16 Great Holiday Skits From ‘Saturday Night Live’
There’s something about holiday themed episodes of Saturday Night Live that I can’t help but treasure. I think it all ties in with that “you can watch ONE show past your bedtime” theory – if you were allowed to stay up late for a certain TV show as a kid, chances are you probably have great memories of it. Sketch comedy was my late night program of choice back then and I still haven’t outgrown SNL. In fact, based on how much I enjoyed watching the Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon “Wrappinville” skit on the Dec. 21st episode, I don’t think I ever will. Here’s a compilation of some of my fav SNL holiday skit moments over the years, along with as many video links as I could stuff into them – tis the season!
“These kids today, they don’t even leave Santa milk and cookies anymore y’know. They just leave him almond milk and Instagram crackers!” Kicking the list off with a fairly recent skit, where everyone’s favorite Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan) introduces Drunker Uncle (John Goodman) to Seth Meyers on Weekend Update.
Um, should I be concerned that I’m way too aware Drunk Uncle wasn’t the first drunk to show up during Weekend Update? Jeff Richards used to do a blitzed out character called Drunk Girl in the early 2000’s that I greatly appreciated. Drunk Girl had a lot of emotional highs and lows, especially when paired with Jimmy Fallon, and in this skit she really falls off the deep end. 3)
The genius of Robert Smigel’s TV Funhouse animated skits on SNL are something I worry about future generations either not getting or not knowing about or worse, both. Sam the Snowman, infamous narrator to Rankin/Bass’ Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, refuses to tell any holiday stories because he’s too jaded from the news surrounding the 9/11 attacks. It’s up to the kids watching to help get him from being passed out on the toilet (yeah, you read that right) and back to doing what matters for Christmas.
3) NPR’s Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls
The owner of Season’s Eatings is in the NPR studio, Pete Schweddy (Alec Baldwin) along with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as he discusses his how his favorite holiday treat to bring out this time of the year are his balls. Popcorn balls, cheese balls, rum balls, and (say it with me everyone) Schweddy balls.
An instant Adam Sandler classic, “You don’t need deck the halls or jingle bell rock. ‘Cause you can spin the dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock–both Jewish!”
Need a family friendly recommendation of where to take the fam during the holidays in NYC? Look to Stefon to show you the way to clubs created by Menorah the Explorer and filled with Russian guys running on treadmills in Cosby sweaters.
6) Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party (Christmas)
“Fact: for every five people who are hungry, there are five people who are too full. It’s like, switch stomachs.” Cecily Strong is that girl at the party you wished you never started talking to in Weekend Update, the kind who boasts that all she wants for Christmas is an end to genocide and encourages Seth Meyers to “learn a book.”
It’s the relighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree special on NBC all over again with “holiday time” songs for everyone where it’s less about “sleep in heavenly peace” and more like “sleep in comfortable beds.” Even Darrell Hammond’s Donald Trump makes an appearance with a retelling of the nativity story and plug for his show The Apprentice.
The Bump It is the most popular selling toy of the holiday season – but Amy learns that it’s kind of the raunchiest toy around to play with. “It sounded like it said ‘oh yeah’ or something like that I don’t think it’s supposed to do that.”
The meaning of the African American holiday of Kwanzaa, as explained in a song by Tim Meadows in a song for the ladies on how to “have a happy sexy Kwanzaa!”
10) Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish
What starts off as one holiday wish for the kids turns into Steve Martin’s personal, constantly reorganized wish list for power, $30 million a month, sex, and “Wait oh jeez I forgot about revenge against my enemies!”
11) John Malkovich Reads The Night Before Christmas
John Malkovich might be the last person you want reading you a Christmas story as his asides during storytelling time tend to be of the “You know that the state of California has a home invasion law, where it’s actually legal to shoot someone just for entering your residence? And I’m telling you – I mean, perfectly legal. Did you know that? Well, it’s true!” variety.
12) D**k in a Box
What? Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg just want to give us something for Christmas so we know what’s on their mind. They even include a step-by-step tutorial!
Amy, Maya, and Kristen all have a boyfriend who always knows when they’ve been sleeping and knows when they’ve been bad or good: Mr. Claus himself in this awesome medley.
14) Buble Duets
Who doesn’t want to be on a Michael Buble Christmas album? Everyone’s in on his latest release including Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, ke$ha, and Russell Brand.
I’d be remiss to make this list without a little of Chris Farley’s motivational speaker, Matt Foley, who just happens to live in the North Pole “in a van down by the river!”
Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallon, Horatio Sanz, and Chris Kattan all performing “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” only gets better with every reboot and is truly a holiday treat for one and all.
Image courtesy of NBC.com.
