5 Best Christmas Episodes of The Office to Enjoy this Holiday Season

There is no denying that The Office is one of the greatest shows ever created and there are so many well-crafted episode, its extremely difficult for fans to pick their favorite sometimes. While every iteration of the award-winning series is special in its own right, its hard to argue that the Christmas episodes are by far some of the best the workplace sitcom has ever seen.

Most of us dread the yearly office party but for those that regular at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, it’s probably one of the best times of year only second to the infamous Pretzel Day. Out of all the yuletide entries that occupy The Office’s prestigious catalog of episodes here are the five best episodes to get anyone into the holiday spirit.

“Dwight Christmas” - Season 9, episode 9 (2012)

There is never a dull moment at a Dunder Mifflin Christmas party, and they manage to reinvent their holiday traditions during every yuletide endeavor. The perfect example of such a magnificently hilarious affair is none other than the ninth chapter of the final season appropriately titled “Dwight Christmas.”

In “Dwight Christmas,” Dwight gets everyone to celebrate by taking on the traditional Schrute Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas, which involves the assistant to the regional manager dressing as Belsnickle and whipping those in The Office who have been impish. Other highlights include Darryl’s drunken spell worrying if Jim won’t bring him in on the Philly Job and Erin learning about the Christmas movie Die Hard from Pete, beginning their romance in what can only be described as a stellar Xmas episode from The Office.

“Classy Christmas” - Season 7, episode 11, 12 (2010)

“Classy Christmas” is an excellent change of pace when it comes to The Office's yuletide entries as it ends up ditching the usual noel-centric aesthetics for a much more mature theme. The episode, written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Rainn Wilson, highlights the seventh season’s Christmas party and sees the return of Academy award nominee Amy Ryan as Michael’s former love interest Holly Flax.

After canceling the original small party that was initially planned, he tasks Pam and the Party-Planning committee to drop the traditional aesthetics and turn the entire ordeal into a sophisticated affair complete with a James Bond-esque Santa Claus. The hilarity from the holiday shenanigans is on point, and the highlight of the outing is, without a doubt, the back and forth between Jim and Dwight, which will be revered as one of the greatest psychological snowball wars ever concocted on the small screen.

“Christmas Party” - Season 2, episode 10 (2005)

The first Christmas episode The Office ever gifted fans will always hold a special place in everyone’s heart no matter when they started watching the iconic series. While nothing too out of the ordinary occurs, it's still full of laugh-out-loud memorable moments.

In this second season holiday chapter, Secret Santa quickly turns into Yankee Swap, where Jim’s marriage-saving teapot makes its debut, and everyone in The Office drops their Christmas spirit for a chance at a brand new iPod. In order to bring everyone together, Michael gets a ton of vodka and photographs Meredith topless, resulting in an exceptional Xmas chapter.

“Secret Santa” - Season 6, episode 13 (2009)

In “Secret Santa,” Michael is always the one to be the most excited about the yearly office Christmas party, especially when he gets to dress as Santa Claus. But when he finds out that the Party-Planning committee gave the gig to Phyllis, the unorthodox regional manager throws a next-level temper tantrum as he turns into a heckling Jesus Christ attempting to suck the holiday spirit out of the event.

Other highlights include Oscar's budding romance with a guy from the warehouse and Andy’s brilliantly botched 12 days of Christmas gifts for Erin. The season six episode ends with the news that Dunder Mifflin has been sold, ushering in the Sabre era and beautifully personifying the magic of the holiday season as the Scranton Branch was one of the only things the new company wanted to keep, proving miracles can happen at the special time of year.

“A Benihana Christmas” - Season 3, episode 10 (2006)

“A Benihana Christmas” is directed by Harold Ramis, whose impressive list of credits includes Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, and Groundhog Day, already making this a must-watch affair before the infamous title screen. This episode sees Michael depressingly round out his love triangle by losing Carol in a photoshop misfire only to go on a wickedly funny yuletide odyssey to a certain restaurant chain only to end up happily in Sandals Jamaica with Jan.

While Andy’s antics and Angela's actions are memorable in their own right, Pam’s gift in the form of a CIA recruitment con on Dwight to Jim is absolutely masterful. It really proves that this holiday is really all about giving. Everything from the war between the rival Party Planning factions to the trip to the restaurant itself all the way to the karaoke festivities make this Xmas entry one of the best The Office has ever had.

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