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Head to Downton Abbey to celebrate the holiday season with the Crawley family. The period drama following the prominent British family and their staff ran for six seasons racking up multiple industry awards along the way.

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern on the set of 'Downton Abbey'
Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern on the set of Downton Abbey | Vera Anderson/WireImage

Out of 50-plus episodes, Downton Abbey’s Christmas episodes are the highest rated. They may not be considered some of the most popular Christmas TV episodes ever but the TV series’ Christmas episodes are beloved by Downton Abbey fans. 

‘Downton Abbey’ Season 2 Episode 9: ‘Christmas at Downton Abbey’

Downton Abbey’s Season 2 episode all about Christmas at the big house has 9.1 out of 10 stars on IMDb. Nearly 2,000 users cast their vote giving it the second-place spot. Originally airing in 2011, the show’s Christmas special didn’t disappoint. 

The episode chronicled Christmas in 1919. Downton Abbey hosted what else but a lavish party. Bustling with preparations for the big celebration there was lots of activity. Although not all of good.

Upstairs and downstairs people were stunned when Mr. John Bates (Brendan Coyle) is arrested and put on trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Vera. First sentenced to death, the beloved character ended up getting life in prison. 

Meanwhile back at Downton, things finally shifted in Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lady Mary Crawley’s (Michelle Dockery) relationship. The show’s resident will-they-or-won’t-they couple, Matthew proposed to Mary during a particularly romantic snowfall at Downton. 

The episode tied for second place with Downton Abbey Season 6 Episode 8 in which Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) decided to pursue a career in teaching. Meanwhile, the relationship between Mary and her sister, Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael), got even more complicated. 

‘Downton Abbey’ Season 6 Episode 9: ‘Christmas Special’

A special Christmas episode of Downton Abbey serving as the show’s series finale took the top spot on IMDb. 1,651 users rated the episode awarding it 9.3 stars out of 10 making it the hit show’s no. 1 episode. 

It’s easy to see why the two-hour special got such high marks from fans. The episode featured happy ending after happy ending for everyone upstairs and downstairs at Downton Abbey. 

Edith got married and Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Mr. Bates had a baby. Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) got the butler position he wanted only to be trained by Mr. Carson who became the Butler Emeritus. 

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Barrow and Mr. Carson weren’t the only characters to get a new job. Upstairs, Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, started working at the hospital. The series finale also hinted at possible romances between various supporting cast members. 

Although the series finale ended on a high note, Downton Abbey fans still wanted more from the Crawley family. The continued interest in the series led to a Downton Abbey movie in 2019 where fans got to catch up with their favorite characters.

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