10 Great Grey’s Anatomy Holiday Episodes, Ranked
There have been many great holiday episodes in Grey’s Anatomy that bring smiles to fans’ faces, but which is the best?
Whether it’s Christmas, Thanksgiving or Halloween, Grey’s Anatomy‘s holiday episodes are filled with joy, festivities and usually a fair amount of chaos. In the show’s 19-season run, the holiday episodes are usually fun season highlights that make audiences smile.
With each different holiday portrayed, the show tackles various sometimes heavy storylines while still being entertaining and lighthearted. From Christmas-themed weddings to chaotic Thanksgiving dinners, there are many Grey’s episodes that capture the spirit of the holidays during which they are set.
“Haunt You Everyday” – Season 4, Episode 5
Centered around Halloween, this episode follows Meredith as she brings her Mother’s ashes to the hospital, believing that they’re haunting her. She ends up helping out Ryan (played by a young Dylan Minnette), a boy in need of surgery for new ears. He persuades Meredith to help him, and the two wander around the hospital “trick-or-treating” for surgeons to help pro bono.
Not only is the episode funny in how it handles these matters, it also touches on deeper issues. Callie exposes Izzie and George’s affair; Cristina makes an important step in moving on from her relationship with Burke; and Meredith, with the help of Richard, puts her Mom’s ashes to rest. While not the most festive episode, it’s still a great take on what Halloween looks like in a hospital.
“Adrift And At Peace” – Season 7, Episode 10
While set at Christmastime, there aren’t as many mentions of festivities in this episode as there are in other Christmas episodes. Still, there’s enough joy to make fans feel the holiday love. The main story sees Derek take Cristina away on a fishing trip with the intent of giving her a break from all the drama in Seattle.
Seeing Derek help Cristina, and Cristina finally give in to her emotions, is heartwarming and a real highlight of this episode. The other narrative arcs are great too, as Henry and Teddy first meet (and she proposes to him), Arizona returns from Africa and, for fans who miss Mark and Lexie on Grey’s Anatomy, this episode sees them finally reunite.
“Run, Baby, Run”/”Things We Said Today” – Season 9, Episodes 9 And 10
After a chaotic run-up, these episodes focus on Bailey and Ben’s Christmas-themed wedding that quickly goes awry when Adele needs emergency surgery. However, there are heartwarming moments that make the narrative feel lighter, like Bailey’s awkwardness in asking Callie, Arizona and Meredith to be her bridesmaids, Webber calming her pre-wedding jitters by letting her scrub in on a surgery, and the start of Alex and Jo’s friendship.
The latter of these episodes sees Bailey postpone her wedding to perform surgery on Adele but eventually arrive for the ceremony. “Things We Said Today” evokes bittersweet feelings in viewers as Ben and Bailey get married surrounded by all of their loved ones, but they are unaware that Adele has died. For all of their Christmas joy, these episodes are a roller coaster of emotions.
“Flowers Grow Out Of My Grave” – Season 15, Episode 6
This episode centers around the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, when people who celebrate it commemorate life and death. Rather than follow a tonally sad narrative as is Grey’s specialty, this episode pays beautiful homage to all the people that Meredith has lost in her life. As she learns about the holiday from a patient, Meredith and the other doctors go about honoring the dead in their own ways.
While reflecting on her loved ones, as Meredith leaves the hospital at the end of the episode, she is surrounded by them in spirit. It was fitting tribute to fan-favorite characters, and a genuinely lovely, albeit emotional, celebration of the people who have passed on. While different from other holiday episodes, this was nonetheless a good episode that explored new territory.
“Whistlin’ Past The Graveyard” – Season 16, Episode 6
Set during Halloween, “Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard,” focuses on Meredith’s stint in jail where she worries about missing trick-or-treating, Alex uncovering some disturbing secrets about his new hospital, and Teddy trying to make costumes. Despite all the chaos, there are many sweet moments in this episode as the characters make the most of the holiday.
Levi and Nico have some adorable moments complete with costumes, Meredith manages to get home to surprise her kids, and Alex celebrates that his hospital is not, in fact, haunted. The best part of the storyline comes at the end. After a tumultuous time in their relationship, Jo and Alex prove why they’re perfect together and get married for real while dressed as vampires. Mayhem aside, it’s an entertaining episode filled with Halloween fun.
“Thriller” – Season 10, Episode 7
This Halloween-themed episode captured the spookiness of the season, as at there seemed to be another scare at every turn, complete with sound effects. Meredith helps a women who is scared of the hospital, Jo and Alex treat a little girl who can literally be scared to death, and Derek and Ben come to together to use their surgical skills to fix Zola’s costume.
There’s also a patient that has even the doctors convinced that he’s a zombie, and there are many funny frights that come along with this. Overall, it’s a comical and fun episode that plays on the holiday in a great way, as each of the doctors gets spooked by the weird things happening around the hospital.
“Holidaze” – Season 6, Episode 10
This episode harnesses all of the chaos of the lead-up to the Christmas season perfectly, and it covers Thanksgiving and New Year’s too. Thanksgiving comes, and Meredith, Cristina and Alex discuss what they’re not thankful for, while Mark gets a surprise when the daughter he was unaware of turns up. Things only get more chaotic from there when Bailey’s father confronts her over her divorce while all of the staff have Christmas dinner at Meredith’s.
For the most part, the episode ends well, and by New Year’s Eve, Mark, Derek and Arizona have saved the patient they were treating, Bailey and her father make up, and Cristina and Owen vow their love for each other. The only downside to all of the festive cheer is that Meredith is left to help Richard after he has an apparent relapse, ending the episode on a sad note.
“Thanks For The Memories” – Season 2, Episode 9
As fans know, her unrelenting optimism and hope was one of the things that made Izzie an underrated Grey’s Anatomy character. At Thanksgiving, these traits flourish. Izzie spends most of this episode trying to convince her friends to attend the extravagant dinner she is preparing, while Alex and Meredith hide at the hospital and Burke unexpectedly steps in to lend a helping hand.
One particular highlight is George being dragged by his family on their annual trip to catch a turkey, which ends up with George’s dad accidentally getting shot in the behind. With all the various dramas, the episode concludes in a heartwarming way, as everyone makes it to Izzie’s dinner despite being hours late, and they realize just how thankful they are for one another.
“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” – Season 2, Episode 12
Much to her friends’ dismay, Izzie spends most of this episode trying to get Meredith and George in the Christmas spirit while they play along in support and try to help Alex study for his intern exam. The interns are the highlight, as Izzie begrudges the help that Alex is getting but is reminded by Meredith to have some Christmas spirit.
The episode also sees George stand up for himself to a patient’s family while bonding with Bailey, and Burke and Cristina navigate their religious differences when it comes to a patient. In the end, George and Meredith find Izzie under their tree and join her as Meredith’s voiceover talks of what it means to find one’s tribe. This is the first Christmas episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and it evokes the spirit of the season well while still tackling personal matters.
“Girlfriend In A Coma” – Season 15, Episode 12
This episode has it all, covering many months and the different holidays that occur during them. The main focus of the narrative is the time that passes while the doctors treat a patient in a coma. While there is a lot of drama, there are many heartwarming moments to make the episode feel lighter.
Ben finally comes home to Bailey, Richard helps Catherine through her cancer treatment, and Meredith realizes Deluca may be perfect for her. The two share their much-anticipated first kiss. While sad in parts, the episode is also very touching, and the feel of each holiday brings a lot of much-needed joy and happiness, securing it as one of the great holiday episodes ever.