Every Abbott Elementary Holiday Episode, Ranked

Beyond its heartwarming portrayal of teachers and funny jokes, the ABC show Abbott Elementary has become known for its great holiday episodes over its five seasons.

The show values a consistent schedule, with each season beginning in the fall alongside the start of the school year, and often wrapping up with a field trip. Adding to this pattern are episodes centered around holidays. Whether it’s Christmas or Halloween, the writers of Abbott Elementary perfectly capture the lively and unpredictable energy of school holidays.

While Abbott Elementary hasn’t done a Thanksgiving episode yet, the show’s holiday episodes are generally fantastic. Some holiday storylines are funnier and more engaging than others, especially when it comes to the chaotic energy of the school’s classrooms.

9. Mother’s Day

Season 3, Episode 12

The third season episode, “Mother’s Day,” offered a fresh perspective on some of the characters, particularly Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams) and Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph). While they hadn’t spent much time alone together before, that changed when Barbara discovered Gregory was spending the holiday by himself.

When Gregory was nine, his mother passed away. Instead of facing his sadness, he decided to go to Top Golf. Barbara, concerned by this, invited him to a Mother’s Day celebration with family. Though he enjoyed the gathering, it was obvious Gregory and Barbara had different ways of coping with loss.

Things took a funny turn for Janine (Quinta Brunson) when comedian Kevin Hart, who’s from Philadelphia, FaceTimed her after she jokingly messaged him, wondering if he was her dad due to his height. He assured her he hadn’t dated her mother, but he did greet Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis), adding to the mystery surrounding the school custodian.

The holiday episode is an emotional one that ended on a light note, but not the best of the bunch.

8. Birthday

Season 5, Episode 8

The fifth season’s winter holiday episode, “Birthday,” featured Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) organizing Abbott Elementary’s winter concert. The episode ended on a heartwarming note with the students performing for their families.

Jacob worked hard to put on the concert, but he faced a big challenge: the school’s old furnace was failing. The repair technician said the heating system was in such poor condition that the school district should consider using a temporary building until a new heating and water system could be installed at Abbott.

Jacob was busy organizing the concert despite a lot of chaos, but the heart of the episode focused on Janine and Gregory’s budding relationship. Things were complicated by the arrival of Janine’s mother, Vanetta Teagues (played by Taraji P. Henson), who was visiting for her birthday. Janine and Vanetta have a strained and difficult relationship, and this was the first time Vanetta was meeting Gregory.

Although the scenes between Vanetta and Gregory were funny, Abbott Elementary has featured stronger holiday episodes than “Birthday.” The episode focused more on Janine’s birthday than the holidays themselves, despite a good performance by Jacob.

7. Costume Contest

Season 4, Episode 4

The Abbott Elementary episode “Costume Contest” showed the show really nails Halloween fun. It was a special episode because it marked the first time Janine and Gregory celebrated the holiday as a couple with matching costumes.

As the couple debated their costumes, the rest of the team prepared for Abbott’s costume contest. Melissa

For Halloween, Schemmenti dressed up as her favorite guinea pig, Sweet Cheeks. Jacob went as the famous game show host Pat Sajak, Barbara wore a tiger costume, and Ava Coleman dressed as the movie character Blade.

Janine dressed as DNA and Gregory as the mosquito from Jurassic Park, and while their costumes were unique, most people didn’t recognize them. This actually foreshadowed a similar situation in season 5’s Halloween episode. While “Costume Contest” wasn’t Abbott Elementary‘s strongest Halloween offering, the funny costumes made for an enjoyable watch.

6. Camping

Season 5, Episode 5

The fifth season Halloween episode, titled “Camping,” featured a running joke about Janine and Gregory deciding on a couples’ costume.

Barbara planned a Halloween camping trip hoping to create a truly memorable experience for her students. The staff got into the spirit by wearing costumes – Janine and Gregory cleverly dressed as director Ryan Coogler and an IMAX screen! While this trip was different from typical field trips – the teachers were actually exhausted and in need of a rest – they happily joined to support Barbara and the students.

The camping trip hit a few snags – Jacob’s ghost stories frightened the kids, Janine and Gregory wandered off and got lost, and Barbara discovered her camping permit wasn’t valid. But even with all the mishaps, everyone had fun, and wearing Halloween costumes made the whole experience even more amusing.

5. Valentine’s Day

Season 2, Episode 14

Season 2 featured several first-time celebrations, like Valentine’s Day. The characters were looking forward to enjoying the romantic holiday with each other, but true to form for Abbott Elementary, things didn’t go entirely smoothly.

Janine was making Valentine’s Day plans, and Gregory was trying to find the perfect gift for his girlfriend, Amber Williams (Naté Jones). However, Janine discovered she had a secret admirer at school, and Jacob accidentally let slip that it was Gregory. This was the first time Janine realized Gregory had strong feelings for her.

Throughout the day, Barbara worries about arrangements with her husband, while Melissa wonders why her boyfriend, Gary (Bruno Amato), hasn’t said anything about Valentine’s Day.

The episode featured a compelling side story involving Ava and Jacob. A parent questioned why Jacob, a white teacher, was leading Black History Month lessons at a school with mostly Black students, and asked Ava to take over the teaching.

Instead, Ava attended Jacob’s classes, and his lesson about Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X motivated her to return to school. The growing connection between Ava and Jacob, along with the reveal of Gregory’s feelings for Janine, made the “Valentine’s Day” episode particularly strong.

4. Candy Zombies

Season 2, Episode 6

The Halloween episode, “Candy Zombies,” from Season 2 is a standout of Abbott Elementary’s holiday specials. It centers around the students and teachers at Abbott Elementary trying to manage some playful students who got their hands on Halloween candy before they were supposed to.

Teachers playfully search for the student in a Baby Thanos costume as energetic, candy-fueled kids race through the hallways, hoping to save the candy and bring the chaos to an end.

This episode is a hit because it’s delightfully chaotic. Between students causing trouble, Melissa’s annoyance with matching costumes, and Janine struggling after her breakup, there’s a lot going on. Adding to the fun is the developing connection between Janine and Gregory, and Janine’s funny James Harden costume!

3. Winter Show

Season 4, Episode 7

The “Winter Show” was Abbott Elementary‘s first holiday performance, created as an alternative to a traditional Christmas concert to be inclusive of all students’ beliefs. Barbara Howard volunteered to direct the show and write an original song for the students to perform.

Jacob’s brother, Caleb (played by Tyler Perez), visited while Jacob was teaching. Seeing Caleb brought up difficult memories from their childhood, and Jacob initially had a strong reaction. Thankfully, they were able to connect by the end of the episode and agreed to try and improve their relationship.

Viewers also clearly saw Ava develop feelings for O’Shon, the school’s IT specialist, in this episode. It was a feel-good installment, balancing funny, chaotic scenes with a heartwarming message of inclusivity.

2. Winter Break

Season 4, Episode 8

The “Winter Break” episode was full of funny and meaningful scenes. It showed the teachers enjoying the holidays together while school was out for the break.

Christmas Eve was at Melissa’s this year, and it was… lively, to say the least! Her whole family was there – Jacob and Caleb, plus Barbara and her husband. It was extra special because it was Janine and Gregory’s first Christmas together as a couple, but things got a little awkward when Ava unexpectedly showed up and interrupted their cozy night.

This episode was particularly strong because it evoked a lot of different feelings. The chaotic situation involving the Schemmentis and Jacob felt like a full episode on its own. Meanwhile, Ava’s story – and her desire to spend Christmas with Janine – was deeply moving, revealing her loneliness.

“Winter Break” was a fantastic episode because of the warm, inviting atmosphere of Janine’s party, contrasted with the chaotic and unsettling scene at Melissa’s, which even hinted at a possible dead body.

1. Holiday Hookah

Season 2, Episode 10

The episode “Holiday Hookah” is considered the best holiday episode of Abbott Elementary. Viewers especially love it because of the growing romantic tension between Janine and Gregory as they start to develop feelings for each other.

With winter break starting, Janine is looking to move on after her split with Tariq. She decides to try something new and goes clubbing with friends.

Janine unexpectedly bumped into Gregory and his friend Maurice while waiting to get into the club. It was a little awkward running into coworkers outside of work, but they all found the situation funny.

After that, Janine and Gregory started flirting and getting to know each other when they weren’t at work. Sadly for those hoping they’d become a couple, Gregory let slip that he was still seeing Amber. Despite that, the encounter did lead Janine to briefly date a friend of Maurice’s.

A Christmas dinner at school featuring Barbara, Melissa, Mr. Johnson, and Jacob formed a central part of the episode. The story explored how different people experience the holidays and the importance of being with loved ones. With a possible romance brewing between Gregory and Janine, and Jacob’s cynical take on the season nearly spoiling the meal, “Holiday Hookah” is widely considered the best holiday episode of Abbott Elementary.

2025-12-25 18:13