, even all this time later.

13 Sabrina The Teenage Witch – “Christmas Amnesia” (1998) – 7.5

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Sabrina the Teenage Witch has a funny, light-hearted Christmas episode in its third season. Sabrina gets rid of the holiday and has a day to make sure that everyone can celebrate Christmas again. While the plot is definitely high stakes and Sabrina feels a lot of responsibility, she maintains her cheerful personality throughout the episode.

It’s always fun and satisfying watching Sabrina get into wild, stressful situations thanks to her magic. She’s still learning how to use her powers and her growth is always relatable.

12 The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air – “Christmas Show” (1991) – 7.5

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One of the most beloved sitcoms of the ’90s and the jumping-off point for star Will Smith’s best roles and stratospheric rise to movie stardom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air had numerous Christmas installments over its six-year run, but this early season 2 gem is one of the funniest and best-aged.

Much of the fun comes when the entire family takes a trip to a ski lodge when Will’s mother begins dating a new man. Typically silly shenanigans ensue, and the young cast members really get a chance to flex their slapstick muscles and comedic timing in their storyline.

11 Clarissa Explains It All – “Urge To Drive” (1991) – 7.7

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The Clarissa Explains It All episode is a twist on the classic family Christmas episode. The story sees Clarissa wishing that she could have her own car. She wants to come up with $1,500 and decides that she’s going to have people purchase holiday cards. The issue is that it’s summertime, so Clarissa is at a loss.

Clarissa is full of initiative, dreaming of becoming more independent from her parents. While she loves her family, she wants her own car that she can drive anywhere anytime, which is a relatable plotline.

10 Batman: The Animated Series – “Christmas With The Joker” (1992) – 7.9

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Batman: The Animated Series became the classic benchmark for animated comic book adaptations due to its blend of mature themes, iconic visuals, and Mark Hamill’s legendary voice work as The Joker. This early episode is the first appearance of Hamill’s take on the character and set up the villain’s infamous rivalry with Batman.

“Christmas with the Joker” centers around Joker’s escape from Arkham to cause Yuletide mayhem in an attempt to lure Batman into various traps. It’s fun and just dark enough to add a nice animated edge to the festivities.

9 Boy Meets World – “A Very Topanga Christmas” (1997) – 7.9

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This Boy Meets World episode shows how tough it can be to merge families at Christmas. While Cory wants Topanga to be part of his celebrations, she wants to do things the way that her family always has.

Cory and Topanga’s relationship is one of the sweetest parts of the popular show, and it’s relatable that they go through some growing pains here. They eventually realize that they should be more compassionate and understanding and that what matters is spending time with loved ones.

8 Frasier – “Frasier Grinch” (1995) – 8.0

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Throughout its 11-season run, Frasier churned out quite a handful of Christmas episodes. Christmas in the Crane household was always a delightfully awkward setting. However, “Frasier Grinch” is the funniest and most memorable outing for the sitcom. The episode revolves around Frasier’s package of nerdy gifts for his son getting lost in the mail, which results in Frasier and Niles taking a hilarious last-minute trip to the mall on Christmas Eve to try and replace them.

The series’ iconically witty banter and mixture of high and low-brow humor are on full display in this episode, as is the poignant final scene between Martin and Frasier. It’s one of the best Frasier episodes.

7 Friends – “The One With The Inappropriate Sister” (1998) – 8.0

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Love it or hate it, Friends is one of television’s biggest phenomenons. By the time the sitcom hit its fifth season, millions of Americans were tuning in every week to watch the romantic misadventures of three men and three women living and working in New York City.

The twenty-something counterpart to Seinfeld, Friends managed an almost yearly addition to the Christmas episode canon, but it is the comedy-of-errors chaos of “The One with the Inappropriate Sister” that is easily the standout. With every one of the parallel storylines managing laughs and some Christmas fun, this is a great entry point for the series.

6 Everybody Loves Raymond – “The Toaster” (1998) – 8.1

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Allegedly based on one of the show’s producer’s real-life experiences (per YouTube), this season 3 episode of the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond details Ray’s attempt to give everyone in his family an engraved toaster for the holidays. After finding out his parents returned the gift and exchanged it, the show’s signature quips and familial fireworks get their time to shine.

Though the series went on to put out a lot of Christmas episodes, this early favorite is one the best examples of the humorous style that kept the show going for over 200 episodes.

5 The X-Files – “How The Ghosts Stole Christmas” (1998) – 8.2

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Series creator Chris Carter wrote and directed this fun and spooky episode of the acclaimed sci-fi/horror series The X-Files. One of the biggest and scariest shows of the decade, the series found a wide audience with its mix of serialized mythos-based episodes and standalone stories.

“How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” takes the show’s signature eeriness and applies it to a Christmastime gothic romance story featuring Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin as ghosts haunting the halls of an old Maryland house. One of the season’s quirkier outings, this episode has become a Christmas classic for die-hard fans.

4 Mystery Science Theater 3000 – “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians” (1991) – 8.3

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The famed “riff show” was one of the more innovative and longstanding pieces of alternative humor in the ’90s. The series focused on Joel, a lonely janitor trapped in space who is being forced to endure terrible schlock films. Along with his robot comrades, Joel quips his way through some of the worst films ever made.

One of the very best episodes of the show is this offering from 1991 where the crew watches Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, one of the most outrageously strange films ever made. As with every MST3K episode, not every riff lands, but the vast majority at least usher a smile.

3 My So-Called Life – “So-Called Angels” (1994) – 8.4

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My So-Called Life is an emotional ’90s teen drama that has a sad Christmas episode, as it reveals that Rickie is now homeless. Angela also meets a homeless teenager, who teachers her to appreciate her own mom more since the girl shares that she and her parents had a fight and she ran away from home.

My So-Called Life doesn’t shy away from serious, weighted issues, and Rickie’s terrible home life is often a focal point. Angela’s family helps Rickie and shows him that he has a place to go, which is both moving and difficult to think about.

2 The Simpsons – “Marge Be Not Proud” (1995) – 8.5

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One of the pioneering adult animated sitcoms, The Simpsons became a critical and viewer success with its combination of sardonic humor and acute social satire. The show rarely ventured too far into the family drama aspect, but they got serious with this season 7 Christmas episode that explored the rarely analyzed dynamic between Marge and Bart.

One of the softer episodes of the typically biting series, “Marge Be Not Proud” is one of The Simpsons‘ best-ever holiday episode.

1 Mr. Bean – “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean” (1992) – 8.9

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Rowan Atkinson created two iconic characters, Edmund Blackadder, and, of course, Mr. Bean. Whereas Blackadder was a barbed intellect, Mr. Bean takes on a mime-like vaudeville-style which brought Atkinson worldwide fame and a crossover to North America.

In this episode, the seventh overall, the runtime is split into three sketches revolving around Mr. Bean’s antics at Christmas, including shopping and the routine of Christmas morning. Mr. Bean‘s humor is timeless and universally appealing, making it no surprise that it is the highest-rated Christmas episode of the decade.