All 10 Friends Christmas Episodes, Ranked

For as consistently as "Friends" celebrated the holidays, it's usually the Thanksgiving episodes that get talked about — not the ones produced for Christmas. Maybe that's because the hit rate isn't as strong for the latter holiday. "Friends'" Christmas episodes were generally less focused, often bogged down by unrelated plotlines that dampened whatever holiday spirit they managed to muster.

On the other hand, the best holiday moments of "Friends" and the show's best Christmas episodes overall are memorable because the group's unconventional makeup subverts the Christmas subgenre automatically. The season for reuniting with family serves as a backdrop for one character struggling to find hers; holiday celebrations are interrupted for an actor hired to ring in the New Year ahead of schedule; and Christmas traditions become unexpected competition for a dad trying to share Hanukkah with his son. For this ranking, we're including episodes set during the Christmas season, even when their stories extend into New Year's celebrations. When "Friends" tapped into the qualities that make it special all year round, it could deliver a Christmas episode that was as strange, sweet, and funny as the best of the subgenre on television.

Season 1, Episode 10

Before you run to the comments — yes, "The One with the Monkey" is technically a New Year's episode. Aside from the fact that the Christmas season is as overtly the setting of this episode as it is in every other episode on this list, we felt it was still useful to include on this list because it feels like a timid first swing at the kind of Christmas story the show would knock out of the park in later seasons. With Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) boyfriend Paolo (Cosimo Fusco) out of town and the rest of the group resentfully single, Chandler (Matthew Perry) proposes a no-dates dinner party. Naturally, their willpower buckles friend by friend until only Ross (David Schwimmer) stands alone — albeit with his new monkey, Marcel.

The strongest element of the episode is Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) storyline. Her ill-fated whirlwind romance with David (Hank Azaria) is sweet and emotionally compelling enough to make his eventual return to the series especially welcome. And, speaking of notable recurring guest stars, Maggie Wheeler joins this episode, delivering a reliably hilarious performance as Chandler's grating on-and-off girlfriend, Janice.

Overall, however, "The One with the Monkey" is too heavy on guest stars and its titular, gimmicky monkey, and far too light on the relationships between the friends themselves. When the party ends in heartbreak, the writers don't have enough setup for the core characters to end the episode on a sweet moment. Instead, they attempt to bail themselves out with a cheap, out-of-left-field gag in which Joey (Matt LeBlanc) kisses Chandler.

Season 9, Episode 10

There's only a slim margin between "The One with the Monkey" and "The One with Christmas in Tulsa," and some readers will likely feel their placements should be inverted. "The Monkey" is only debatably a Christmas episode, and one remembered for early-run awkwardness and obvious gimmicks; "Christmas in Tulsa," despite being an actual Christmas episode with the benefit of nearly nine seasons of practice, is regarded as one of the worst "Friends" episodes of all time.

The one way it has been somewhat unfairly criticized is that it's a clip show. Back when networks regularly ordered more than 20 episodes per season, clip shows were a common way for productions to fill out their schedules while keeping costs down. They were also actually enjoyable to watch before streaming and YouTube made it so every single moment in a show was immediately available to you. At the same time, there's no denying that these are pretty unsatisfying to watch now — to the extent that you could skip them entirely on a rewatch.

But what pushes "Christmas in Tulsa" beyond a disappointing product of its time is the Wendy-Chandler-Monica nonsense. Courteney Cox and Selma Blair admirably try to elevate the underwritten, manufactured jealousy, but the script is unsalvageably hacky (the mishearing of "She's just below me" is particularly groan-worthy). It got Chandler out of Tulsa, but it's hard to forgive that this is the last Christmas episode of the series.

Season 5, Episode 10

Though "The One with the Inappropriate Sister" is far better than the previous two entries, it still leaves a lot to be desired as far as Christmas episodes go. The holidays are so peripheral to its overall vibe that we nearly left it out for the same reason we decided to omit "The One with Monica's Boots." At least the premise of dealing with your significant other's weird relative falls specifically in line with the spirit of the season.

At Christmastime, Rachel's potential new boyfriend, Danny (George Newbern), invites his sister, Krista (Julie Lauren), to spend the holidays with him. The whole friend group bears witness to their uncomfortably physically comfortable relationship, which leads to Rachel dumping him in disgust. It's a strange choice of plot for a Christmas episode — though this kind of unintentionally creepy plot is not entirely uncommon for "Friends." It's maybe even more strange that this isn't the worst-aged episode about visiting relatives in the show's history (*cough* "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin" *cough*). Newbern and Lauren do a great job of selling that their dynamic is as innocent to them as it is obviously gross to everyone around them. For longtime "Friends" fans, who are usually pretty good about taking the show on its own terms, it's still pretty funny. Phoebe's descent from the spirit of giving to the spirit of vengeance is also evergreen. The real comedic drag is the Joey-Chandler-Ross storyline, in which Ross tries to help Joey write a screenplay, only for Chandler's invented game to become a distraction.

Season 4, Episode 10

"The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie" is kind of a rough watch for the holiday season. The only clear Christmas highlight is Phoebe's storyline — a running gag in which she tries to write an original holiday song with awkward rhymes for her friends' names. Spin the dreidel, Rachel!

The rest of the episode isn't bad by any means, and is arguably even one of the more underrated episodes of the series you'll be pleasantly surprised by during a rewatch. The comic irony of each storyline's premise is top-notch "Friends" — Rachel tells Chandler she's looking for a winter fling, which he doesn't realize will sound very different to his coworkers when he tries to set her up; Monica hires Joey at her new cooking job to make an example out of him, only for Joey to abandon the plan once the kitchen embraces him; and, of course, there's Ross, who can't decide between dating someone he likes and someone who's convenient to get to on public transit. That last one is a painfully timeless slice of New York comedy that would be right at home in a show like "Adults" today.

Great "Friends" episode? Absolutely. Great Christmas episode? Not so much. It might not even be worth watching at the holidays for some, given that "The One with Christmas in Tulsa" actually features the only Christmas scenes in this episode anyway.

Season 8, Episode 11

"The One with Ross' Step Forward" might not have enough Christmas spirit in it for every viewer's holiday rewatch, but it's just too funny not to consider. Also known as "The One with the Creepy Holiday Card," this episode focuses on Ross' relationship with Mona (the woman he'd started to date at the beginning of Season 8, played by Bonnie Somerville). In many ways, Mona is simultaneously one of Ross' less memorable recurring love interests and — perhaps not coincidentally — one of his funniest and least embarrassing.

When Mona wants to send out a picture of herself and Ross at Rockefeller Center as a Christmas card, Ross spirals over the implied commitment and inadvertently doubles down on their relationship. The scene where he tries to walk back their relationship with her in real time is one of his best in the entire series, with Ross going from potentially breaking up with her to giving her the keys to his apartment — not a key, the keys. ("I am now a homeless person in a very serious relationship!") Writer Robert Carlock went on to become a showrunner of "30 Rock" and co-creator of "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins."

The main argument against this episode is that the subplots run counter to holiday programming. Something about Chandler hanging out with his depressing boss in strip clubs doesn't scream "Christmas spirit" to us.

Season 7, Episode 9

With "The One with All the Candy," we're officially into perfect holiday easy-watching territory. These are the episodes that, regardless of how funny or endearing you think they are compared to the best episodes of "Friends," are at the very least perfectly enjoyable to throw on as you bake cookies, decorate trees, or tolerate guests. This episode is particularly good for all three.

Wanting to get better acquainted with the rest of the people in the apartment building, Monica decides to make homemade chocolates to share at her door. She makes them too good, and unintentionally starts a building-wide feeding frenzy where everyone would sooner tear her apart for another bite than get to know her — Joey included. Matt LeBlanc is given relatively little to do in this episode and absolutely runs away with it. His nonchalant shoulder tackle inside the candy mob is an unexpected bit of broad physical comedy sure to shock you into a chuckle (props to director David Schwimmer for making something that cartoonish work).

The secondary storylines are solid as well. Ross teaching Phoebe how to ride a bike hits the perfect balance of sweetness and humor that makes so many of her storylines work; your mileage may vary with Rachel's inappropriate workplace relationship with her assistant, Tag (Eddie Cahill), but the storyline is relatively easy to overlook when watching the episode on its own.

Season 3, Episode 10

Now we're getting to the really good stuff — those cozy episodes of "Friends" that don't just have holiday vibes, but storylines that evoke that warm optimism of the Christmas season. Tired of putting off her dreams of working in fashion and being humiliated as a perpetual waitress, Rachel somewhat impulsively quits her job at Central Perk, with encouragement from Joey and Chandler. As she immediately starts to panic about her future, the boys rally around her and help her land an entry-level position in the fashion industry. It has a perfectly ironic yet hopeful ending for the holiday episode — yes, she's basically traded one degrading coffee job for another, but she's also finally proved to herself that she has the grit to move forward.

For your Christmas rewatch, Phoebe and Joey's neglected Christmas tree subplot hits all the beats of a quintessential holiday episode. There's Phoebe's idealistic desire to see every Christmas tree fulfill its "Christmas destiny," the group's practical confusion, and their eventual, admittedly impractical but darn adorable decision to embrace her belief in the meaning of Christmas. This kind of Phoebe storyline is usually hit-or-miss for most viewers, but the holiday framing (and the presence of a more traditionally satisfying A-plot) earns this level of sweetness. Ross' storyline, in which he sells cookies for a young Brown Bird (the show's fictional version of a Girl Scout, played by Mae Whitman) he accidentally injured, operates on a similar wavelength with even greater success, though it's not very Christmas-y at all.

Season 2, Episode 9

Dramatically, "The One with Phoebe's Dad" is the best episode on the list. It also deserves special recognition for being the first true "Friends" Christmas episode.

After learning that her grandmother (Audra Lindley) has been lying to her about her father's identity for most of her life, Phoebe decides to confront him in person. Touchingly, she's accompanied by Joey and Chandler, who ultimately prove to be the best friends anyone could hope for in such a situation. It's as funny as any great "Friends" storyline (the plot kicks off when Phoebe learns that the man she thought was her dad is actually a picture-frame model), but with an added layer of emotional complexity. At the same time, because the friendship is still at the core of the story (unlike "The One with the Monkey"), the bittersweet resolution actually has a heartwarming place to land. She isn't ready to meet her dad yet — but Joey and Chandler are there to remind her that, in spite of everything, she's found her family.

The Ross and Rachel storyline is comparatively weak, but the Christmas gift exchanges give it some holiday flavor. The broken-radiator subplot, which turns Monica's party into an unbearably hot Christmas celebration, is a funnier seasonal touch.

Season 6, Episode 10

While "The One with the Routine" might seem like a New Year's Eve episode at first glance, it's way more Christmas-y than you might remember. It's also (depending on how recently you've rewatched "Friends") way funnier than you remember. The episode, which aired before Christmas in 1999, revolves around Joey's professional dancer roommate, Janine (Elle Macpherson), inviting him, Ross, and Monica to a taping of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." The taping actually takes place before Christmas. While the rest of the ensemble is off dancing, Rachel and Phoebe try to get Chandler to help raid the apartment for Monica's Christmas presents.

It's a fun, entertaining little storyline. Same goes for the A-plot, which sees Joey trying to resolve his feelings for Janine by working up the courage to kiss her to "ring in the New Year." But neither is what makes "The One with the Routine" a peak episode of "Friends" — it's obviously Ross and Monica's bafflingly overchoreographed dance. David Schwimmer and Courteney Cox kill their routine, not just with the choreography but with the intensely overconfident facial expressions they maintain throughout. It's one of the most iconic moments from the series, no question. If it's not the most Christmas-focused episode on the list, it's hard not to be grateful for the excuse to revisit it once a year.

Season 7, Episode 10

Season 7 actually ran two Christmas episodes, with "The One with the Holiday Armadillo" coming right after "The One with All the Candy." "The Holiday Armadillo" totally overshadows its charming predecessor in all the best ways.

It's the holiday season at the Geller household, and Ross is excited to celebrate Hanukkah with his son, Ben (Cole Sprouse). Saddened to learn that Santa Claus and Christmas have overshadowed the eight crazy nights he has to offer, Ross scrambles to make Hanukkah as magical for his son as Christmas. The episode is pure farcical escalation comedy, culminating in Ross renting an armadillo costume after discovering that all the Santa suits are gone. Ben subsequently receives visits from the hastily improvised Holiday Armadillo (Ross), a distracting but well-meaning Santa (Chandler), and, because Joey wants to help out too, Superman. Like Phoebe's Christmas tree storyline in "The One Where Rachel Quits," "The Holiday Armadillo" has all the familiar holiday story beats viewers get swept up in — only this time, they're the main course rather than the side dish. It's also the rare holiday episode that meaningfully incorporates other traditions alongside Christmas — it's every bit as great a Christmas episode as it is a Hanukkah episode.

The best part about "The Holiday Armadillo" is that its main storyline embraces the holiday season so completely. If there's one episode you'll want to actually sit down and watch — perhaps gathered cozily with some friends of your own — it's this one.