‘The Office’: This Is the Most Popular Christmas Episode of the Series
Many people stream The Office while they’re working from home or falling asleep at night. But millions of people are also streaming the series on Christmas day. Find out which Christmas episode of The Office fans are looking to tune into when the holiday rolls around.
Brian Baumgartner wonders why ‘The Office’ is still a wildly popular series
The NBC series may have concluded in 2013, but the series continues to get millions of hits on Netflix from fans young and old. Office star Brian Baumgartner took note of this massive fandom and sought to figure out what it was about The Office that continues to draw in new generations of fans.
On his podcast, An Oral History of The Office, Baumgartner interviewed his fellow cast, camera operators, and scriptwriters about their role in the iconic series.
After 12 episodes, Baumgartner finally made sense of people’s obsession with The Office, thanks to editor Jen Salata.
Watching ‘The Office’ has been an escape for many people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
“There’s something happening right now where everybody is so fragmented and so divided,” Salata said. “It sounds crazy, but there is comfort [in watching The Office] that is like, ‘I know these people! They’re like me, [and] I’m safe here.’”
Fans certainly enjoyed The Office when it was on television. Now, the series is a retreat from the chaos Salata mentioned.
Craig Robinson was another guest on Baumgartner’s podcast who talked about the show’s impact on fans. Robinson, who played Darryl Philbin, mentioned fans thanking him for being there in their darkest moments.
“I am so honored to be part of something that brings comfort to people,” Jenna Fischer added.
“You turn it on and you know where everyone’s going to be,” Angela Kinsey explained. “Those people become like your extended family, and you’re just sort of checking in with them.”
That same sense of comfort and normalcy are what many people are going to turn to this holiday season. While there are only seven Christmas-themed episodes of The Office, one episode stands out to fans. It’s what they put on every year to bring them holiday cheer.
The season 2 episode ‘Christmas Party’ is the most popular holiday episode of ‘The Office’
According to USDish, The Office is one of the most-searched-for series on Christmas, second only to The Simpsons. The most-watched Christmas episode of The Office is season 2, episode 10: “Christmas Party.”
The episode, which features Michael Scott (Steve Carell) hosting an impromptu White Elephant with an iPod on the line, attracts 9.7 million viewers on Christmas day.
There are a lot of reasons to love this particular episode of The Office, but it could be the number one holiday episode of the series because of Jim Halpert’s (John Krasinski) iconic gift for Pam Beesly (Fischer). Pam wouldn’t get the letter professing Jim’s feelings for her until years later, but his sentimental teapot gift is enough to make fans feel warm and fuzzy.
If you’re keeping tabs, “Morrocan Christmas” and “A Benihana Christmas” are the runners up in most-searched episodes of The Office during the holidays.
