Every year starting in mid or late November is right around the time that TV networks put out holiday specials or festive episodes. Much of them are new, and some of them are so old you could probably reenact them without much effort. But more often than not, they’re memorable in some form or fashion.
As a kid during the early 2000s, there were a ton of holiday episodes I loved from my favorite cartoons: the Powerpuff Girls racing to get to Santa and the North Pole before Santa, Billy and Mandy Save Christmas, and Bender becoming Santa for a night on Futurama. They had just the enough sweetness that comes with the holiday season while still feeling like regular episodes in the shows they belong to. This is especially true of the Billy & Mandy episode, which features Mr. Skarr as a mall Santa getting the crap kicked out of him. It’s a scene that’s just permanently etched into my brain.
Another favorite of mine, at least on the animation front, was American Dad’s Christmas-themed episodes. I haven’t watched the show in years, but I always loved how they felt the need to top themselves in sheer ridiculousness, up to and including the Rapture (and subsequent post-apocalypse) and the Smith family making an enemy out of Santa when they accidentally murder him. The show’s always been incredibly absurd, but those episodes run even further with that.
So yeah, for this weekend’s Open Channel, we wanna know some of your favorite holiday specials or episodes. Maybe you watch ‘em as tradition, maybe you just remember them really well even though you haven’t seen them in forever—let us know down in the comments below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Every year starting in mid or late November is right around the time that TV networks put out holiday specials or festive episodes. Much of them are new, and some of them are so old you could probably reenact them without much effort. But more often than not, they’re memorable in some form or fashion.
As a kid during the early 2000s, there were a ton of holiday episodes I loved from my favorite cartoons: the Powerpuff Girls racing to get to Santa and the North Pole before Santa, Billy and Mandy Save Christmas, and Bender becoming Santa for a night on Futurama. They had just the enough sweetness that comes with the holiday season while still feeling like regular episodes in the shows they belong to. This is especially true of the Billy & Mandy episode, which features Mr. Skarr as a mall Santa getting the crap kicked out of him. It’s a scene that’s just permanently etched into my brain.
Another favorite of mine, at least on the animation front, was American Dad’s Christmas-themed episodes. I haven’t watched the show in years, but I always loved how they felt the need to top themselves in sheer ridiculousness, up to and including the Rapture (and subsequent post-apocalypse) and the Smith family making an enemy out of Santa when they accidentally murder him. The show’s always been incredibly absurd, but those episodes run even further with that.
So yeah, for this weekend’s Open Channel, we wanna know some of your favorite holiday specials or episodes. Maybe you watch ‘em as tradition, maybe you just remember them really well even though you haven’t seen them in forever—let us know down in the comments below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.