Christmas episodes have the potential to lift our spirits but they can also be mind-numbingly clichéd. There are multitudes of stories about working fathers unable to make it home for Christmas, but there are few that depict the religious, cultural and socioeconomic diversity of Christmas time. The best episodes subvert traditional "Christmas miracle" narratives and say something profound about the human experience.
From the dark to the uplifting to the simply hilarious, here are the best 10 Christmas TV episodes.
#1 West Wing, In Excelsis Dio (1999)
In the White House, Christmas involves arduous tasks of smiling at cameras and disseminating Christmas spirit. But when a homeless war veteran dies in a jacket Toby donated to Goodwill, Toby feels drawn into the world of society's forgotten. Charity becomes more than merely giving old clothes away. Instead, two distant strangers are connected by tragedy, and Toby shows a rare moment of humanity by hosting a special funeral for the deceased veteran.
 
#2 Family Guy, Road to the North Pole (2010)
Greed and consumerism have transformed Santa's workshop into a sickly wasteland of pollution, inbred elves and bloodthirsty reindeers. Santa drearily sings of how 'Christmas time is killing us' before coughing up blood and collapsing on the floor. Workers are commodified and the humanity of Christmas is lost in a world of mass production and commercialisation.
 
#3 Mad Men, Christmas Comes But Once a Year (2010)
How poetic that Don Draper, the man charged with selling faux happiness, would end up miserable and alone on Christmas, separated from his children. In this corporate world of advertising, relationships are shallow and the characters exploit each other for business, power and to stave off loneliness.
#4 The Simpsons, Roasting on an Open Fire (1989)
The first ever aired episode of the Simpsons was this Christmas special, introducing us to one of the most iconic TV families of our time. Some of the series' best and rawest moments are from the early days when Homer and Marge struggle financially. Homer swallows his pride to earn enough money for Christmas presents, and the family ends up with the best gift of all - Santa's Little Helper.
#5 Friends, The One with the Holiday Armadillo (2000)
In an attempt to excite his son about the Jewish Hanukkah, Ross dresses up as the 'Holiday Armadillo' in his typical dorky dad fashion before being interrupted by Chandler in a Santa costume. The subsequent showdown makes for great viewing.
 
#6 OC, The Best Chrismukkah Ever (2003)
This charming episode recognises that not everyone celebrates the holidays the same way. Seth decides to reconcile his Jewish-Christian household with the invention of Chrismukkah, which has "twice the resistance of any holiday." The spirit of Chrismukkah has become enshrined in the Yamaclaus, a Santa-themed Yamaka hat.
If there's ever a time when questions of faith are brought to the fore, it's during Christmas. A somewhat dark hospital satire of '12 Days of Christmas' tells the tale of increased drug overdose, suicide and domestic violence cases. Turk's struggle with his faith after seeing the suffering is refreshingly honest, without being preachy.
 
#8 Modern Family, The Old Man and the Tree (2013)
It wouldn't be a true Modern Family episode without a spate of hilarious disasters from Cam accidentally giving a homeless child a body fat scale to a marriage breakdown between Santa and Alex, dressed as Mrs Claus. Phil learns a lesson in persistence as he walks the distance to Canada on his cross trainer, and Jay learns to let go of his perfect Christmas traditions and settle for an imperfect tree.
 
#9 New Girl, Santa (2012)
Everything we love about New Girl's characters is showcased in this Christmas special: Jess' theatrics, Nick's awkwardness, Schmidt's sassiness, and Winston's obliviousness. The gang attends a bunch of Christmas parties on what Schmidt likes to call "white Anglo-Saxon privilege night." Jess fears she'll die alone and 'marry' Christmas, Nick turns lemonade into lemons and Schmidt tries to outdo the lap dancing skills of Nick's stripper girlfriend. Meanwhile, Winston has no idea what's going on because frankly, he never does.
The forced office fun of a secret Santa game is wonderfully awkward. That forever ambiguous distinction between actual friend and work friend is explored through unenthused colleagues who are tasked with giving gifts to people they hardly know. Dwight dresses as an elf, an iPod causes office divisions and 15 bottles of vodka make for some wild times - or at least, as wild as an office party can be.