Mindy Kaling believes that’s because it couldn’t be made today. In addition to playing Kelly Kapoor, the lovably loquacious customer service representative at Dunder Mifflin, Kaling also served as a writer, executive producer, and director during her tenure, so she does have a point. The Office is a collection of contextually inappropriate yet enduringly hilarious humor, characters, and storylines, and that’s what makes it so entertaining still to this day.
It could be a perfect time to revisit The Office and with the holiday season in full swing, it’s fun to specifically consider the seven Christmas-themed episodes from the show. They are really The Office at its very best. From the competitiveness over who gets to be Santa Claus to the social politics of the gift exchange, they are full of funny hijinks and heartwarming festivities, and s on IMDb have determined how they compare to one another.
7 "Christmas Wishes" (S8.E10) - 7.7
Though it might rank lowest, the season 8 Christmas episode, “Christmas Wishes” still maintains a respectable rating on IMDb. Importantly, it is the first one without Michael Scott, an issue shared with the entire season as it attempts to revitalize itself following Steve Carell’s departure. In it, Andy, now the District Manager, attempts to make everyone’s Christmas wish come true while Dwight and Jim engage in an increasingly violent prank war.
It also features James Spader’s Robert California at his lowest, thus showcasing how truly weird he is, a strong turn for the character halfway into the season. Behind the camera, “Christmas Wishes” is an important episode for Ed Helms as it marks his directorial debut.
6 "Moroccan Christmas" (S5.E11) - 8.2
The big draw for The Office’s best holiday-themed episodes is always what the Party Planning Committee has in store for the folks at Dunder Mifflin. In the case of season 5’s “Moroccan Christmas”, Phyllis is now in charge and has decided to spice things up, diverging from the standard established by Angela. Although for as much as she wanted things to be different from before, Phyllis seems to have adopted the same dictatorial approach as Angela, giving her a dose of her own medicine.
Additionally, Michael and Meredith deal with a subplot about the latter’s supposed alcoholism after she accidentally lights her hair on fire, and Dwight is swindling unprepared parents by selling Princess Unicorn dolls at ridiculous prices. Importantly, this episode ends with the reveal that Angela, despite being engaged to Andy, was still sleeping with Dwight, though the former missed out on that little tidbit, giving the show one of its only true cliffhanger endings.
5 "Dwight Christmas" (S9.E9) - 8.2
While Jim and Dwight start as an unlikely pair, as coworkers who clearly do not enjoy working together, they become incredibly dear friends by the series’ end. The depth of their relationship and rivalry is best on display in the final season’s Christmas episode, “Dwight Christmas”. In it, Jim is caught between the budding sports marketing company he helps start in Philadelphia and his relationships with Pam and Dwight.
It features Dwight dres as Belsnickel and delivering a traditional version of Christmas he was raised on from the unique food to his version of the party game “Naughty or Nice,” “Impish or irable.” For subplots, Erin and Pete recounted the entire plot of Die Hard and gave the clearest signals yet of their budding romance. In light of the growing troubles within Jim and Pam’s relationship arc throughout the season, this episode was a welcome respite with its happy ending.
4 "Secret Santa" (S6.E13) - 8.4
Interestingly, The Office’s Christmas episodes have been used to help make some big changes to the scope of the show. That’s usually because they are the mid-season finales, so they want to leave the audience with something to look forward to when they return in several weeks. In season 6’s “Secret Santa”, it revealed that Dunder Mifflin had been bought, and big changes were coming to the office. Of course, Michael did what he does best and makes everyone panic about their job security.
The episode is aptly named as it centers on the office’s gift exchange — primarily, Andy’s gifts to Erin of the Twelve Days of Christmas, all the birds included. It also focused on Michael as he struggles with the fact that Phyllis is this year’s Santa, leading to the continuously hilarious moment when Kevin sits on Michael's lap.
3 "Christmas Party" (S2.E10) - 8.7
Like many shows, The Office evolved greatly between its first two seasons, including the introduction of its first Christmas episode in season 2, “Christmas Party.” This is really where The Office hit its stride, getting better and better as the season progresses. In fact, this episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy series.
It also focused on the office Secret Santa gift exchange — this time, however, pitched toward Jim’s unrequited feelings for Pam. Importantly, this brings the iconic teapot into play and the letter he stashes away from her until the final season, a deeply emotional payoff in one of the best scenes in the entire series.
2 "A Benihana Christmas" (S3.E10-11) - 8.7
Season 3 featured not one but two Christmas Episodes as “A Benihana Christmas” was a two-parter. It focused on disillusioned Michael following his breakup with Carol — funnily enough played by Carell’s real-life wife, Nancy Walls — and the competing Christmas parties of Angela versus Pam and Karen. This then ends with the question of who Michael invited on his trip to Jamaica, a fun way to go on its mid-season break as fans wait to learn that it was indeed, Jan.
Despite its high ranking, “A Benihana Christmas” is an example of what Kaling is talking about when she said The Office couldn’t be made today. That’s due to the insensitive notion that Michael isn’t able to tell the two Asian American waitresses he brought to the party apart, resorting to marking one on the hand.
1 "Classy Christmas" (S7.E11-12) - 8.9
An episode like “Classy Christmas” in season 7 proves why the US’ The Office is considered better than the British original. Intriguingly, not only was it written by Kaling, but it was also directed by Rainn Wilson, marking his second episode in the director's chair. Importantly, it saw the return of Amy Ryan as Holly, the development that Angela’s husband is gay, and the psychologically-torturing snowball competition between Jim and Dwight— and the hilarious sequence of Dwight disguised as various coworkers.
It’s a great encapsulation of what made The Office so enduringly entertaining. It’s a perfect mix of hilarious hijinks and compelling personal narratives, all accomplished with a festive bow of Christmas spirit for good measure.
