Beloved sitcom New Girl is known for its incredible friendships, long-running gags, and hilarious holiday episodes. The seven-season Fox comedy actually features several episodes centered on the holidays, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Valentine's Day.
In fact, 14 of the show's 100+ episodes focus on different holidays. From gift exchanges to awkward dates to family drama, New Girl holiday episodes have something for every sitcom audience member. Get ready for the festivities!
Updated on December 22, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: New Girl might have come to an end in 2018, but fans can continue to enjoy the series on streaming platforms. It's no surprise new fans are being introduced to the show through binge-watching experiences and finding plenty of hilarity to keep them coming back for more. The holiday episodes are especially entertaining as the residents of apartment 4D get up to all kinds of shenanigans.
"Last Thanksgiving" (S6.E07)
The final Thanksgiving celebration in the loft for the series, this episode is more bittersweet than the others. Most of the holiday episodes tend to focus on expanding the relationships between characters, but this particular one sees roadblocks in all of them. That should be par for the course in a sitcom, but the bitter tends to outweigh the sweet here.
Schmidt wants to reconnect with his father, but with Gavin wallowing in his own sorrows after a breakup, connecting with Schmidt isn't at the forefront of his mind. Nick spends the day disappointed that Reagan bails on the celebration as well. Jess is, of course, wrapped up in the drama of Robby being interested in her, which leads to a relationship the audience isn't really interested in, making this particular holiday episode the least compelling of the 14.
"Keaton" (S3.E06)
It's Halloween in the loft, but Jess' party plans don't go well with Schmidt still in a bad place after his breakup with Cece. To get around his melancholy, Jess gets Nick to help her give Schmidt some advice. They do that by using a technique Schmidt's mom started: catfishing her own son into believing he's corresponding with Michael Keaton — because that's a totally normal thing for a mom to do!
This is actually one of the earliest episodes where Nick's penchant for creative writing is showcased as he channels Keaton for the letters, and it's definitely interesting to see him in his element. It also goes a long way in helping the audience empathize with Schmidt since his selfish tendencies can be played for laughs.
"Operation: Bobcat" (S6.E16)
Initially, Jess plans on spending her Valentine's Day alone, having dinner prepared for her by Gordon Ramsay, something she won in an auction. When that doesn't go exactly as she hopes, she ends up helping Winston in his elaborate plan to propose to Ally, continuing the tradition of Jess being present for every proposal in the series. Of course, Jess isn't the only one to end up in the middle of someone's relationship. When Cece decides to surprise Schmidt on their anniversary, they end up stuck on the roof at his work, asking Nick to help them.
New Girl excels when it provides the audience with more unexpected pairings, like Jess and Winston, or Cece and Nick, in storylines. That's one of the reasons this episode is so fun for fans. Winston and Jess really don't make a great team for Ally's proposal, but fans can't help but watch the train wreck happen.
"Halloween" (S2.E06)
There is a huge relationship focus in this episode. Nick reconnects with a woman he had a crush on in college while Schmidt deals with the fact that Cece has a new boyfriend and Winston ends his relationship with Shelby. But all of that pales in comparison to Jess working in a haunted house as one of her temporary jobs.
Just as Jess decides she's ready to get serious with Sam, Sam reveals to Nick that he's still seeing other people, thinking he and Jess are on the same page about not wanting a relationship. Nick braves his fear of the haunted house to warn Jess — and ends up completely terrified of everyone in costume, even punching zombie-Jess in the face! It's definitely the funnier of the Halloween episodes. It's also an early episode to demonstrate just how much Nick really does care about Jess as he's willing to get "attacked by monsters" for her, foreshadowing their relationship to come.
"Christmas Eve Eve" (S6.E10)
This season 6 Christmas episode sees Jess trying to keep Secret Santa alive in the loft. She gets super-excited about the holiday season despite her roommate’s objections and unintentionally raises the gift-giving stakes through the roof. Winston also gets freaked that his present for Cece won’t arrive on time, so he goes on a shopping spree with Schmidt. And Furguson wearing reindeer antlers? The cuteness is too much to handle.
The Secret Santa exchange is a great insight into the characters as some of their gifts just wouldn't make sense outside of the show. Jess leaving herself out of the exchange completely leads to one of New Girl's best musical moments too. The show doesn't miss when it adds in a musical number for the audience.
"Thanksgiving III" (S3.E10)
The gang's third Thanksgiving together has them trading in the comforts of the loft for the great outdoors. While Nick is excited to embrace a camping-style meal, Winston and Cece bond over their dislike of the wilderness. There's also a huge chance they may or may not sneak away and come back with food from the grocery store, letting Nick believe they scavenged it from the forest. Jess feels bad for how they've tricked Nick and tries to make it up to him by eating the rotten fish he's brought back — which results in her winding up in the hospital. Memorable Thanksgiving, right?
This is one of the rare episodes to feature the entire ensemble of roommates as Coach is absent before this season and after. When the series gets all of its main cast together instead of breaking off for smaller, separate storylines, it allows the show to play a lot more with the dynamics, which always leads to great comedy.
"Valentine’s Day" (S1.E13)
The first of the Valentine’s Day episodes has Jess enlisting Schmidt to help her find a date. The guy she comes across is attractive but boring, which leads Schmidt to follow Jess back to his house and make things totally not awkward. Who can blame him, though? Their only commonality Jess has with her date is that they both like lunch. Meanwhile, Nick tries to take his girlfriend Julia on a perfect date but ends up being forced to hang out with her assistant for most of the evening when she has to work overtime.
This episode does a great job at balancing New Girl's usual style of comedy with its heart. Jess just wants to have a good time, but it's really not in her to have a one-night stand on a romantic holiday. Nick's attempts to remain aloof even though he's really hurt by Julia not being able to spend the holiday with him is one of the earlier signs that he's more romantic than his friends give him credit for.
"The 23rd" (S1.E09)
The loft attends a Christmas party at Schmidt's workplace in "The 23rd," the first New Girl Christmas episode. Schmidt continues to try to impress Cece, giving her a custom-made perfume and returning as the office's sexy Santa. Their moments together really give Cece and Schmidt fans hope for their relationship early in the show's run. It's a good showcase of their chemistry even in their small moments.
Jess has stresses of her own to deal with. When her boyfriend Paul gives her an expensive gift, she believes he's getting too serious too fast. And no, things don't get better when Nick spoils this. Just as Schmidt and Cece fans see hints of what's to come for them, so do Nick and Jess fans. Nick's method of cheering Jess up at the end of the episode is one of the best feel-good moments of the show.
"Parents" (S2.E08)
This Thanksgiving episode sees Jess trying to “parent trap” her parents back into a relationship. She does so by accidentally-on-purpose scheduling them to arrive for dinner at the same time. This plan may or may not backfire when Nick and Jess’s mother start hitting it off. Watching Nick flirt with her is certainly an episode highlight!
Jess learns her lesson about trying to manufacture situations, and the rest of the gang gives the audience one hilarious Turkey Day performance.
"The Crawl" (S4.E15)
Post-break-up Nick plans a Valentine’s Day pub crawl after a new establishment opens in the neighborhood. The other single people in the gang including Cece and Winston in on the fun, while Jess has to decide the fate of her and Ryan’s relationship after he accepts a job back in England. And Cece attempts to out-drink Nick through most of this episode.
Like a lot of the best holiday episodes, this one has a great balance of humor and heart. There are tons of laugh-out-loud funny moments, but there are just as many of the friends having to connect with one another and be honest about what they're going through.
