Every 'Friends' Christmas Episode You'll Want to Rewatch This December
No one does the holidays quite like our favorite crew!
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One of the coziest little bonuses of the holiday season—right up there with twinkle lights, Christmas parties, and all our favorite festive treats—is settling in with Christmas-themed TV episodes from the shows and sitcoms that feel like home. And when it comes to sitcom holiday episodes, Friends Christmas episodes are in a league of their own. (Okay, The Office puts up a very strong fight, but still!)
Sure, the Friends Thanksgiving episodes get a lot of love (and for good reason), but December is where the show really becomes a comfort watch. So between gift-wrapping marathons, family gatherings, and trying to squeeze in all your Christmas traditions, it’s the perfect time to hang with Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross. Because somehow, their chaotic, sweet, and awkward holiday moments make everything feel a little more festive! The gang is always getting themselves into wacky situations (which is exactly why the show still holds up), but when Christmas is in the mix, it’s even better. There's family drama, money stress, unexpected costumes, questionable dating choices, and plenty of laughs—all wrapped up with that warm and nostalgic Friends glow.
Read on for a handy list of the best Friends Christmas episodes, organized by season and episode, so it’s easy to plan a merry little marathon. And yes, holiday snacks are basically required. 😉
Be sure to binge these Christmas favorites, too:
- These Santa Movies Will Bring on All the Cheer
- Family Christmas Movies to Put Everyone in the Holiday Spirit
- The Most Iconic Christmas Movies of All Time
Season 2, Episode 9: “The One with Phoebe’s Dad”
This is the first official Friends Christmas episode, so it's extra special! Phoebe’s holiday season takes an unexpectedly emotional turn when she decides it’s time to track down her biological father—so instead of staying cozy in the city, she heads up to upstate New York. Chandler and Joey come along (because of course they do), which makes the whole thing equal parts supportive and...potentially mortifying.
Meanwhile, Monica is trying to spread Christmas cheer in the most Monica way possible: by tipping service workers with homemade cookies. You can only imagine how that goes over!
Season 3, Episode 10: “The One Where Rachel Quits”
Nothing says holiday stress like realizing the bills don’t care that it’s December. In this episode, Rachel suddenly enters her unemployment era after quitting her job at Central Perk on a whim. At first, it feels empowering (fresh start! new chapter!)—and then reality kicks in, right on schedule, just as the holiday season ramps up.
On the other side of the apartment, Joey lands a job selling Christmas trees, which sounds festive and harmless...until Phoebe gets involved and has feelings about it (because Phoebe always has feelings about it).
Season 4, Episode 10: “The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie”
Ross finally meets someone he really likes ("the girl from Poughkeepsie") and immediately runs into that classic problem: the distance. It’s exciting! It’s romantic! It’s also wildly inconvenient, and watching him try to reason his way through it is peak Ross.
Meanwhile, Chandler sets Rachel up on a date (because what could possibly go wrong?), and Phoebe starts working on a Christmas song. It's not quite "Smelly Cat," but it's still iconic.
Season 5, Episode 10: “The One with the Inappropriate Sister”
After yet another disappointing audition, Joey decides to take control of his destiny and write his own play so he can star in it. It's pretty much a recipe for secondhand embarrassment, which is a recurring theme in Friends. But nothing is more embarrassing than when Rachel thinks things are going pretty well with her latest guy, until she meets his sister and realizes their sibling dynamic is, um...not exactly standard. We'll leave it at that!
Season 6, Episode 10: “The One with the Routine”
This episode is an absolute must for a Friends holiday episodes marathon, mainly because it gives the world one of Monica and Ross’s most iconic moments: The Routine. The sibling duo attempts to recreate their infamous high-school dance for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve special and, well, you'll just have to see it for yourself.
There’s also Joey, using the holiday spirit as the perfect cover to plot a kiss with Janine. Because nothing says seasonal romance like Joey trying to be smooth while absolute mayhem unfolds in the background!
Season 7, Episode 10: “The One with the Holiday Armadillo”
Phoebe misses Rachel as her roomie and tries to convince her not to move out to live with Joey by secretly sabotaging them—though this might have the opposite effect. Meanwhile, Ross tries to impress his son by dressing up as a Hanukkah armadillo, but Chandler inadvertently arrives in a Santa suit, complicating the situation further.
Season 8, Episode 11: “The One with the Creepy Holiday Card”
Ross' girlfriend decides to make the next major step in their relationship: Sending out a Christmas card with both of their faces on the cover. Ross, however, was not on the same page. (Plus, Rachel is literally pregnant with his baby!) On the other side, Chandler and Monica must deal with Chandler's boss as he goes through a divorce.
Season 9, Episode 10: “The One with Christmas in Tulsa”
It's already bad enough that Chandler won't be spending Christmas in New York with Monica. It's even worse that he will be in Tulsa with a colleague, who Monica thinks is a little too pretty! While away, Chandler recalls some of the more embarrassing moments from previous holidays shared with his friends.
Josiah is the Digital Content Producer for the commerce team at Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Runner’s World, and Bicycling Magazine. He also writes for “BIO Buys”—a column on Biography.com—giving readers the lowdown on what products their favorite celebs are using. In another life, Josiah was an editor at ThePioneerWoman.com, where he sharpened his expertise on all things lifestyle, food-news, and entertainment. Outside work related matters, he’s a fan of Studio Ghibli films, unimportant reality TV drama, and melancholy Lorde songs.
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