2 Best Simpsons Episodes That Are Festive
The Christmas episode of a sitcom is a popular staple on festive television. It airs either on Christmas Day or within the next fortnight. While they are often one-off specials on British TV shows, they are common in American sitcoms. The longest-running American sitcom The Simpsons is no exception.
Simpsons Christmas episodes don’t become an annual tradition like Halloween’s Treehouse of Horror, but they are regular. There have been 17 of them since Season 1. If you were alive during that period, chances are you will have seen some of them during reruns or when they first aired.
As Christmas 2021 years, many people’s plans seem to be in chaos for the second year running. It would be fair for us to all enjoy a good laugh, and how better to do that than to revisit festive television, which evokes memories for many of us.
We live in an era of streaming services. The first 32 seasons of The Simpsons are now available on Disney+. This means that we don’t have to look at our TV guides anymore to find the right time to watch the festive back catalog. Although our beloved yellow family has celebrated Christmas 17 times, these episodes are only the five that are most likely to lift your spirits during what lyricists consider the most magical time of year.
1. Simpsons roasting on an open fire (Season 1)
Simpsons Roasting On an Open Fire aired its first episode on December 17, 1989. It was the first episode of The Simpsons.
When Bart gets a tattoo, Marge spends the entire family’s Christmas budget on laser removal. Not realizing that Mr. Burns just denied the Nuclear Power Plant workforce their Christmas bonuses (the first time the family faced financial problems). Homer is desperate to give his family a happy Christmas and takes a second job as a mall Santa Clause. This job pays so little that his only hope is at the greyhound track.
This episode is an excellent example of a pilot episode. It establishes the tone of the show and the central family dynamic. However, it’s also an excellent example of a Christmas special. The episode is filled with festive-themed jokes. These include Bart singing “Jingle bells Batman smells” at school’s Christmas pageant, Homer trying to put Christmas decorations on the roof, and his later work as an accident-prone, gluttonous Santa.
2. Marge Be Not Proud (Season 7).
Ah, Christmas. Christmas is the season of goodwill and joy, the season for jolly shopping, and the season to…get shoplifted. Bart is the victim of this satire.
It seems Christmas is over as Marge discovers Bart’s shoplifting attempts and is distraught. Before dropping his thoughts and concluding that “stay out of mine booze,” Homer berates Bart, Marge is too upset to look at her son. This moment will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the crushing disappointment of a parent.
Marge’s heartbreaking experience in Bart is not due to the screenwriting but the animation. The animation’s expressiveness is evident in a few episodes. It is heartbreaking to see Marge’s expression change from anger over false accusations to sadness, horror, and finally disappointment when she sees the truth on CCTV.
