We're talking memorable favorites, since I can't claim to have watched every genre series out there. So feel free to suggest Roswell's or Smallville's. I won't be in a position to disagree. Genre shows don't, in any case, have the strongest track record when it comes to Christmas specials. Star Wars has that crazy Christmas special featuring Bea Arthur and a family of Wookies, and Star Trek is so secular, it pretty much avoided even mentioning Christmas until Picard's little fantasy in Generations. Let's face it, space operas are about alien cultures, not about our quaint little traditions. And any show with a more fantastical bent will eventually try to do A Christmas Carol or It's a Wonderful Life (and there is some of that in my list). So these are my favorite Christmas-centric genre episodes...Honorable mention (fantasy): Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, "Amends"
Buffy is principally about the supernatural, but since she HAS gone after robots and mad scientists, I feel comfortable at least giving "Amends" an honorable mention. As with most Joss Whedon-penned and directed episodes of Buffy, "Amends" is considered among the best. The First Evil makes its first appearance, Angel is haunted by his past victims, and he attempts to commit suicide by standing atop a hill during sunrise. That's the most realistic portrayal of Christmas since Charlie Brown's. As the sun is about to come up, the heat wave gripping Sunnydale breaks and snow unseasonably descends on the California town, divine intervention cleansing Angel clean and ready for his own spin-off. Cheesy Christmas Moment: Spontaneous snow!5. Quantum Leap, "A Little Miracle"
If you're going to include A Christmas Carol riff in a list like this, you could do worse than Quantum Leap's "A Little Miracle" in which Sam and ghostly Al con a rich Scrooge into finding love and generosity over the 1962 holidays. It's very sweet and doesn't even have to take the show off-premise. Cheesy Christmas Moment: The unmotivated appearance of the Star of Bethlehem!4. Doctor Who, "The Christmas Invasion"
I have a sneaking suspicion that this year's Christmas special will supersede this one, but at this point in time, the best Doctor Who Christmas special remains its first (I'm not counting The Feast of Steven). Not only does it introduce David Tennant to the role, but part of that introduction includes his becoming part of the Tyler family after Eccleston's Doctor unequivocally told her he didn't "do families". A sweet moment with a fun song at the end of a day filled with Christmas dangers. Did you go out on the roof in your jammies that Christmas morning? Cheesy Christmas Moments: Evil robot Santas and killer Christmas trees!3. Futurama, "Xmas Story"
By the year 3000, Christmas has become Xmas, a terrible day on which people are brought together by fear of a murderous robot Santa's rampage who guns down anyone who has been "naughty" by its extremely high standards. Only Frye knows the true meaning of Christmas and he foolishly risks his life to get Leela a present. John Goodman guest-stars as the ultimate Bad Santa in what turns out to be a dynamic, clever, funny and yes, sweet episode. Cheesy Christmas Moment: Let's all sing "Santa Claus Is Gunning You Down".2. Chuck, "Chuck vs. Santa Claus"
On Christmas Eve, in what is perhaps the best overall Chuck episode, the evil reverse-CIA Fulcrum engineers a hostage takeover inside the BuyMore. Sure, there's the usual contrast of BuyMore silliness (like the Nerd Herd in elf costumes), hairy danger (the Die Hard situation) and touching romance (Chuck gives Sarah his mom's bracelet), but there's an extra layer too. Sarah has a showdown with a Fulcrum agent in a Christmas tree lot that undercuts her entire relationship with Chuck. I love my downbeat Christmas endings. Awesome Christmas Moment: Your Vegas' "Christmas and Me Are Through" playing over the climax. The only good Christmas songs are the saddest ones.1. Space: Above and Beyond, "The River of Stars"
And speaking of sad Christmas episodes... On Christmas Day, the Wild Cards are stranded in enemy territory on a damaged drop ship. The desperate Marines have to hold out until they can be rescued, with only Christmas memories and a pathetic little gift exchange to keep their spirits up. Invoking WWI's impromptu Christmas cease-fire and Apollo 8's Christmas Eve mission (and shades of Apollo 13's) adds weight to a tense and touching story. Ultimately, it's about soldiers reconnecting with faith and hope. To me, not only is Space a buried television treasure, but its Christmas episode ranks as the best I've seen. Cheesy Christmas Moment: The Comet of Bethlehem will lead them home!Now you know mine, what are yours?
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-Christian A. Dumais