The Christmas season is upon us! When I think about media and Christmas, my first thought doesn’t go to Home Alone or The Polar Express; it goes to the Doctor Who Christmas specials. I’ve been watching Doctor Who for eight years now, which means I watched the first few Christmas Specials eight years ago when I binged about five seasons. Since the first Christmas Special, there have been so many iconic moments, a lot of which I forgot about. So while last year we made a ranking list of the best Christmas specials, this year, I decided to rewatch all the specials and compile a list of my favorite moments, in order of appearance.
1. The Christmas Invasion
This was the first-ever Christmas Special (or at least in the 2005 series), and I believe the first episode with David Tennant’s Doctor. The episode itself is full of funny moments, such as a killer Christmas tree and Rose’s mom just being herself. But the moment that I absolutely forgot about and cracked me up the most was when The Doctor has as sword fight in his PJs. Did you forget as well? Time to rewatch then!
2. The Runaway Bride
While this episode was, in my opinion, not that great, it was the debut of Donna as a character. Donna is a companion who I don’t really like solo, but love in combination with the Doctor. So a lot of my favorite moments are with the two of them. For example, the moment in the Christmas special where there’s a highway chase with the TARDIS. The chaotic energy between them during that chase made my day!
3. The End Of Time, Part 1
This episode, along with Part 2, is focused around The Master, whom I loathe (in contrast to Missy, whom I love). But what makes this episode (and Part 2) better is Wilfred Mott. Words cannot describe my love for this character, his cheerful antler headband, and his Christmas dance. He’s the hero we need but don’t deserve.
4. A Christmas Carol
While watching this episode, I realized how much I missed the 11th Doctor. While the episode itself was so-so, I had forgotten that this was the episode with the quote that became very meaningful to me: “In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met someone who wasn’t important.”
5. The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe
This episode has major Narnia vibes, but to me, it’s the episode with another one of my favorite Doctor Who quotes: “Because what’s the point in them being happy now if they’re going to be sad later? The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later.”
6. The Snowmen
This was the first Christmas Special with Clara, who might be my favorite companion along with Martha. She has chaotic energy and curiosity that I see in myself as well. So when she saw the TARDIS and said “It’s smaller on the outside!”, I definitely related to that kind of thinking.
7. The Time of the Doctor
In this episode, the (11th) Doctor meets Clara’s family. Just before doing so, he was naked. But when Clara asked him to put on clothes, he changed real quick and said the clothes were actually a telepathic projection, meaning he was still naked. When he met her family, everyone was speechless, apart from granny, who seemed attracted to him. It turns out, he had only projected the image on Clara, and thus he was perceived naked by the family. Talk about an awkward Christmas dinner!
8. The Husbands of River Song
Besides the small bits of cuteness between the (12th) Doctor and River Song, it was absolutely hilarious to see the Doctor pretend to be amazed by the TARDIS and perform the monologue he wished everyone else performed. God, I miss that grumpy old man.
And there you have it! If you want to go down memory lane this Christmas, I definitely recommend watching the specials. So get cozy and cuddle up, because it’s marathon time. Happy holidays!
