The 20 Specials of Christmas: Family Guy

Another day, another Christmas special Hulu Plus has locked in its pay wall prison.

Released towards the end of the show’s original three-season run, A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas is both a good Christmas special and a great example of the show at its early peak.

The two main storylines intentionally follow Christmas special tropes: Peter is trying to buy gifts on Christmas Eve and Stewie is trying to tell Santa about his ideal gift (in this case, plutonium).

And while both main stories are serviceable, the C story about Lois going crazy is actually the episode’s best. It’s easy to forget that, for parents, the hardest part of Christmas isn’t necessarily the shopping. Or the greed. Or the religion. But just how horrible it is for them to work their asses off and get no credit.

Lois’s rant about children always thanking Santa Claus is one of the funniest moments in the entire series, and it takes place within the main story, not a manatee ball cutaway.

Of course, this is Family Guy, so there are going to be cutaways whether you like them or not. And generally, they’re pretty good, especially the should-be-its-own-real-special, “Kiss Saves Santa:”

Mike Drucker is a lovely man with many positive characteristics. He has written for Saturday Night Live, The Onion, McSweeney’s, and Nintendo. He’s also a stand-up or something, I guess.

The 20 Specials of Christmas: Family Guy