Christmas is just around the corner, but with all the turbulence going on in the world, it may not feel like that is the case. This list was assembled to give a good start to the holiday season, get the jolly mood going, give audiences a laugh and maybe even teach them something about themselves.

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”- A Very Sunny Christmas
The only Christmas themed episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is a great one. The sharp, wild, and often raucous humor of the show is on full display in this episode, and though it has multiple scenes of gratuitous violence, it also manages to be the most heartfelt and grand episode as well as the funniest. The longer runtime in this episode allows it to explore more concepts and events than the show usually does, emphasizing both the “Situation” and “Comedy” in Situational Comedy. As always, the acting is believable and even quite outstanding, with Danny Devito as always adding a pleasant troll aspect to the show, as well as Charlie Day bringing a unique glue eating perspective to his role.

“South Park”- Woodland Critter Christmas
This episode will be a good time for audiences who enjoy Christmas, but should be kept away from youngsters at all costs. The classic South Park humor, as well as viscous and downright cruel nature of the titular Woodland Critters mesh very well with the overall Christmas spirit of the episode. Fans will recognize this familiar, violent and damn filthy humor of the show, where even in a joyous Christmas episode death is just around the corner and maybe closer than that. Like much of the rest of South Park, this comedy is mixed well with current and real world issues which match the daring jokes of the show with daring commentary too. This is a good one to look out for, with a beautiful story full of political intrigue and religious scrutiny surrounding Satanism, Christianity and Judaism.

“The Office”- A Benihana Christmas
More than just a good Christmas episode, this episode is pivotal in the plot of the whole show. With multiple subplots, and the unlikable characters doing unlikable things, this episode feels much more classically “The Office” than classically Christmas. Hey, it works out well in the end. With the plot based nature of this show, not only does this episode offer a good time based on the comedy alone, but it also means a pivotal moment in the overarching story with impactful and meaningful moments for the characters the audience has grown with along the way.

“The Simpsons”- Marge be Not Proud
This episode carries with it the Harvard educated writing of all earlier Simpsons episodes. However, it is clear that it is not even trying to make the most jokes this time around. There is still quite a bit of mirth to be had, but mostly this one is about its wholesome moments. In truth this one is wholesome with a capital H, and full of a good time. It explores a topic often associated most with this time of the year, family, good behavior and even trust.

“Community”- Abhed’s Uncontrollable Christmas
Community’s comedy, wholly unique as it is, is only enhanced by the unique stop motion visual style of this, where exaggeration and physical comedy can reign supreme. The all star cast transitions well to voice acting, where the jokes still are delivered with the charm and quickness as they might in live action. While Community is most known for the struggles of the characters as a group and how that lends itself to increased comedy, this episode zooms into an individual character in a personal way. Here the true meaning of this season is explored in how it means different things to different people.