From Tinsel to Turmoil: The Office Christmas Episodes Ranked by Controversy

Holiday TV comfort food season is here, which means one thing if you love The Office: time to revisit the show’s chaotic Christmas parties. Across nine seasons, Dunder Mifflin only threw seven official holiday episodes. Weird number, right? Quick behind-the-scenes quirk: Season 1 was just six episodes, so no Christmas. Season 4 got kneecapped by the 2007–08 Writers Guild strike, so no Christmas there either. For context fans: the US version was created by Greg Daniels, ran nine seasons, stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B. J. Novak, and sits at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, top off your hot cocoa (maybe keep a fire extinguisher handy) and let’s rank every Office Christmas episode from least to most controversial.

1. 7. Dwight Christmas (Season 9, Episode 9)

   Dwight finally gets to plan the holiday party, and he goes full Pennsylvania Dutch: traditional foods, rigid customs (of course), and Dwight in full Belsnickel mode. It’s odd and awkward in a very Dwight way, but there’s no mean edge to it. No offensive gags, no real mess, just a post-Michael-era party that’s more quirky than combustible. Least controversial by a mile.

2. 6. Christmas Party (Season 2, Episode 10)

   The show’s first Christmas episode is a classic because it’s simple and petty in all the right ways. Secret Santa turns into Yankee Swap when Michael buys an expensive iPod and wants to show off, which turns the gift exchange into chaos. Jim’s teapot for Pam gets scooped by Dwight, forcing Jim to maneuver it back. Michael then tries to "fix" the party with 20 bottles of vodka and a desperate attempt to impress Ryan. Mostly harmless hijinks, very rewatchable, low on controversy.

3. 5. Classy Christmas (Season 7, Episodes 10 and 11)

   Michael ditches the tacky for a 'classy' two-parter because Holly’s back from Nashua, and he’s determined to woo her with nicer decor and fancy treats. Pam jumps in to help, Michael hears Holly’s relationship might be wobbling, and he doubles down on making everything perfect. Elsewhere, Angela’s dating the senator, Toby gets tapped for Scranton Strangler jury duty (catnip for lore nerds), and Jim vs. Dwight becomes an unexpectedly vicious snowball war. Stylish, fun, and relatively tame on the controversy scale.

4. 4. A Benihana Christmas (Season 3, Episodes 10 and 11)

   Fresh off a rough breakup with Carol, Michael gets dragged to Benihana by Andy and returns with two servers as dates. He can’t tell them apart, which lands as racially insensitive now. Meanwhile, Pam and Angela launch rival parties that split the office in two, Dwight gets punked into thinking the CIA wants him, and Michael drops the infamous line:

   "she's not your ho no mo"

   Plenty funny, a little dated in places, and definitely a notch higher on the controversy chart than the earlier entries.

5. 3. Moroccan Christmas (Season 5, Episode 11)

   Phyllis takes over the Party Planning Committee and throws a Moroccan-themed bash. Angela hates it, so Phyllis weaponizes the affair she knows about (Angela cheating on Andy with Dwight) and eventually spills it to the entire office. Meredith gets blackout drunk and literally sets her hair on fire, and Michael tries to stage an intervention that goes nowhere. Also, Dwight is flipping the season’s hot toy for cash. It’s a full meltdown of secrets, blackmail, and bad decisions. Festive? Barely. Controversial? Absolutely.

6. 2. Christmas Wishes (Season 8, Episode 10)

   The first Christmas without Michael also skips Pam, reportedly because Jenna Fischer was on maternity leave. The episode centers on Erin spiraling over Andy’s new girlfriend, getting drunk, and blurting out a wish that the girlfriend be gone — "like dead gone." Robert California hovers in a way that plays particularly gross given Erin’s vulnerability. The vibe is awkward, sour, and kind of mean, which is why it lands this high.

7. 1. Secret Santa (Season 6, Episode 13)

   Phyllis gets to be Santa, which sends Michael into a jealous tailspin. He storms the party dressed as Jesus, and then crosses a huge line by referring to Phyllis with a transphobic slur. As an episode, it’s not the most exciting; as a lightning rod, it’s the winner. Cringe cranked all the way up, easily the show’s most controversial Christmas outing.

Which one lands on your naughty list? The Office is streaming on Peacock.