Decider’s Sitcom Advent Calendar Day 24: Spend Christmas Eve With The Classic Charm Of ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’

The Christmas season is here and that means one major thing for TV devotees: re-watching all of your favorite festive sitcom episodes! In celebration of the season and the tradition of TV comedies getting all holly jolly for one episode a year, Decider presents our very first Sitcom Advent Calendar. Every day leading up to Christmas, Decider’s resident sitcom elf Brett White will share one holiday-themed sitcom episode for you to stream to make your days merry and bright.

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Decider’s Sitcom Advent Calendar Day 24

The Dick Van Dyke Show, “The Alan Brady Show Presents”

Season 3, Episode 13
Original Airdate: December 18, 1963
Written By: Sam Denoff and Bill Persky
Directed By: Jerry Paris

Tonight’s the big night, Christmas Eve! Hopefully your plans involve getting cozy on a couch, possibly within close proximity to a fireplace and loved ones. That’s why this episode, a Christmas episode unlike any other on this list, was selected for tonight. Unlike every other episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, this one’s pretty much a straight-up variety show packed with singing and dancing from some of the most talented TV performers of all time. It’s sweet, it’s goofy, it’s got a version of “The Little Drummer Boy” that will give you enough time to go refill your eggnog.

Christmas Trope Count: 6 (All About Christmas, Santa’s In The Cast, Carolers/Choir, Play/Pageant, Holy Crap This Cast Member Can Sing, Carols)

In addition to being skilled sitcom actors, this show’s core quartet were also crazy talented performers. Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke show off their positively pleasing dancing skills while old pros Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam take things back to the Vaudeville era. This episode beams with classic Christmas vibes.

Christmas Carol Count: 3 (“Jingle Bells,” original song, “Little Drummer Boy”)

A Second Helping: The Dean Martin Show’s 1968 Christmas Special

Day 1: Full House, “A Very Tanner Christmas”
Day 2: How I Met Your Mother, “How Lily Stole Christmas”
Day 3: The Golden Girls, “‘Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas”
Day 4: Black-ish, “Black Santa/White Christmas”
Day 5: Step By Step, “Christmas Story”
Day 6: Home Improvement, “Yule Better Watch Out”
Day 7: Fresh Off the Boat, “The Real Santa”
Day 8: Cheers, “Christmas Cheers”
Day 9: Family Matters, “Have Yourself A Merry Winslow Christmas”
Day 10: The Odd Couple, “Scrooge Gets An Oscar”
Day 11: The Office, “Christmas Party”
Day 12: Friends, “The One with the Holiday Armadillo”
Day 13: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Captain Latvia”
Day 14: 3rd Rock from the Sun, “Jolly Old St. Dick”
Day 15: Will & Grace, “All About Christmas Eve”
Day 16: The Bob Newhart Show, “I’m Dreaming of a Slight Christmas”
Day 17: That Girl, “Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid”
Day 18: 30 Rock, “Christmas Special”
Day 19: Roseanne, “No Place Like Home For The Holidays”
Day 20: Frasier, “Frasier Grinch”
Day 21: Bob’s Burgers, “Bob Rest Ye Merry Gentle-Mannequins”
Day 22: Community, “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”
Day 23: New Girl, “Christmas Eve Eve”

Watch The Dick Van Dyke Show's "The Alan Brady Show Presents" on Netflix