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removal. His measly paycheck falls short of his expectations, as he
decides to wager his earnings on a dog race. While he might lose his
money, the family ends up with their beloved dog, Santa's Little
Helper.

This installment marks an important, and somewhat confusing, entry into
the annals of The Simpsons. Technically, it's the series' first episode following their shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show, though it is billed
on-screen as "The Simpsons Christmas Special," with "Bart the Genius"
being billed as its actual series premiere.

Understandably, comparing the first episode of the series to subsequent
holiday episodes when the series was a much more fully formed concept
feels a bit unfair, but even its debut installment stands above a
number of subsequent storylines. Being titled "Simpsons Christmas
Special" marks an accurate reflection of the actual content, as it
largely features expected tropes and send-ups you'd see in similar
made-for-TV specials, but a Simpsons Christmas Special is still much
funnier than more traditional holiday events.

4) "'Tis’ the Fifteenth Season" - Season 15, Episode 7
After trading a rare baseball card to Comic Book Guy, the Simpson
family have plenty of money to go shopping for Christmas presents, only
for Homer to blow most of their funds on a "personalized talking
astrolabe," as the family calls him out for being selfish. Vowing to
become the nicest guy in town, Homer embarks on a genuinely charitable
crusade, only for his efforts to go too far as he steals the town's
presents in hopes of teaching them to be less materialistic. As he
threatens to burn all the presents, he realizes he may have gone too
far and returns the presents to the town.

It's rare to get an episode about Homer actively trying to be a good
person, without also being given the unintended consequences of those
efforts, which often involve him causing more harm than good, with
longtime fans surely appreciating his genuine attempts to improve as a
person. Add to that is a direct parody of The Grinch, alongside other Simpson-ized holiday specials, making for quite the enjoyable
experience. You'd also be hard-pressed to see any other Christmas
episode of any series that finds a way to organically incorporate an
astrolabe, which earns this installment a few more bonus points.

3) "Grift of the Magi" - Season 11, Episode 9
Following Bart accidentally breaking his "butt bone," Springfield
Elementary has to enlist the mob to pay for the building of ramps for
his wheelchair, which bankrupts the school and forces them to be
privatized. The new owners of the school are secretly collecting data
from the students to create the world's best toy, "Funzo," leaving Bart
and Lisa to expose the company for their true intentions.

Lisa and Bart make the perfect foils for one another, as Lisa typically
drives the story forward as Bart chimes in with his unhelpful
assistance, while this structure also allows Homer and other
Springfield residents to completely fly off the handle, as they do in
this episode. To some, the seasons in the double digits mark the
decline of the series as a whole, with "Grift of the Magi" ushering in
the unfulfilling future of the series, though it stands as a last gasp
of delightful absurdity.

For example, Gary Coleman voices himself as a security guard at Kid
First Industries, with later episodes often settling for the mere
inclusion of a celebrity voice hoping of eliciting laughter. Instead,
this episode shows him arguing on the phone with a restaurant about the
number of prawns he received in his order, only for Lisa to reveal the
phone isn't even plugged in. This combination of initial absurdity,
only to then get a subsequent and more outlandish punchline, highlights
some of the best of the series' humor.

2) "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" - Season 9, Episode 10
When Bart wakes up early on Christmas morning, he unwraps his toys but unfortunately burns down the Christmas tree and hides it in the front
yard, blaming everything on a burglar. Following the subsequent news
coverage, the rest of the town donates money to the family, which they
use to buy a car. After the melting snow uncovers what really happened,
the town breaks into the Simpson home seeking retribution, leaving the
family to bicker over the only thing left in the house, a raggedy
washcloth.

This is a rare example of the entire family being the focus of the
episode and where all of them get to deliver great jokes. Whether
they're arguing about how to best maneuver out of a skid when their new
car hits ice or how they immediately know what to do when walking past
the Flanders' home and pretend to have cross country skis by sliding
across the sidewalk, each character supports one another to enable the
best delivery of hilarious jokes.

Adding to the strength of the ensemble humor and plenty of holiday
cheer, the episode ends with a relatively touching moment in which,
despite having every reason to be angry at Bart, they all playfully
argue over a washcloth, reminding us of the importance of family, even
in the face of loss. The episode also offers a cameo from Alex Trebek,
as Marge appeared on Jeopardy! in hopes of making up their lost funds,
only for Trebek to threaten her to pay back the show after ending with
a negative balance. In the wake of Trebek's passing earlier this year,
it serves as another spotlight of his sense of humor.

1) "Marge Be Not Proud" - Season 7, Episode 11
Not only the best holiday episode of The Simpsons, "Marge Be Not Proud"
is arguably one of the series' best, solidifying it as the go-to
installment to define the series' seasonal accomplishments.

The only thing Bart wants for Christmas is the video game Bonestorm,
with his desperation seeing him shoplifting the game. After he gets
busted by security, Marge expresses how she's not so much angry with
him so much as she is disappointed, with the episode seeing him being
omitted from typical family events as Marge feels he's "too old." Bart ultimately returns to the Try n' Save to have his portrait taken, which
he gives to Marge to make up for ruining their family photo.

The opening minutes of this episode have enough hilarious moments to
cement itself as one of the best holiday-themed episodes the series has
to offer, from Krusty struggling to pronounce the name of a Brazillian
singer to Bart demanding of parents, "Buy me Bonestorm or go to Hell!"
to Milhouse's shock and awe at entering his name into Bonestorm as "Thrillhouse," only for audiences to see he could only fit "Thrillho,"
the jokes comes fast and heavy, rarely going more than 30 seconds
without making us laugh.

From there, the jokes might slightly slow down, but the emotional arc
of Bart escalating his typical mischief into petty theft and how this
signals a transition from being a kid into being a pre-teen will surely resonate with audiences, as many of us can remember a time where, no
matter how old we were, we wished that our parents would provide us the
same support as they did when we were 10.

While the entire cast of characters gets to deliver hilarious lines,
Homer ends up becoming a true standout, thanks to Dan Castellaneta's
subtle performance. From his objections to helping Bart with his
"zipper" problem to confirming Bart won't get eggnog, "In fact, no nog, period," to his monologue about the Police Academy movies, the actor
confirms Homer as a defining figure in the history of comedy with every
single syllable.

Virtually every holiday episode of The Simpsons has something to offer
fans, but "Marge Be Not Proud" is the series at its finest,
successfully delivering the feather touch of emotions and the power
drive of silliness.

--
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