After the presents are unwrapped and the in-laws fly back home, it’s time for a few holiday-themed episodes of TV to keep the spirit going. Here are my three episodes of must-see TV over the winter break.

-Seinfeld: Season 4, Episode 13 (The Pick) [December 16th, 1992]
Seinfeld, a show notoriously about “nothing”, follows a group of four self-centered friends: Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer. The main conflicts in this holiday episode center around Calvin Klein stealing Kramer’s cologne idea, Elaine’s Christmas card wardrobe malfunction, and Jerry’s supposed nose pick. In this episode, you get everything a devoted Seinfeld fan knows and loves: Kramer’s superbly executed physical comedy, and George wallowing in despair. Coupled with a few unforgettable lines, this episode of Seinfeld becomes an instant holiday classic.

Quote of the Episode: “Did God say to Moses, thou shalt not pick?”

-Community: Season 2, Episode 11 (Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas) [December 9th, 2010]
Community is a show that follows a misfit-filled study group who became friends at a community college. Quirky and with frequent allusions to pop culture, Community established an unparalleled type of comedy. Continuing with that trend, this holiday episode of Community finds our characters stop-motion animated (which isn’t normal for the show) and the episode is centered around one of the main characters, Abed, trying to find the meaning of Christmas. The show does this very cleverly, pointing out the ridiculousness of a stop-motion animated episode as well as validating it as a creative way of storytelling. The smartest show on television, this episode is my gift to you this holiday season.

Quote of the Episode: “This is clearly a special Christmas, we’re all stop-motion animated.”

-Modern Family: Season 1, Episode 10 (Undeck the Halls) [December 9th, 2009]
Modern Family follows three inter-related families, the Dunphys, the Pritchetts, and the Tucker-Pritchetts, as they navigate through the trials of life in the 21st century. One of Modern Family’s great early episodes, the central storyline here is Phil and Claire taking away Christmas from their kids. Chalk-full of memorable one-liners and top-notch physical comedy, Undeck the Halls is a parable for the modern age, and very easily relatable.

Quote of the Episode: “How would you sit on the baby Jesus’s lap? You’d squish it!”