When it comes to longevity in television, few shows can compete with The Simpsons. The series recently celebrated its 31st year on the air, during which time there have been a staggering 694 episodes. For comparison, most shows struggle to make it past fifty.
Over the course of its 32 seasons, there have been plenty of Christmas themed episodes, with the most recent airing just last week. Enjoyable as it was though, it wasn’t quite up to the same standards of some of the Christmas specials of yesteryear, some of which rank amongst the greatest television holiday specials of all time.
10 Simpsons Christmas Stories (S17E09)
Simpsons Christmas Stories is one of the series’ numerous anthology episodes, but the first one to ever be Christmas themed. It’s comprised of three interesting and contrasting stories that are linked together well by the episode’s overarching narrative.
Through these stories, the episode tells the tale of the very first Christmas, how Santa betrayed Grandpa and how Marge helped Homer to buy her the perfect gift. The latter is perhaps a little distasteful due to the repeated use of Moe’s depression as a source of cheap laughs, but, other than that, it’s a fairly solid episode.
9 ‘Tis The Fifteenth Season (S15E07)
The fifteenth season’s Christmas special borrows a lot from literature, with both How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol playing a part in the episode’s narrative. The latter helps Homer to realize how selfish he has been whilst the former comes as a misguided attempt to make amends.
There’s a lot to like about this episode, from the pop culture references that are littered throughout it to Homer’s foolish plan to help the people of Springfield to focus on the true meaning of Christmas. There’s also Moleman’s flare being mistaken for a Christmas star and Ned’s jealousy after losing his title of the town’s nicest man, both of which slot in nicely without feeling too forced.
8 She of Little Faith (S13E06)
After Homer and Bart’s homemade rocket destroys the church, Reverend Lovejoy is forced to secure outside investment from advertisers in order to cover the repair costs. Horrified by what the church becomes, Lisa begins to question her faith in Christianity and starts to explore alternative religions. Much to the dismay of her family, she eventually settles on Buddhism.
Marge and Lovejoy’s attempts to woo Lisa back to the church with Christmas presents may end up being in vain, but they encourage viewers to think about a child’s right to religious freedom. Conversely, Lisa’s is a journey of self discovery and demonstrates real personal growth and wisdom that is well beyond her years.
7 Grift Of The Magi (S11E09)
Bart’s tomfoolery leads to him breaking his coccyx and temporarily requiring a wheelchair in order to get around. That’s bad news for Springfield Elementary, which has some serious accessibility issues which Fat Tony and his cronies are more than happy to exploit. Their shoddy workmanship leaves the school with crippling debt and it ends up being sold to a toy company that uses the students to design the next big Christmas toy.
Although Bart is initially enamored by Funzo, he soon realizes that they’re designed to destroy other toys and so teams up with Lisa to put a stop to them. Their crusade to stop the destructive dolls is full of laughs and is supplemented by a fantastic guest appearance from Gary Coleman. He may have been a few prawns short of a galaxy, but his performance and delivery was spot on.
6 The Way of The Dog (S31E22)
Thanks to a variety of reasons, this episode first aired in March rather than December, but it is still very much a Christmas themed episode. In fact, it is an old Santa hat that ends up putting the events of the episode into motion. Santa’s Little Helper freaks out upon seeing it and ends up biting Marge which leads to the family enlisting the help of a renowned dog psychologist to get to the root of the problem.
It’s by far the season’s best episode and is able to evoke some fairly strong emotions thanks to its wonderful writing. Viewers are not only treated to an emotional reunion between Santa’s Little Helper and his mother, but also get to learn a bit more about his tragic past in the process.
5 Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (S09E10)
Bart’s impatience leads to him ruining Christmas for the entire family. Rather than confess though, he instead tells his family that they’ve been robbed which results in the people of Springfield all pitching in to give them the perfect Christmas. When the townspeople find out the truth, however, they demand their money back and the Simpsons become social pariahs.
Alex Trebek makes a guest appearance as part of Marge’s ill-fated plan to win the money needed to repay their friends and neighbors. Ultimately though, the towns people decide that they can’t stay mad at the Simpsons and so decide to help themselves to their possessions in lieu of repayment. Despite being left with nothing but an old washcloth, the Simpsons end the episode happy just to have each other.
4 Skinner’s Sense Of Snow (S12E08)
When a blizzard hits Springfield, Skinner refuses to close Springfield Elementary meaning that Bart and Lisa have to go to school. The snow continues to fall and, together with their classmates, they soon find themselves trapped inside the school. Skinner ends up tied up in a dodgeball bag and it’s left to Homer and Ned to save everybody. God help them all!
The kids’ revolt is undoubtedly the highlight of the episode and has shades of the classic Lord of the Flies parody episode Das Bus from Season 9. It’s not quite as surreal nor is it anywhere near as dramatic, but the situation still lends itself to plenty of humorous moments. Homer and Ned’s rescue attempt is also amusing and plays off their pre-existing dynamic to great effect.
3 Holidays Of Future Passed (S23E09)
This isn’t the first time that The Simpsons has given viewers a glimpse into the future nor is it likely to be the last. It is, however, one of the better examples of the show doing so and has plenty of interesting and well thought out moments for viewers to enjoy.
The episode begins with Bart and Lisa complaining about having to pose for the family’s annual Christmas photo before whisking viewers 30 years into the future. Here, they’re given a glimpse of how the family turns out through both flashbacks and real time events. Lisa is shown to be bisexual and married to Millhouse, Bart is a divorced father of two and Maggie is a famous musician and is expecting her first child. Even Abe, who had been cryogenically frozen, makes an appearance in this fun and engrossing episode.
2 Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire (S01E01)
When the very first episode of The Simpsons first aired back in December of 1989, very few could have predicted how successful the show would go on to become. It could certainly be argued that its quality has declined over the years, but its longevity is incredibly impressive nonetheless. It all started with a Christmas special that served as the perfect way to introduce the Simpson family to the world.
It’s an action packed episode that sees Homer having to take a second job as a mall Santa after Mr. Burns cancels Christmas bonuses at the plant. Worse still. Bart decides to get a tattoo forcing Marge to blow their savings on getting it removed. Homer and Bart ultimately find themselves penniless at the Springfield dog track, but the pair don’t leave empty-handed. That they still have Santa’s Little Helper more than three decades later really does go to show that a dog is for life, not just for Christmas.
1 Marge Be Not Proud (S07E11)
The allure of an ultra violent video game proves too much for Bart and, following a little bit of peer pressure, he ends up shoplifting a copy from the local Try-N-Save. Although he’s able to hide the answer phone recording left for his parents by the store’s chief security guard, his fake disguises aren’t enough to trick Don Brodka when the Simpsons later return to the store to get their Christmas photograph taken.
What follows is a tough lesson for Bart who seems genuinely remorseful for what he has done. In the end, he finds a way to repair his relationship with his parents and even gets a new video game for Christmas. Rather than Bonestorm though, he ends up with a copy of the god-awful golf-sim Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge. The disappointment quickly passes however, as he is just grateful to have regained his mother’s love and trust.
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