With the Christmas holiday fast approaching, it’s the perfect time of year for fans of the Dunder Mifflin crew to re-binge every Yuletide episode of The Office. The American version of the popular mockumentary sitcom ran for a full nine seasons, and in that time released seven Christmas-themed episodes⏤nine if you count both halves of the series’ two dual-episode Christmas arcs.
“Christmas Party” (Season 2, Episode 10)
The first Christmas episode to ever grace the screens of Office viewers came in the show’s second season. By this point, The Office had fully found its stride and was delivering delightful antics and heaps of laughs with every fresh episode. “Christmas Party” is no exception, coming in hot as one of the series’ best holiday-themed episodes.
The episode features a storyline centered around the office’s Secret Santa gift exchange. Jim, who managed to get Pam in the exchange, puts time and effort into his gift, crafting a heartfelt and personal present for her. When Michael’s excessively expensive gift prompts a change in rules, the party goes completely sideways, as so many holiday gatherings are wont to do.
“A Benihana Christmas” (Season 3, Episodes 10 & 11)
The Office went all-out with its second Christmas event, splitting season three’s holiday episode into two separate parts. “A Benihana Christmas” takes full advantage of its dual-part format, packing both episodes with holiday hijinks.
The two-episode arc follows Michael and a collection of the male members of the staff as Andy tries to ease Michael’s relationship troubles. After a trip to Benihana, the group returns drunk, with several members of the staff in tow, to find that two rival party planning committees have been created. Each committee, one helmed by Angela and the other by Pam and Karen, throws its own Christmas party at the same time.
“Moroccan Christmas” (Season 5, Episode 11)
After a full season of Christmas-less episodes, fans were finally graced with another Yuletide episode in season five of The Office. The episode follows Phyllis on her first-ever Christmas party as head of the party planning committee, which she decides to make Moroccan-themed.
Following Meredith’s decision to get blackout drunk at the party, the office is forced to participate in an intervention. While Michael is engaging in some seriously inappropriate intervention techniques, Dwight is busy raking in cash by selling a popular doll to last-minute purchasers. Phyllis bossing Angela around is a definite highlight of this episode, as Angela finally gets a helping of the same attitude she loves to dish out.
“Secret Santa” (Season 6, Episode 13)
Despite its name, season six’s episode “Secret Santa” doesn’t actually revolve around another Secret Santa gift exchange. Instead, it sets its sights on the fight between Michael and Phyllis over who will be Santa for the office’s annual Christmas party. Well, really it’s a fight between Michael and himself, but you get the point.
Several stellar on-screen moments appear in the episode, like Andy’s ill-advised “12 Days of Christmas” gift and Michael’s big reveal that the company is being sold. Plus, you can”t beat Michael’s perfectly on-brand heckling of Phyllis while he’s dressed as Jesus.
“Classy Christmas” (Season 7, Episodes 10 & 11)
The Office‘s second two-part Christmas episode takes place midway through its seventh season and features Michael’s last-ever appearance in a Christmas episode. The episode centers around Michael’s attempts to impress Holly Flax, who returns to cover for Toby while he’s away for the Scranton Strangler trial.
His campaign to win Holly’s heart prompts Michael to demand a classy Christmas party, complete with a single bassist, instead of the regular party Pam had initially planned. This, alongside Dwight’s savage snowball-ridden revenge on Jim, has elevated “Classy Christmas” to the top of many fans’ lists of favorite Office episodes.
“Christmas Wishes” (Season 8, Episode 10)
Ed Helms’ directorial debut features an Andy-centric storyline centered around Christmas wishes. The episode follows Andy’s attempts to make everyone in the office’s wishes come true, regardless of what they are.
Broadly considered to be one of The Office‘s worst Christmas episodes, “Christmas Wishes” is still thoroughly watchable, if only for the delightful prank wars between Dwight and Jim. After Andy threatens their bonuses if the pranking doesn’t stop, Jim and Dwight begin trying to frame each other for a range of gradually escalating stunts.
“Dwight Christmas” (Season 9, Episode 9)
Nestled in the middle of The Office‘s final season, its last Christmas episode is one of its best. It doesn’t lean into nearly as much cringe as “Classy Christmas” or “Secret Santa,” but it does unleash Dwight in his Dwightyest form, complete with a hilarious rendition of the very real Christmas figure Belsnickel.
While it falls in the middle of the series’ final season, opinions on which are generally split among fans, “Dwight Christmas” is still a delightful entry into The Office’s Christmas episodes.
