With the holiday season right around the corner, of course we always get excited to watch the holiday specials of our favorite television shows. Of course, with long-running shows like our favorite sitcom, Friends, there are many Christmas episodes to binge. With 10 whole seasons of holidays, we thought you might like to celebrate the holidays with the gang at Central Perk.
Of course, not every season has a Christmas episode, but there’s still enough to go around. In case you’re wondering which ones to watch to get you in the holiday spirit, we’ve made a list. Here are all of the Christmas episodes from the series, ranked.
The One With Ross’s Step Forward (Season 8, Episode 11)
This one isn’t as holiday-like, but it does have some Christmas card drama. You’ll remember this one as the episode where Mona wants to send out a holiday card of her and Ross to their friends. This, obviously, freaks Ross out, and, not surprisingly, he acts super weird about it and ends up giving Mona a key to their apartment. Chandler lies to his boss about breaking up with Monica so she doesn’t have to have dinner with them, and Joey takes Rachel on a fake date, but ends up realizing he might actually like her more than a friend. Yes, this holiday episode is the beginning of the worst relationship ever, we know. But - Merry Christmas.
The One With The Inappropriate Sister (Season 5, Episode 10)
This Christmas episode is definitely not the most festive on the list. You’ll remember that Ross is on sabbatical, and he’s kind of driving Joey and Chandler crazy with his boredom. So, he helps Joey try to write a script. While the boys play their games, and Joey gets annoyed at Ross, the girls are off on their own adventures.
Monica finally asks out Danny, for Rachel, after a long game of playing hard to get. However, she catches him kissing a woman, who is his sister, and the gang agrees that’s definitely weird. The only festive part of this episode is that Phoebe is collecting money for charity as Santa’s elf, but let’s just say she isn’t exactly the most cheery helper.
The One With The Girl From Poughkeepsie (Season 4, Episode 10)
This is the episode where Ross is dating a girl from Poughkeepsie. That’s right, he’s travelling back and forth during the holidays o the train, and ends up in Canada after falling asleep. Chandler sets up Rachel with a guy from work, but he kind of ruins it by at first telling him she wanted a fling, and then by telling him she wanted to get serious. Way to go, Chandler. Also, this is the one where Joey tries to help Monica earn her reputation at the restaurant, but ends up liking the job too much to let her fire him. Yeah, this episode is actually super not festive, but it is at Christmas time. Phoebe does write a Christmas jingle, though, and it’s totally wholesome and sweet.
The One Where Rachel Quits (Season 3, Episode 10)
This holiday episode is definitely a train-wreck, but we loved it nonetheless. Ross is busy helping a girl scout sell cookies after he is kind of the reason she breaks her leg. Rachel quits her job at Central Perk after not being able to handle it any longer, which sets her on a whole new journey for the holidays.
Also, Phoebe’s new mission is to stop trees from being “killed” for Christmas. Of course, the gang supports her cause by getting a bunch of dying trees for the apartment, which has Phoebe overjoyed. This is precious, and this episode has all the hilarity and craziness you can expect from these six.
The One With Phoebe’s Dad (Season 2, Episode 9)
In this episode, Monica and Rachel throw a Christmas party at their apartment. However, the rest of the gang is focused on Phoebe’s dad. After finding out where her real father lives, Chandler and Joey tag along in her cab to find the house. Yes, this is also the episode where their radiator breaks, and Monica and Rachel have a very warm, and vacation-like party. The best part of this party was the ice-cubes, and although this was a sweaty holiday, at least they got away from the NYC cold, right? You’ll also remember that Chandler and Joey bought everyone’s presents at a gas station that Christmas, which we loved every second of.
The One With The Holiday Armadillo (Season 7, Episode 10)
Let’s be honest, this was one of the sweetest and funniest holiday episodes. Ross is more on the Hanukkah train, but can only find an armadillo costume to help explain the holiday to his son, Ben. However, Chandler kind of ruins the moment by bursting in with an actual Santa Claus suit, although he does create some sparks with Monica. Across the hall, Phoebe wants Rachel to move back in with her (since she’s currently at Joey’s), and buys Joey a drum set as a gift. She also buys him a tarantula to scare Rachel, but it turns out it just scares Joey. It all works out in the end, though, and Phoebe enjoys her newly renovated one-bedroom apartment.
The One With Christmas In Tulsa (Season 9, Episode 10)
Like the title suggests, Chandler is in Tulsa for work during Christmas. Like the good boss he is, he sends everyone home, except for a woman, Wendy, who volunteers to stay. It turns out this woman is actually a former Miss Oklahoma runner-up. Monica of course gets jealous when they have a group phone call, and the gang thinks Chandler did a horrible job of answering her questions about Wendy. This episode has some precious reminiscing about Monica and Chandler’s romance, which will fill you with holiday love. So, Chandler flies back to New York to be with Monica, and announces that she’s more important than his job, which he quit. This episode always puts in the holiday spirit. Happy holidays from this sweet and adorable couple.
