‘Gilmore Girls’ Christmas Episodes Ranked, According to IMDb

No TV show does the holidays quite like 'Gilmore Girls'. Return to Stars Hollow for some holiday cheer (and drama) with Rory and Lorelai Gilmore.

by Mandi Kerr

Published on December 18, 2020

3 min read

The holiday season is in full swing. For fans of Gilmore Girls, that means cuddling up on the couch and watching Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) in the TV show’s Christmas episodes. But how do they rank? See them in order from lowest-rated to highest-rated, according to IMDb.

7. ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 7 Episode 11: ‘Santa’s Secret Stuff’

Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham attend the 2006 Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour | Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The fact that the program’s final Christmas episode came in last place with a score of 7.6 on IMDb may not come as a surprise to fans of Gilmore Girls. Why? Because creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her writer-director husband, Daniel Palladino, exited the show after six seasons.

In the 2007 episode, Rory and Lorelai celebrated Christmas late after Rory spent the holiday in London with her boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger (Matt Czuchry). They wear their festive sweaters, decorate cookies, and go shopping.

But it wouldn’t be Gilmore Girls without drama.

This time around it was all about Lorelai’s relationship with Rory’s dad, Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe), and her lingering feelings for Luke Danes (Scott Patterson).

6. ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 6 Episode 12: ‘Just Like Gwen and Gavin’

Coming in second to last place on IMDb with a rating of 7.8 is the Gilmore Girls Season 6 holiday episode. Originally aired in 2006, the episode features a major Stars Hollow event — the Winter Carnival — and relationship drama all around. Rory spent the episode being mad at Logan while Lorelai was caught off-guard when she found out about Luke’s daughter.

5. ‘Gilmore Girls Season 5 Episode 11: ‘Women of Questionable Morals’

In a very uncharacteristic move, Lorelai hated snow in the season 5 holiday episode of Gilmore Girls. That is until Luke built her an ice rink. Meanwhile, Rory wasn’t getting along with her dad.

As for Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), they were on good terms only while caring for a stray dog. Not obviously holiday-themed, the episode scored 8 out 10 stars with IMDb users. And what it lacked in Christmas decorations it made up for in relationship drama.

4. Gilmore Girls Season 3 Episode 10: ‘That’ll Do, Pig’

Another not so obvious Christmas episode is Gilmore Girls Season 3 Episode 10: “That’ll Do, Pig.” Lorelai took pleasure in Emily’s misery when Gran showed up for a visit.

As for Rory, she went to the town’s Winter Carnival with her then-boyfriend, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), and her ex-boyfriend, Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki). Scoring 8.1 stars out of 10, the 2003 episode featured a few of the show’s staples: snow, drama, and a quaint Stars Hollow event.

3. ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 4 Episode 11: ‘In the Clamor and the Clanger’

In the 2004 Christmas episode of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai got mad at Luke for not telling her he moved. But their fight was short-lived thanks to their shared hatred of the town’s church bells.

Rory’s best friend, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena), also made a surprise visit to Rory’s dorm at Yale after Mrs. Kim (Emily Kuroda) learned of her rock and roll ways and kicked her out. Again, there’s snow, some drama, and lots of Stars Hollow in this episode that received 8.3 stars out of 10.

Dreaming of Stars Hollow. pic.twitter.com/B0TIpjUUrc
— Gilmore Girls (@GilmoreGirls) November 28, 2016

2. ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 1 Episode 10: ‘Forgiveness and Stuff’

The first Christmas episode of Gilmore Girls is ranked no. 2 on IMDb with 8.4 stars. Originally airing in 2000, the episode featured Richard and Emily’s annual Christmas party. Lorelai didn’t get to go but she ended up spending the evening with her family when Richard fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital.

1. ‘Gilmore Girls’ Season 2 Episode 10: ‘The Bracebridge Dinner’

The second time is the charm with the show’s Christmas episodes. Fans rated the season two episode highest with 8.7 stars out of 10. In the 2001 episode, Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy) and Lorelai hosted a big dinner at the Independence Inn.

It involved a hilarious story from Richard that led to some drama between him and Emily. There were also snowmen and sleigh rides through town.

Watch every Christmas episode of Gilmore Girls and the rest of the series on Netflix.