“Went to the store, sat on Santa’s lap. Asked him to bring my friends all kinds of crap.” Over the course of ten seasons, Friends was sure to include a Christmas episode built around various plots. Sometimes it was about Rachel quitting her job, sometimes about Chandler spending Christmas without Monica, other times we saw Ross and Monica do the icky dance routine. Every Christmas episode on Friends was sweet, funny, and charming in its own way.
Season 10 of Friends didn’t have a Christmas themed episodes, per se. But Christmas was sure to be a part of every season. Season 10 excluded, we’ve ranked nine Friends Christmas episodes for you today.
SEASON 1, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH THE MONKEY
This isn’t a Christmas episode strictly, because it is clubbed with New Years’, just like most of the holiday episodes on the show are! TOWT Monkey has the wittiest gag ever, because Season 1, duh!
The episode introduced us to Ross’ Marcel, Phoebe’s on-and-off flame David, and the fact that having a roommate is just kinda pathet, which is Sanskrit for ‘really cool way to live.’ We believe you, Ross.
SEASON 4, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH THE GIRL FROM POUGHKEEPSIE
The episode in which Rachel wanted to be set up with someone, so she sent out feelers through Chandler, out of everyone in the whole damn universe! But also the episode where we saw that Rachel and Chandler were the greatest of friends (don’t tell me those hugs didn’t mean anything). Back at the restaurant, Monica showed everyone who the real boss was, by fake-firing Joey. Annnddd, Phoebe’s Christmas jingle:
“Went to the store sat on Santa’s lap… Monica Monica, have a happy Hanukkah! Saw Santa Claus, he said hello to Ross. And please tell Joey, Christmas will be snowy. Rachel and Chandler have a-errr-umm-glandlerrr!”
SEASON 2, EPISODE 9: THE ONE WITH PHOEBE’S DAD
Remember the time Monica and Rachel were broke, so they tipped people with cookies? Oh, they got their cookies back, smeared across the sports’ section with an extra dose of ‘Bite me, bite me, bite me’ written on Monica’s crossword for her. In other news, Ross bought Rachel a slinky as a Christmas gift. We don’t know what he was thinking.
The highlight of the episode was, however, the guy on the photo frame from Macy’s third floor, who Phoebe was told was her dad. Turns out he was never a famous tree surgeon and never did he live in Burma where there were no phones. The poor girl did take the first leap to go see her actual father in the episode, even if it meant risking Joey and Chandler’s lives in a questionable taxi.
SEASON 7, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH THE HOLIDAY ARMADILLO
Do you mean Chandler and Monica’s first holiday season as a betrothed couple? Chandler dressed as Santa, whereas Ross dressed as Santa’s half-Jewish friend, the Holiday Armadillo, or what Chandler likes to call ‘weird turtle man.’ Poor Monica, there’s a sentence she thought she’d never say. A classic comedy plays out in Monica’s living room where Ben is forced to choose between his dad’s Armadillo, Chandler’s Santa, and Joey’s Superman.
In the end, Ben listened to Ross’s story of Hanukkah, but everyone’s favorite part of the tale was when Superman flew all the Jews out of Egypt. Also, Joey and Rachel played the drums.
SEASON 6, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH THE ROUTINE
The tall girl Janine had just moved in as Joey’s roommate and all he wanted was to feed her grapes and brush her hair. As for Janine, she invited Monica and Ross to the taping of ‘Dickin’ Rockin’ Dicky Eve’, by which she meant ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’. Anyway, the brother-sister ended up doing their living room routine on the dance floor.
Back in the day, they had an honorable mention in the brother/sister dance category. What would stop them from performing the routine now? Unfortunately, no one built them their own platform on the show. They made it to the bloopers though.
SEASON 3, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WHERE RACHEL QUITS
Or the one where Rachel finally realized her true calling and left waitressing, for better or for worse. Also, the one where Ross broke a little girls’ leg (accidentally, duh).
Phoebe’s aversion to cutting down Christmas trees in the prime of their lives has an important lesson for all of us. Do we really need Christmas trees? If so, just how sustainable is it to cut down millions of trees every year? Of late, the debate may have been sparked by climate change, but the fact is Phoebe talked about it a long, long time ago.
SEASON 5, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH THE INAPPROPRIATE SISTER
Let’s be honest, we all felt bad when people threw trash into and stole out of Phoebe’s bucket of donations. New Yorkers can be really mean sometimes. She just wanted to spread a little joy to people.
Episode 10 meant Mondler was out in the open, Ross had moved in with the guys, and Estelle suggested gay porn to poor Joey. As for Joey, he wasted another day not finishing his work and coming up with the ‘ultimate fireball’.
SEASON 9, EPISODE 10: THE ONE WITH CHRISTMAS IN TULSA
The last of Christmas episodes did what did it did best: reinforce love between Monica and Chandler. Chandler and Monica have been one of the greatest TV romances to be ever written. What did the couple not face together? Chandler left his job in Tulsa and returned home to spend Christmas with his wife, and his friends. But audiences were happiest when Chandler resisted Miss Oklahoma’s offers in the office to come home to Monica. We were also given a flashback of Mondler’s journey so far.
Although, Chandler wasn’t so gracious with the gifts. Who makes a donation in his friend’s name to the New York City ballet? Finally, something that Rachel couldn’t return. But hey, Chandler didn’t have a job!
SEASON 8, EPISODE 11: THE ONE WITH THE CREEPY HOLIDAY CARD
Poor Mona, what was wrong with her, after all? She was never one amongst the who’s who of human crap! She was just a supportive girlfriend if anything. Now, the pretzel pervert had indeed done a good job by clicking a holiday-card-like a picture of Mona and Ross from ice skating. Photographs that Joey loved to see even if he was swamped. So anyway, Mona decided she and Ross should do a holiday card together, easy Mona! You’re talking to someone who got married to Emily within six weeks of knowing her.
Whilst Ross was dealing with his dating life, Rachel was having his baby and a raging hormone problem. The best of the episode was the confession that Chandler made to Monica after his boss forcibly took him to sleazy bars. Sure, he made a speech and everything, but when it comes to doing a holiday card together, Chandler isn’t there yet, either!
