Family Matters and All their Christmas Episodes

 

  Good old “Family Matters”, it was one of ABC’s most successful family sit-coms, running from 1989 to 1997, and ended up becoming a staple of TGIF. In the beginning, the show followed Officer Carl Winslow, played by Reginald VelJohnson, and his African American family, the Winslow’s, in all the humorous, yet heart felt and somewhat relatable offerings one would expect from a family sitcom. Things changed when the goofy, and nerdy next door neighbor Steve Urkel, played by Jaleel White, came on the scene to steal the show. 

Originally meant as one-off character, he became a main stay in season 2, and eventually became the shows main character. Not only did the show become a full-on comedy series, but it also got re-tooled into a Science Fiction series, with Steve coming-up with all kinds of outlandish contraptions, and goofy oddities ensuing. This made the shows frequently annual Christmas episodes all the more fun to look forward to, because with Steve Urkel, and the shows unpredictable nature … there was no-telling what kind of cheer and delight you’d get along with all the laughs and mayhem. So, I thought it would be fun to go through each of the shows individual Christmas episodes, and see how they hold-up.

 

“Have Yourself a Merry Winslow Christmas” (Season 2, Episode 13)

For the very first Christmas outing with the Winslow family, things are bright and cheery at home, and everyone’s in a jolly mood … then Steve Urkel shows-up announcing that he’s been left all-alone for the holiday season, naturally playing on the family’s sympathy … and much to Laura Winslow’s displeasure, as Steve is frequently putting the moves on her. It doesn’t take long for Urkel’s clumsy nature to get the worst of him, resulting in a tipped over tree, and shattering Laura’s treasured antic ornament. Furious, she sends Urkel back to his lonely basement to spend the rest of the holiday season alone, prompting this sentimental remark … “If that makes you happy, that’ll be my Christmas gift to you”. 

What follows is one of those morbid moments that’s both funny and sad, as we see Steve alone in his cold basement, with nothing but a tipped-over tree and single letter to bring him cheer. Eventually, Laura comes around to apologize and invite him back over for Christmas. This results in a classic funny reaction from Steve, who’s so overwhelmed, he falls over on his back-side, and quotes the famous 90’s phrase “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up”! There’s also a sub-plot with Carl Winslow on a mission to find a special toy for little Nicky, which is flying off the shelves, and his very hard to get, especially when dealing with the crazy mob of shoppers … kind of feels like a pre-curser to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1996 film “Jingle all the Way”. 

Naturally, being a family sit-come, everything results in a cheerful ending, with a montage of everyone unwrapping gifts, while seeing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and depending on what kind of mood you’re in, it’ll either make you cringe, or feel all warm and cozy inside … honestly, I could see it affecting viewers either way. For me, it’s very simple comfort food, and takes me back to a time when family sit-comes just had a special feel all their own. 

   

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel” (Season 4, Episode 10)

Following after the last holiday outing, Urkel once again tries to put the moves on Laura, only to have them back-fire big time. Now, Laura is furious, and wishes he’d see things form her perspective. In an obvious, yet loving nod to “It’s a Wonderful Life” … right down to the movie playing in the background … a guardian angel appears to Laura to grant her wish, but there’s going to be a catch … she in turn has to experience things from Urkel’s perspective. Now the roles are reversed, and we see things differently at the Winslow home, with Urkel as the upright family member, and Laura is the nerdy neighbor who just can’t take no for an answer. 

The make-or-break deal of this episode is watching these actors play opposite roles of each-other, and for me, it looks like they had a lot of fun with this episode, and it’s hard for me not to have fun along with them. There’s also a number of details that make this episode stand-out among their Christmas offerings. The opening is classic Urkel, as he comes over to the Winslow home with a new invention that can produce fake-snow for Christmas trees. Naturally, everything goes wrong, turning the home into a giant flurry of white powder … yup, that’s peak Urkel for yah. 

I also love the snowy, shopping mall backdrop, with all the decorations, and Urkel’s goofy Christmas-mobile. Lastly, this episode apparently influenced Adam Sandler’s 2006 movie “Click”, as Laura’s guardian Angel has his own TV remote that can pause, alter and re-wind time. In the end, Laura and Urkel have a new found understanding for one another, and Aunt Rachel plays us out with “O Come All Ye Faithful”, making for yet another corny, yet still cheerful ending. I’d say this is one of the better “Family Matters” Christmas episodes, with a fun premise, memorable character performances, and lots of slap-stick highlights.    

 

“Christmas is Where the Heart is” (Season 5, Episode 11)

For the third Christmas outing on the show, we set-up a new dynamic … Carl Winslow is not in the holiday mood, and Steve Urkel is just the goofball needed to rejuvenate his Christmas spirit ... that will be the formula for many of the holiday episodes moving forward. After accidently smashing another Christmas gift, Carl and Urkel go out shopping, only to get stuck in the blizzard of the century. A sudden black-out strands the two on a subway car, with a number of passengers even grumpier than Carl. 

What they need is a nerd, who refuses to give-up until everyone is feeling the same yuletide cheer of the season. This premise is a double edge sword, as the train setting certainly gives this Christmas episode an identity, and it highlights that despite Urkel’s irritating and clumsy nature, he certainly has a big heart, and I can’t help admiring a character with so much spirit. The downside is that this situation can get repetitive, a little boring, and while there are some chuckles, there aren’t any big laughs either. 

The predictable resolution culminates into an ending with all the ill-tempered strangers coming together to make their own Christmas tree, while singing “Hark the Herald Angle Sing”, and as is tradition with the presentation of this show … it’ll either make you smile or shutter, depending on what mind-set your in. Overall, I wouldn’t call this one of my favorites of their Christmas episodes, but it’s not bad either, and while Carl’s dynamic with Urkel will get a little repetitive, it’s still handled fine here.        

 

“Miracle on Elm Street” (Season 6, Episode 11)

For the fourth of the “Family Matters” Christmas outings, we get perhaps the most straight forward and subtle of their holiday ventures … in that, there’s no adventure, or goofy situation … it’s simply the family and characters being their for one another on Christmas. First, Urkel goes dumpster diving to retrieve an accidentally discarded gift of Laura’s, and makes friends with a stray dog along the way. This culminates into one of Urkel and Laura’s most genuinely touching moments at the end. 

Meanwhile, Little Riche takes to heart his parents lesson of being thoughtful to those less fortunate, and invites a homeless man over for the holidays. Art Evans plays the hobo, and makes for a charming guest role. However, just when you think they’ll do something predictable with this character, like make him a thief, or someone with a sentimental back-story … he’s suddenly reviled to be Santa Claus … making for the one miscellaneous oddity in this episode. 

Aside from a silly opening, with Urkel and Carl getting into mishaps in the kitchen with a bag a flour, this episode really isn’t trying to be that funny, which is a welcome change-up, and thankfully, the episode isn’t overly sentimental with its message either. It’s just a pleasant, cheerful little holiday offering … although, I cold have done without the characters directly addressing the audience before they sing “We Wish you a Merry Christmas”.     

 

"Fa La La La Laagghh!" (Season 7, Episode 11)

By the time the seventh season came around, Steve Urkel was at the height of his popularity, and many episodes were revolving around accidental mishaps he’d cause around the Winslow house … time to see what destructive shenanigans he’ll get into on Christmas. At this festive time, Carl Winslow is naturally in a sour mood, and refuses to allow Urkel to decorate the roof of his house with his crazy light displays. Then, at his poker game, one of his friends says there is a big cash prize for the neighborhood lighting contest, and Carl's mood instantly changes, and basically uses Urkel as a means to rake in five-thousand dollars. Soon, Urkel learns the ugly truth, and their plans for the best-looking house hit rock bottom … quiet literally. 
Their roof is so cluttered with decorations that they come crashing down into the kitchen ... which at the time was one of the funniest things I ever saw in a Christmas sit-com. 

By extent, this is one of Urkel’s best, classic moments in the show, and even if this isn’t the absolute best holiday episode, Steves level of Christmas Destruction certainly makes it one of the most memorable. Afterwords, an angry Urkel sets Carl straight for lying to him and being greedy in wanting to win the prize money, rather than genuinely want to make children happy for the holidays. There’s also a sub-plot with Harriette wanting a little more participation from Eddie and Laura in the family's holiday activities, leaving grandma Winslow the voice of reason to teach them the true meaning of family-time during the holiday. 

Naturally, everything comes together in the end, with the family singing “Joy to the World”. It’s all around a perfect marriage of humble family lesions and outrageous comedy. There’s also terrific gag in which the house pulls so much electrical juice that the whole neighborhood … no, the whole city … no, the whole dang planet has a power outage. It’s so funny it upstages the electrical gag from “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation”. From it’s simple holiday morals, too its decorative details that would make “Die Hard” blush, too it’s out of control comedy, this episode is one Christmas gift that’s well worth keeping.

 

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (Season 8: Episode 13)

Tis the season … for Carl and Urkel to find themselves going on one more holiday adventure together. This time around, the pair search for a family Christmas tree out in the Wisconsin woods, but unfortunately for them, a freak blizzard throws them off their path, and the two have to work together to stay alive in a freezing forest at night. Meanwhile, Laura is stuck in a very boring sub-plot, in which her feelings are caught between two other boys, and she has to make a choice on which one to commit with. In the plus column, it’s great to see Jaleel White acting in the duple-ganger role of Stefan, who’s Urkel’s “cooler half”, and highlights the talent as more then just acting as a geeky nerd all the time.

Also, this is the most overly decorated the Winslow house has ever looked, so while the Laura plot is boring, I at least have some colorful decorations to look at. More important, this is a great bonding episode for Carl and Urkel, and unlike their previous Sub-way adventure, I like that it’s just the two characters together, and their chemistry is strongest when they’re not surrounded by extra’s. The epilogue is perhaps their most subdued yet, as they sing “O Christmas Tree”, and head for bed without a lengthy montage. All in all, I’d say this is a half-way decent Christmas outing … in that half of the episode is decent, and the other half can be skipped all together.      

 

“Deck the Malls” (Season 9: Episode 11)

It’s the very last Christmas episode of "Family Matters", and the Winslow’s find themselves facing their biggest holiday challenge yet … surviving a day working at the local shopping mall. Carl has to put on his best act as the department store Santa, Laura is stuck in a dorky helper elf costume, and Steve Urkel gets it worst of all working as a gift-wrapper in the packaging department. Straight to the point … I didn’t like this mall segment at all. Most of the jokes are laugh-free, a lot of it is boring, and what could have been a funny sequence with Urkel overwhelmed with work just never hit the mark for me. 

Carl at least gets a really good moment when he promises to grant a boys wish by helping his dad get a job. Once the whole shopping mall segment concludes, the episode manages to redeem itself with a lengthy Christmas morning sequence of the characters exchanging gifts, sharing some laughs, and Aunt Rachel shows-up just in time to sing “O Holly Night”. This would mark the final appearance of many of the shows main characters, and Mrs. Winslow would be played by a different actress after this, so there’s something suitably sentimental about this epilogue, and seeing all these characters together one last time. While I certainly wouldn’t have called this the best Christmas episode to close on, I feel it at least had the best ending.      

  So concludes my rundown of all the “Family Matters” Christmas episodes, and if I were to quickly rank them from my personal favorite, to my least favorite, it would go like this …

#1 “Fa La La La Laagghh!”

#2 “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel”

#3 “Have Yourself a Merry Winslow Christmas”

#4 “Miracle on Elm Street”

#5 “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”

#6 “Deck the Malls”

#7 “Christmas is Where the Heart is”

 

It's certainly been a nostalgic little trip down 90’s memory lane, and for anyone who also grew up with the series, I hope it was fun looking back. If your someone just looking for any random Christmas special, maybe this will give you something to look into this Holiday season.

Thanks for reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the shows you love!