This article originally ran on December 20, 2023. It’s been updated to include the latest Christmas episode of Bob’s Burgers, “Dog Christmas Day After Afternoon.â€
While Bob’s Burgers is best known for its beloved Thanksgiving episodes, the holiday that the series has celebrated most regularly is Christmas. From last-minute gift-giving efforts to many misadventures involving Christmas trees, the Belchers have made a Christmas appearance every year since the show started doing holiday episodes back in season three. Christmas episodes are classic trappings for a TV show — nearly every network series seems to have at least one — but Bob’s Burgers excels because it takes this well-worn trope and often gets very weird with it.
Where Bob takes the reins on Thanksgiving, Christmas gives Linda and the kids a chance to shine. Tina, Gene, and Louise are obsessed with presents — like most kids — and Linda just loves the spirit of the holiday. Christmas cheer is frequently peppered with very real concerns of end-of-year budgeting and the complicated emotions that extended family brings out around the holidays. Some of the most memorable episodes are also a bit spooky, embracing the often overlooked horror undertones of the holiday season (A Christmas Carol is a horror story, okay?). Most importantly, the best Bob’s Burgers holiday episodes (regardless of what holiday is being celebrated) feel special, like they couldn’t air any other time of the year.
Whether you’re a newer viewer looking to binge all of the episodes or a longtime fan who just wants to watch the very best, we’ve got you covered. From the kooky episode that started it all to a recent front-runner, here is every Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode, ranked.
13.
“Gene’s Christmas Break†(Season 12, Episode 10)
Christmas season means it’s time for DJ Gene to make an appearance, but tragedy strikes when he rolls over onto his beloved ’70s Christmas album (Percy McTinsel-bud’s “Tinsel Machineâ€) — breaking both the record and his heart. The kids attempt to track down a copy of the elusive soundtrack, taking them from the record store to Courtney’s musician father before finally calling it quits. The family eventually decides to surprise Gene by rerecording the album, to bumpy reception. Meanwhile, Teddy starts a neighborhood Secret Santa with the Belchers, Mort, and their mailman. The Secret Santa plot is actually pretty great, but it takes a back seat to Gene’s story line, which is … fine? It’s still a fun episode, but it doesn’t quite have the extra “oomph†that has come to be expected of Bob’s holiday episodes.
12.
“The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas†(Season 14, Episode 10)
When a panel blows and the power goes out in their apartment two days before Christmas, the Belchers’ landlord Mr. Fischoeder agrees to put them up in his family’s empty hunting lodge over the holidays. They strap their tree to the top of their car and set out on the long, dark, and snowy ride to the mountain mansion — only to realize upon arrival that they lost the tree on the trek up. After getting settled, they attempt to replace it, and Linda eventually sets out on her own haggard journey to find it. It’s an interesting premise and a fun way to get the Belchers into a new environment (plus it calls on some fun, spooky elements), but the promising beginning ultimately flutters out into an okay story. There’s lots of potential for the Belchers to deeply explore their temporary digs, but it’s passed over in favor of the less intriguing tree adventure (which feels like it’s already sort of been done in past tree-centric Christmas episodes).
11.
“Yachty or Nice†(Season 11, Episode 10)
When the Belchers are hired to cater the elite Glencrest Yacht Club’s annual holiday party a few days before Christmas, Bob is flattered but confused as to why his services were solicited. (Linda doesn’t give it too much thought, believing that they’re deserving, and instead fixates on the fact that “the mayah!†is going to be there.) When they learn that Jimmy Pesto recommended them, Bob grows skeptical and becomes convinced that his archnemesis is planning to humiliate him. The kids, meanwhile, hatch a plot to get some of the toys that Teddy (dressed as Santa) has been hired to give out to those in need. Goofy and heartfelt, the only real fault of “Yachty or Nice†is that it’s not that memorable in the grand scheme of things.
10.
“Dog Christmas Day After Afternoon†(Season 15, Episode 9)
One of the most endearing aspects of Bob’s Burgers is how rooted in reality the Belcher family is; they’re just struggling to get by. In “Dog Christmas Day After Afternoon,†the kids are hoping for a Game Whiz (think Nintendo Switch) as a joint present, only to be let down on Christmas Day when they find standard, more budget-friendly gifts under the tree. They try not to let their parents know they’re disappointed, making it all the more of a gut punch, but Bob and Linda catch on and show how bummed they are that they couldn’t afford what the kids actually wanted. In an effort to boost everyone’s spirits, the family opts to tour a neighborhood decked out in Christmas lights and decorations and ends up on a (nearly deadly) puppy-centric mission, ultimately resulting in enough cash to afford a Game Whiz. While the episode won’t land on any hall-of-fame Bob’s Burgers lists, it’s a refreshing take on some of the underdiscussed anxieties surrounding the holiday season.
9.
“Better Off Sled†(Season 9, Episode 10)
“Better Off Sled†is a great episode of Bob’s Burgers. It ranks lower on this list mostly because it doesn’t feel as Christmasy as many of the other entries, but it’s overall a very solid snowy tale that takes place over the kids’ winter break. After a particularly bad snowstorm, Tina, Gene, and Louise are pumped to go sledding with their friends at the big hill in town. Unfortunately, the older teens (including Louise’s nemesis, Logan) have taken over the area for snowball fights, and the younger kids get caught in the cross fire. Everyone is tempted to retreat, except for Louise, who plans a Spartan attack. Linda’s attempt to knit the kids scarves for Christmas, only to realize that she can’t knit to save her life (but Bob can!), is a highlight — as are her “Knitcracker†nightmares.
8.
“Bob Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins†(Season 3, Episode 9)
The first Bob’s Burgers Christmas episode is so great and odd — very precedent-setting! In “Bob Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins,†Bob’s uncle dies and bequeaths him a storage unit. Bob inherits the contents of the unit, which include Chet, a man that his uncle was allowing to live there. The Belchers let the man stay with them in the days leading up to Christmas, during which time he decorates their restaurant window with increasingly elaborate holiday displays that attract customers, but they slowly come to realize that Chet might be a little “off.†Specifically, he believes that he is a mannequin come to life who has lost his mannequin wife, Nadine. It’s a niche plot that somehow works and establishes that the writers can do truly anything during the Christmas episodes.
7.
“Nice-Capades†(Season 6, Episode 5)
When the kids upset a mall Santa, Louise fears that he’ll report back to the real Santa in the North Pole and they won’t get any gifts on Christmas morning. In an effort to appease the man, Louise helms a production at the mall’s ice-skating rink wherein she and her siblings will performatively recap their good deeds of the year. The best part, however, isn’t the kids’ performances and instead comes from the adults who help (featuring a bourbon-inspired performance from Mr. Fischoeder and his brother, Felix, as well as some skating accompaniment from Teddy and his hockey team). While this might be Louise’s most present-hungry episode, it also leads to some nice introspective thinking from the youngest Belcher about what it means to actually be a nice person. “Nice-Capades†is a sweet, solid entry into the Christmas-special canon, only hindered by the fact that several of the other Christmas episodes are simply even better.
6.
“Have Yourself a Maily Linda Christmas†(Season 10, Episode 10)
In “Have Yourself a Maily Linda Christmas,†Linda gets a temp job at the post office during the holiday season to help rake in a little extra cash. She embraces the task with gusto and loves to see presents making their way to families just in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, one present accidentally gets left behind, and she takes it upon herself to make sure it gets to the little boy it’s addressed to. Bob, in turn, is stressed, because Linda’s parents and sister are coming over and he doesn’t want to be left alone with them to defuse the tension. Although Linda assures him that she’ll be back in time, the evening gets complicated and she takes off on a rogue mission (with Gene and Louise in tow), which forces Bob and Tina to get creative with their peacekeeping abilities back at home. This is a great example of a Linda adventure episode (à la the incredible “Lindapendent Woman†and “Eat, Spray, Lindaâ€), where she’s able to strike out from her family and embrace her greatest, weirdest whims.
5.
“The Last Gingerbread House on the Left†(Season 7, Episode 7)
When Mr. Fischoeder asks Bob to bring some food to his house for a party in “The Last Gingerbread House on the Left,†Bob initially believes that it will be a quick drop-off before he can join his family for caroling. Things take an interesting turn when he discovers that Mr. Fischoeder is having a gingerbread-house competition with his old, rich friends and wants Bob to participate — and lose on purpose. Bob accepts, with the knowledge that he won’t have to pay rent for a month and will be able to afford better presents for the kids, but he eventually develops a competitive edge for the elusive prize of getting to pet the albino baby polar bear at the local zoo. Linda, Teddy, and the kids’ caroling is just as fun, especially when they find a house that they believe a murderer (with an excellent singing voice) lives in. In addition to the memorable Belcher antics, the episode also serves as a loving tribute to the joys of found family.
4.
“Father of the Bob†(Season 5, Episode 6)
While Linda’s parents and sister have been a prominent part of the show since the first season, the details surrounding Bob’s side of the family have had a slower unveiling. It’s not until “Father of the Bob†that we meet Bob’s father, Big Bob, and learn that he and Bob Jr. have never had an easy relationship (exacerbated by the passing of Bob’s mother when he was young). Bob is reluctant to attend his father’s Christmas Eve party, held at Big Bob’s Diner, but Linda hopes that this is the year they’ll be able to patch things over. Simmering feelings come to a boil, but things are ultimately hashed out in the best way possible: by line dancing in a gay bar. It’s a poignant episode that captures the classic Bob’s Christmas spirit while also building out Bob’s interior world. What pushes it ahead of “Last Gingerbread†and “Maily Linda†is that it actually manages to help propel the overall series lore forward, a rarity in a long-running animated comedy.
3.
“Christmas in the Car†(Season 4, Episode 8)
When Linda’s love for Christmas leads her to put a tree up the day after Halloween (and then when it dies, to put up another one, which also dies), the Belchers find themselves tree-less on Christmas Eve. Bob is fine with this, but Linda finds it sacrilegious, and the family sets out to pick up a final Christmas tree on a snowy night. Things take a turn for the worse when they cut off a candy-cane-shaped long-haul truck on the way home and, to their horror, realize that the driver is hunting them down. Scary and high-stakes, it ultimately results in a hilarious showdown that reminds the Belchers that they’re lucky to get to spend the holidays together. Everything about the episode is pitch-perfect: the Dutch-baby jokes at the diner, the “where do babies come from?†answer in the car, and the kids’ Santa trap accidentally ensnaring Teddy. Also, the “Jingle in the Jungle†song that Gene is obsessed with is truly addictive and worthy of his fanatical hype.
2.
“The Bleakening (Parts 1 & 2)†(Season 8, Episodes 6 & 7)
It’s kind of wild that eight seasons in, the Bob’s team said, “Hey, what if the Christmas episode were an epic horror-inspired musical two-parter?†Just as wild is the fact that it worked. In “The Bleakening,†Linda observes that it just hasn’t felt like Christmas this year and that they need to throw a neighborhood Christmas party at the restaurant to help spread cheer. But Linda’s holiday enthusiasm is dashed when the top of their tree (which displayed a collection of the kids’ ornaments) is stolen from the party. The Belcher children believe that the Bleaken — an animal that steals from children, according to Teddy — is behind the theft and set out into the night on Christmas Eve to track it, followed shortly after by a worried Bob and Linda. The spooky journey eventually results in the discovery of an underground gay Christmas rave (and Linda’s tree top) with a few familiar faces, and a grand sacrificial move from Bob. The episode has everything that makes Bob’s Burgers great: multiple catchy original songs, experimentation with genre, and an unexpected reveal that the whole family can enjoy.
1.
“The Plight Before Christmas†(Season 13, Episode 10)
This is a really beautiful episode of television. Written by series creator Loren Bouchard (with a story from longtime Bob’s writer Kelvin Yu, who is credited in some way with all of the top-four entries on this list), “The Plight Before Christmas†is such a surprising delight after ten years of Christmases with the Belchers. The episode finds the family on a particularly stressful night, when Gene’s sixth-grade holiday concert falls on the same night as Tina’s Thundergirls play. Bob and Linda think that they’ve got it handled by splitting up and each attending one show, only for Louise to throw a wrench in the plans when she reminds the family that she has a poetry reading at the library. She quickly assures them that it’s just a gag and that they don’t need to attend, but Tina — the most emotionally intuitive Belcher — realizes that it might actually be an important occasion for her younger sister. As Gene’s class plays a gorgeous xylophone piece that could score The Leftovers, we learn that Tina has given up her star (not starring!) role in order to be there for Louise’s reading, which is a surprisingly heartfelt ode to Christmas morning with her family. The plot, along with the final scene, underscores just how much they all love each other, which has always been the show’s not-so-secret weapon.