My Favorite Christmas SNL Sketches

The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (which I recommend for fans of SNL history!) has been recapping each digital short the comedy troupe produced. Their most recent episode took a first pass at defining their "Criterion Collection" of sketches; those they consider the funniest or most impactful. So, I've been thinking about which SNL sketches are my favorites recently.

Given that it's December, these thoughts have naturally drifted towards SNL's impressive stable of Christmas sketches. SNL's never been afraid to put out weird ones, but there's something about the holidays that brings out the funniest concepts. Maybe it's how easy it is to play with well-worn concepts? Hard to say.

In any case, there are some holiday sketches I come back to, year after year. Not only are they funny, they've each changed the way I think about the holidays in their own weird little ways. Given that it's Christmas, I wanted to share my favorites with all of you.

In no particular order:

Santa Baby

Ryan Gosling kills every sketch he's in (he could honestly get his own post), but his Santa Baby will always be one of my favorites. Vanessa Bayer helps take this classic from heartfelt to unhinged.

Best Christmas Ever

The holidays can be a stressful time and it's always nice when our media represents that. Best Christmas Ever manages to show both the satisfaction of a holiday well hosted and the absolute chaos that goes into these days. Being able to look back on a tough day and remember only the best parts serves is a message that's relevant every day of the year.

A Christmas Epiphany

Bringing it back to the weird ones now. A Christmas Epiphany shows Austin Butler in what is, by all accounts, a classic Christmas movie. Everything falls apart though as we see his scene from the perspective of the family he's watching. It's honestly changed how I watch movies like this. Now I'm always wondering what background characters make of someone having a big moment. That's good, right?

A December to Remember

This is maybe the sketch I find the funniest of this whole bunch. December to Remember is such a simple premise but it's so good. We always wonder about who these yahoos are, buying surprise cars for their family (complete with an oversized bow). Now we know! This sketch has always impressed me with its total lack of wasted lines. Every bit of dialogue moves the plot forward while being hilarious to boot. Beck Bennet is an absolute killer, too.

Kristen Wiig's 2020 Musical Monologue

And finally, what would the holidays be without a sing? Kristen Wiig is joined by Maya Rudolph and Kate McKinnon for a hilarious spin on a classic tune. Lines from this get stuck in my head for days at a time, year round. The rhymes are sublime and the triple harmonies on point. To me, it is perfect.

And that's that. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!