Top 10 Christmas TV Episodes: Chrismukkah on 'The O.C.,' Festivus on 'Seinfeld' & More (VIDEO)

'Tis the season to take a look back at the TV ghosts of Christmases past and find the perfect way to de-stress after a family (dys)function.

We collected the 10 episodes that we keep going back to this time of year, from Frank Costanzas' self-created "Festivus for the rest of us" on "Seinfeld" to Seth Cohen's adorable Chrismukkah yarmuclauses on "The O.C." to a more sentimental special "M*A*S*H." These are the small screen installments that have left their mark in both TV history and on our holiday season.

See if your favorites made our list!

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Comments

[Tammy 31]

03:06 AM on 12/30/2011

I cry every time I watch Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas..Its just brilliant

[RickyPoo]

06:32 PM on 12/27/2011

Twilight Zone's "Night of the Meek" (the original) and the "All in the Family" episode with the African-American Santa blow AWAY any episode on this list.

[jt3a2]

10:44 PM on 12/26/2011

How about going way back to the 50s or 60s and Dragnet. Friday is called to a Catholic Church on a caper where someone stole the baby Jesus from the creche in the Nativity scene. Friday has a tough time cracking the case until a little boy shows up with the statue in his coaster wagon. He was the culprit because he just wanted to give baby Jesus a ride in his coaster wagon.

[wellingtonian]

09:26 PM on 12/25/2011

My favourite is the Vicar of Dibley Christmas episode where Alice gives birth in the nativity scene. Jim and Owen singing that Christmas carol they wrote gets me every time!

[Jeffrey Bryson]

08:15 PM on 12/25/2011

The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Futurama have all had excellent Christmas episodes. South Park, too. Sorry to see animation go unrepresented in this list.

[joelparker]

08:06 PM on 12/25/2011

One of TV's classic unforgettable lines about the Festivus pole:

"It's just an aluminum tube..."
"No decoration?"
"I find glitter distracting..."

[ontariogirl]

03:33 PM on 12/25/2011

I thought Mike & Molly was a howl. Loved the part where Vince was explaining the spirit of Charlie Brown Christmas special. Too funny IMO.

[bluice]

08:35 AM on 12/25/2011

Now that was weird !!!

[Rick Hunt]

08:07 PM on 12/24/2011

"Community?" "The O.C.?" This list is a joke, right?

[fushapa]

08:04 PM on 12/24/2011

Where's the reference to a Doctor Who Christmas special?

[finkles2000]

07:56 PM on 12/24/2011

I was so poised and ready to post a "What -- no love for 'An Echolls Family Christmas'/Veronica Mars love?" comment, but you did me proud, HuffPo. You did me proud.

[pdx360]

07:24 PM on 12/24/2011

I know this will seem hokey, but I remember a Christmas episode of The Golden Girls that was better than some of these. It was the one where they were each traveling home for the holidays but ran into a series of mishaps on Christmas Eve.

[brad7471]

07:11 PM on 12/24/2011

You've got to be kidding, right? How old is the author? Fourteen?

[pdx360]

07:16 PM on 12/24/2011

Thank you. My thoughts exactly, brad7471!

[Veronica]

07:26 PM on 12/24/2011

Yeah, everyone knows how much 14 year olds love MASH.

[RedheadfromChicago]

07:41 PM on 12/24/2011

I think he was speaking of the generally young slant this list has taken. Judging from other episodes--I'm a bit surprised the M*A*S*H episode even made it on this list! Though, man...that was a beautiful episode.

[brad7471]

03:59 AM on 12/25/2011

Not sure about that, but I don't know many people older than that that include shows such as The OC, Community, and Dawson's Creek on any "Greatest of All-Time" TV lists.

[Kev Bat]

06:59 PM on 12/24/2011

Hand's down SCTV's Count Floyd " Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas " is the best X-mas TV ever !

[ontariogirl]

03:34 PM on 12/25/2011

Good Times!

[DvdAndrsn]

06:56 PM on 12/24/2011

The episode of Big Bang Theory where Sheldon feels obliged to buy a present because Penny's bought him one.