Fans came to know Seinfeld as "the show about nothing." It is, without question, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, and this is largely due to the unique frivolity of its subject matter. Whereas many half-hour comedies are formulaic in their plot structures, Seinfeld consistently pushed the envelope with its unconventional narratives, going as far as to set an entire episode in a Chinese restaurant where our heroes wait for a table.
There are, however, a few staples of every great sitcom, and one of them is the holiday episode. Here are the best Christmas and New Year's episodes in Seinfeld history, ranked according to IMDb.
8 The Mom And Pop Store - 8.1
Plotwise, "The Mom and Pop Store" is one of the zanier Seinfeld episodes. Elaine wins a radio contest for her boss Mr. Pitt, which secures him the honor of holding the Woody Woodpecker balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Jerry inadvertently sabotages Pitt's dream of marching in the parade when he crashes Tim Whatley's Thanksgiving Eve party and knocks a pendant off a ledge, puncturing the balloon.
The craziest part of this episode, though, involves a used LeBaron, an old pair of cowboy boots, and a cannibalistic Jon Voight. One has to see it to understand it.
7 The Millennium - 8.2
Kramer and Newman find out that they are each planning millennium New Year's Eve parties for December 31, 1999. They eventually agree to join forces and call their party the "Newmanium."
This episode contains one of the most disputed lines of dialogue in Seinfeld history. When Jerry explains to Newman that the actual millennium begins in 2001, since there was no year zero, he taunts him for having planned his party one year "late." Newman's party is actually one year early, since December 31, 2000, would be the technical millennium New Year's Eve.
6 The Red Dot - 8.4
When Elaine gets George a job at her publishing company, George reciprocates by buying her a beautiful cashmere sweater for Christmas. The only catch: he got it at a discount because it has a "red dot" on it.
This episode is one of many Seinfeld episodes that could be controversial if released today, as a major plotline involves Elaine's alcoholic boyfriend relapsing after Jerry accidentally gives him a vodka-cranberry at Elaine's office Christmas party. His drunken antics are mostly played for laughs, which is one of the many times Seinfeld made light of darker, more adult themes.
5 The Andrea Doria - 8.5
The thrust of the plot in this episode involves George's effort to convince the tenant association for the building he seeks to move into to choose him over a survivor of the Andrea Doria shipwreck. In other words, this episode has nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas or the holiday season, in general.
But because it was set to air on December 19, the production crew hastily added Christmas decorations to the famous Monk's Cafe set so that this episode could still count as a "Christmas" episode.
4 The Pick - 8.5
A word of advice: when Kramer offers to take your Christmas photo, it's best to politely decline. Elaine takes him up on this offer, only to be humiliated by a certain wardrobe malfunction that Kramer failed to recognize during the photoshoot.
Newman steals the episode with his 13-second cameo during which he's asked if he notices anything strange about the photo. He immediately identifies the issue, is thanked for his services, and he exits. The studio audience erupts in applause.
3 The Gum - 8.6
Kramer reopens the historic Alex Theater with the help of his friend Lloyd Braun, his friend who recently suffered a mental collapse. This episode, oddly enough, also involves an Elaine wardrobe mishap, and, much like "The Andrea Doria," "The Gum" makes hardly any mention of the holidays.
A cashier wishes George a merry Christmas as his car catches fire, and Kramer does the same when offering George his car to borrow anytime he wants. George thanks him, Kramer says, "Yeah, Merry Christmas," and George replies, "Whatever."
2 The Strike - 8.8
This episode is called "The Strike," but is known to Seinfeld fans as the "Festivus" episode, and is one of the most beloved of the entire series. Frank Costanza invented his own holiday, Festivus, which includes such rituals as the "feats of strength" and "airing of grievances."
The holiday comes in handy when George needs an excuse for faking donations to a fake charity as his Christmas gift to his office colleagues. He blames the fake donations on the fact that he doesn't celebrate Christmas - he celebrates Festivus - and invites his boss to take place in the festivities to prove he's telling the truth.
1 The Race - 8.9
Jerry, a lifelong Superman fan, is finally dating a woman named Lois. The problem is that her boss is Duncan Meyer, Jerry's arch-nemesis from high school. He challenges Jerry to a rematch of a footrace, which Jerry reluctantly accepts to prevent Duncan from punishing Lois for Jerry's past.
What makes this episode stand out from the rest, however, is the hilarious Christmas themed storyline in which Kramer's newfound interest in communist literature jeopardizes his holiday gig as a mall Santa.
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