Weekend Recs: Christmas Specials (2023 Edition)
Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week.

Photo by Kate Laine on Unsplash
From Home Alone to How the Grinch Stole Christmas to cheesy Hallmark movies, Christmas movies have worked their way into the hearts of many, regardless of whether or not they celebrate the holiday. It might only be a week into December, but as “25 Days of Christmas” suggests, it is still the perfect time to get cozy and watch some Christmas and holiday-themed specials.
With finals coming up this week, the mood might not be joyous and cheerful, but some lighthearted movies and shows might be just the thing to warm up even the Grinch-iest of hearts. (And if traditional Christmas movie really aren’t your thing, don’t worry. You can still watch Die Hard, Harry Potter, Gremlins, and Black Christmas).
If you have 10 minutes…and are a Birds fan, read this article about the Eagles’ new Christmas record.

Photo by Игорь Лушницкий
If you have 22 minutes…and want to watch one of my personal favorite Christmas special episodes, watch Bob’s Burger‘s “Bob Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins,” available on Hulu. It’s definitely got the absurd tone of the earlier seasons of Bob’s Burgers.
If you have another 22 minutes…and want to watch my favorite Hanukkah special, watch “The Hanukkah Story” from The Nanny, available to stream on Max.
If you have 42 minutes…and love watch “A Benihana Christmas” from The Office‘s third season, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This was one of the best seasons of The Office, and I think this Christmas episode reflects that.
Bonus: check out this list of the best sitcom Christmas specials for some more Christmas recs you can stream.
If you have 1 hour and 34 minutes…and are a fan of the classics, watch A Christmas Story, available in Falvey’s DVD Collection. This is one classic I’ve never gotten around to watching (unless you count seeing the play), so it’ll definitely go on my watch-list this holiday season.
If you have 1 hour and 48 minutes…and enjoy ballet, watch The Nutcracker, available to stream through Falvey. Seeing our local Nutcracker productions was always one of my favorite Christmas traditions, but it’s hard to compete with this professional performance.
If you have 2 hours and 10 minutes…and want an even older classic, watch It’s a Wonderful Life, available to stream through Falvey.
If you have 2 hours and 30 minutes…and want some light reading, read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, available online through Falvey.
Bonus: if you want even more Christmas book recs to read once the semester ends, check out this list of new releases.
Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library.