Black TV Comfort Watchlists: Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s Episodes for a Cozy Holiday Season

Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year’s. Because Healing Requires Joy.

Some of us remember when holiday television was an event all by itself.

You knew Christmas was getting close when your favorite sitcom family started decorating the house, somebody dressed up as Santa Claus, or a perfectly ordinary family dinner turned into complete foolishness.

And Thanksgiving? Lord, you knew somebody was going to ruin the turkey, start an argument, invite the wrong guest, or announce something at the dinner table that could have waited until January. We laughed because we recognized those families. Maybe not every detail, but enough.

This holiday season, we’re revisiting some of those memories with a special edition of our Black TV Comfort Watchlists.

We’ve gathered Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s television favorites for anyone who wants to plan a watch party with friends, enjoy a family movie-and-television night, or spend a peaceful evening at home.

And you don’t need to celebrate every holiday to enjoy the shows. Sometimes you just want to see Martin acting a fool again.

Thanksgiving: Pull Up a Chair

There’s something about a sitcom Thanksgiving dinner. Everybody starts with good intentions, and before long somebody’s feelings are hurt, somebody’s cooking is being criticized, and somebody is wondering why they agreed to host.

For a classic Thanksgiving marathon, start with Martin’s “Feast or Famine,” where the men and women compete in the kitchen. Follow it with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s “Talking Turkey,” when Will’s mother visits and the Banks children find themselves responsible for Thanksgiving dinner.

Then visit Everybody Hates Chris, The Jamie Foxx Show, Living Single, or The Hughleys.

For more recent viewing, Black-ish offers “Auntsgiving,” and Insecure gives us “Lowkey Thankful,” a Thanksgiving episode with friendship, family, and complicated relationships.

There are enough episodes to make an entire weekend of it.

Christmas: Remember When the Sitcoms Decorated?

If you grew up watching Black sitcoms in the 1990s, you probably remember how much fun their Christmas episodes could be.

Will Smith decorating the Banks mansion. Synclaire trying to bring Christmas cheer to her friends on Living Single. Steve Urkel finding himself in another impossible situation.

And Martin? He had more than one Christmas adventure.

Try “I Saw Gina Kissing Santa Claus,” “Go Tell It on the Martin,” and “Holiday Blues.”

For a girls’ night, add Girlfriends and The Parkers. For a family evening, try Family Matters, The Proud Family, Kenan & Kel, and Everybody Hates Chris.

If you’re in the mood for older television, don’t overlook 227, Good Times, Sanford and Son, and What’s Happening!!.

And Frank’s Place offers a lovely opportunity to revisit a less frequently discussed Black television classic.

Kwanzaa and Black Holiday Traditions

The holidays are also a wonderful time to revisit television that celebrates Black family traditions and cultural heritage.

The Proud Family’s “Seven Days of Kwanzaa” is a natural addition to the collection.

And The Boondocks offers a very different kind of holiday humor in “A Huey Freeman Christmas.”

There’s room for different generations, different traditions, and different kinds of comedy in the same archive.

New Year’s: Start the Year With Something That Makes You Smile

Not everybody wants to spend New Year’s Eve in a crowd.

Some people love getting dressed up and going out. Others would rather enjoy good food, comfortable clothes, and a few hours of television.

Both are perfectly good ways to celebrate.

For a New Year’s watch party, start with Living Single’s “Let’s Stay Together,” which features an impromptu New Year’s gathering.

Then let everyone choose a favorite Black sitcom episode about friendship, new beginnings, or finding your way through life’s unexpected turns.

And if you’re spending New Year’s Day alone, perhaps this is the year you make yourself a little tradition.

A favorite breakfast. Fresh sheets. A comfortable chair. Something good on television.

No pressure to become an entirely new person before the weekend is over.

Make Your Own Holiday Watch Party

You can turn these episodes into a holiday gathering without making a big production out of it.

Ask friends or family members to choose their favorite episodes. Serve leftovers, make hot chocolate, order pizza, or put together a snack tray.

You could have a Thanksgiving leftovers marathon on Friday, a Christmas pajama watch party, or a New Year’s Day afternoon of Black sitcom favorites.

For friends who live far apart, arrange a virtual watch party. Everybody starts the same episode at the same time, and you can laugh together from your own homes.

And if you’re watching alone, make the evening just as pleasant.

Put on the show you want to see. Eat what you enjoy. Turn down invitations you don’t want to accept. Give yourself permission to have a good time.

A Holiday Reminder From SurvivorAffirmations

Holidays can bring happiness, but they can also bring complicated feelings.

You may miss somebody who used to sit beside you. You may be building new traditions after leaving a difficult relationship. You may be spending the season differently than you imagined.

And sometimes you’re simply tired.

You don’t have to force yourself into a celebration that doesn’t feel right.

But when something brings you a little happiness, you can welcome it.

Laugh at the old jokes. Sing along with the theme songs. Remember the good times. Make some new memories, too.

Healing requires joy, and joy deserves a place in your holiday season.

Whether you’re surrounded by loved ones or spending a peaceful evening with yourself, we hope these Black television favorites bring a little warmth, comfort, and laughter into your home.

Happy holiday watching from SurvivorAffirmations. ❤️

Christmas: the classics and forgotten favorites

The Christmas list draws on holiday episode collections from Essence, the Black Information Network, Global Grind, and Blavity.