The best Hanukkah episodes have given us some iconic quotes—like when Angelica Pickles says of the proper “Hanukkah” pronunciation, “You have to chhhh when you say it!” or when the half-Jewish Seth Cohen says of his pseudo-brother Ryan, “Worry not; I will convert him”—as well as some valuable lessons about appreciating different cultures and the true meaning of the holidays. So, come light the menorah and dance the hora! These are the 12 best Hanukkah TV episodes—from Rugrats to Friends.
1. Rugrats: “Chanukah”
When Rugrats debuted its holiday special episode, “Chanukah,” back in December 1996, the Nickelodeon show became the first children’s TV series to have a Chanukah episode. It was big for the time and it’s still big today, as plenty of kids remember (and still watch!) the Rugrats Chanukah episode. In the ep, the Rugrat babies reimagine themselves as the main characters of the Hanukkah story—with the adventurous and adorable Tommy Pickles acting as the Jewish hero Judah Maccabee, of course. Elsewhere in the ep, Grandpa Boris and Uncle Shlomo fight over who should be the lead in the Hanukkah play and the ever-bossy Angelica doles out directions on how to properly pronounce “Hanukkah.” All in all, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 7.9 as well as tons of positive reviews from TV critics. As far as Hanukkah episodes go, this one’s a real mensch.
2. The OC: “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”
You want your menorah or a candy cane? If you’ve ever had the delicious pleasure of watching The O.C.—the first two seasons, not the last two seasons after (spoiler alert) Marissa Cooper died and the series got painfully, painfully bad—then you know one of the standout moments of the show was Chrismasukkah. The brainchild of the ever-hilarious Seth Cohen, the made-up holiday (and the episode itself) is a mish-mash of all the best parts of Hanukkah and all the best parts of Christmas. Throw in Ryan Atwood’s broody attitude and penchant for walking out of a room and well, it’s one of the most festive Hanukkah episodes there is!
3. Friends: “The One With the Holiday Armadillo”
A classic! When Ross Geller goes to the costume store to pick up a Santa outfit—just two days before Christmas—he finds that all the most festive holiday costumes have been already rented. That leaves him with—drumroll, please—the Holiday Armadillo, Santa’s representative for all the Southern states (and Mexico!). His son, Ben, is half-Jewish, but knows much more about Christmas than he does about Hanukkah, so Ross tries to tie in Santa to pique Ben’s interest in Hanukkah. But what everybody ends up with is the Holiday Armadillo, who now has the job of teaching Ben all about the lighting of the menorah and the importance of being together during the holidays.
4. The Nanny:“The Hanukkah Story”
We can’t believe it took six seasons for the Fran Drescher-led series The Nanny to feature a Hanukkah episode, but we have to say, it was definitely worth the wait. Everyone’s favorite big-haired Jewish family from Flushing, Queens—Fran and Sylvia Fine, and of course, the bug-eyed Grandma Yetta—come together to teach the children Fran nannies for, Mr. Sheffield’s kids, all about the miracle of Hanukkah.
5. Even Stevens: “Heck Of A Hanukkah”
Up to his usual shenanigans, Louis (a super-young Shia LaBeouf!) is on track to ruining the Stevens’ family’s Hanukkah celebration when he hoards all the Hanukkah presents for himself, then accidentally drops them all out the window. With broken Hanukkah presents and two unapproving siblings—the always perfect Ren and Donnie—Louis finds himself going on a It’s a Wonderful Life-esque journey to see what would have happened if he was never born into the Stevens family.
6. A Colbert Christmas Special
Can Stephen Colbert interest you in Hanukkah? A Colbert Christmas Special premiered on Comedy Central back in 2008 and it has everything you would expect a Christmas special from Colbert to have. It’s got jokes, singing, and evenJon Stewart, who pops in to teach Colbert a much-needed lesson about the Festival of Lights.
7. The Goldbergs: “A Christmas Story”
If ever there was a TV show that could make Hanukkah “sizzle and pop!,” it’s The Goldbergs. In this episode from Season 3, Beverly Goldberg promises her fam an upgrade of the traditional holiday, much like Seth Cohen. Only Beverly’s is called “Super Hanukkah” and features a Hanukkah bush, decorations and, of course, Chinese food for Christmas dinner. This year’s Hanukkah special promises to be no less entertaining–anyone interested in a Hanukkah cruise?
8. Saturday Night Live: “The Hanukkah Song”
In 1994, Adam Sandler absolutely changed the Hanukkah game when he appeared in Saturday Night Live’s segment Weekend Update to sing a song about Hanukkah. Now, the rest of the episode—episode 7 from Season 20 of SNL—sadly, is not Hanukkah-themed, but this bright melodious light shines brighter (IMHO) than anything else that happened in that episode. After all, “The Hanukkah Song” has stood the test of time and Sandler has even come out with multiple versions, adding more Jewish people from Hollywood to the tune.
9. Arthur: “Holiday Special”
You could always count on Arthur to be entertaining and informative and with the series’ Season 1 “Holiday Special,” that totally rang true. The special features an important subplot about Francine having to bail on a friend’s Christmas party to instead celebrate the final night of Hanukkah with her mishpachah. In the episode, Muffy ultimately learns that not everyone’s holidaytime traditions are the same but that doesn’t mean they’re not just as important.
10. Elena of Avalor: “Festival of Lights”
Available on the Disney Now app or on demand, one of Disney Junior’s more recent shows for kids has an awesome holiday episode that really does the Festival of Lights justice. After all, Elena’s friend, Rebecca of Galonia, is Disney’s first Jewish princess. In the episode, Princess Rebecca and her brother, Prince Ari, and their bubbe find themselves in Avalor during Hanukkah. Elena teams up with them to help them celebrate the Festival of Lights and learn about their culture.
11. Orange Is the New Black: “Can’t Fix Crazy”
Have you ever wondered what Christmas or Hanukkah is like in prison? Allow the inmates of Orange Is the New Black to show you! As the ladies of Litchfield struggle to cast their prison Christmas pageant, new-to-jail Piper Chapman is struggling internally with a romantic dilemma: Choose her kind-hearted and understanding fiancé, Larry—who just so happens to be the reason we get a Hanukkah subplot in this Season 1 finale episode—or go with her ride-or-die, star-crossed lover Alex, the one who literally put her in prison? As far as Hanukkah episodes go, this one is definitely a little light on the schmaltz, but we’ll give it some brownie points for a later-on plot in which Black Cindy converts to Judaism.
12. Puppy Dog Pals: “A Very Pug Christmas/The Latke Kerfuffle”
With an episode title like “The Latke Kerfuffle,” there’s no way this Puppy Dog Pals Hanukkah-slash-Christmas special couldn’t make the list. The second part of the episode, “The Latke Kerfuffle” follows Bob, the owner of puppies Bingo and Rolly, as he promises to bring latkes to his neighbor’s Hanukkah party. But just as Bob’s about to make his Hanukkah latkes, he realizes he’s out of oil. Can Bingo and Rolly save the day and get enough oil to finish the latkes or will Bob, Bingo and Rolly need a Hanukkah miracle?
13. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: “My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!”
Strictly for adults, there’s no Hanukkah episode quite like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Hanukkah episode. With a title like, “My Mom, Greg’s Mom and Josh’s Sweet Dance Moves!,” we think it’s safe to say that this holiday-themed episode made a lane for itself and is definitely one-of-a-kind. After all, it follows the cast’s Hanukkah journey as Rebecca’s passive-agressive mom arrives to celebrate—hence the hilariously iconic line, “I need you to sleep with my mom… just a little bit”—and a whole lot (and we mean, a whole lot) of dance moves. Now it’s time for the best Hanukkah movies!
