With Halloween fast approaching and the remainder of the holiday season followed close behind it, now is a perfect time to recap all of the holiday episodes from the lovable gang at MacClarens.
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How I Met Your Mother was a hilarious comedy that has done a decisive job in splitting its fan base over the years, but one thing audiences can assuredly agree on is that HIMYM's holiday episodes were always looked forward to - whether that holiday was Halloween, Christmas, or Thanksgiving.
The Slutty Pumpkin Returns
Katie Holmes' reveal as The Slutty Pumpkin after a seven year wait was truthfully lackluster in its unveiling, but all that blame can't be put on her - Season 7 is notorious among HIMYM fans for being one of the worst and the jokes about how Ted and Naomi were misreading each other's sexual signals was awkward, hard to watch, and wouldn't have landed with any actress.
The Drunk Train
While Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the most common holidays used in sitcoms, HIMYM was one of the rare shows that attempted lesser-appreciated holidays such as Valentines' Day. Another season seven episode found Ted and Barney boarding a train of drunks to try and get laid, meanwhile Kevin proposed to Robin but then they broke up when Kevin found out she'd never have children (and didn't want to adopt).
Desperation Day
Another Valentines Day episode (though it did technically take place on February 13, "Desperation Day") had Barney hanging out with Robin and her coworkers the night before Valentines Day in order to hook up with "desperate" women, while Marshall was held up in Minnesota being unable to cope with reality after the death of his father.
Symphony of Illumination
Everybody needs a friend like Ted. The third season seven episode on this list was quite a puzzler for fans as it flip-flopped the show's premise and portrayed it through the lens of Robin telling her kids the story about how she met their father.
A twist at the end of the episode reveals that Robin is imagining her kids (due to the fact that she finds out she can never have children) and Ted creates a symphony of illumination (room full of Christmas lights) to cheer her up.
The Rebound Girl
Season seven cannot catch a break. The Thanksgiving episode of the seventh season had Barney and Ted trying to adopt a baby and raise it as a "couple of bros", while Robin tried to talk Marshall and Lily out of moving to Long Island and leaving the city. The drama between Robin and Barney paired with the mess of Lily and Marshall possibly moving out of Manhattan made this one quite a yawner.
Blitzgiving
HIMYM should have just resulting in several problems the next day when trying to assemble dinner (and Ted's classic Tur-tur-key-key).
Little Minnesota
In a rare Robin-Marshall episode, the season 4 Christmas special had everybody's favorite Canadian tag along with everybody's favorite Minnesotan to his favorite Viking-themed bar. In classic sitcom fashion, Robin tries to take over the bar from Marshall and he outs (pronounced as oots) her as being from the Great White North and she gets kicked out. They reconcile and Marshall apologizes by bringing her to a Canadian-themed bar instead.
Rabbit or Duck
The season 5 Valentines Day special had arguably one of the funniest scenes in the entire HIMYM series when the gang argues about whether or not ducks are better than rabbits. Not only that, the fan-favorite recurring character Ranjit makes an appearance while he drives Barney around the city to sleep with the endless line of women calling his phone. Marshall and Lily try to arrange a marriage for Ted, but in classic Schmosby fashion Ted ruins it at the last moment.
The Final Page
Despite appearing in season 8eight (another notably stale HIMYM season) this two-part hour-long Christmas special had fans reminiscing of earlier, better years. Barney brings The Playbook back for one final page and orchestrates 'The Robin', a play that ultimately ends with him asking Robin to marry him.
The Limo
Again, everybody needs a friend like Ted. In this season one New Year's Eve episode, Ted decides to use his Christmas bonus to rent a limo for the night for his friends. They drive around NYC looking for the best party to ring in the New Year and the night turns into a disaster. Luckily, the gang salvages the evening and decide to celebrate at midnight together.