"Christmas Party" (aka "Santa Claus is Coming to Scranton") is the first Christmas episode of the NBC sitcom The Office, based on the 2001-02 BBC series, produced and aired as the tenth episode of the show's second season.
Synopsis
The office staffers hold a "Secret Santa" gift exchange at their Christmas party. Jim received Pam's name for the first time this year and puts a great deal of effort into getting her the perfect gift. Michael buys a $400 video iPod as his gift to Ryan, far exceeding the $20 limit. He is disappointed by the handmade item he receives from Phyllis and introduces a "Yankee Swap", in which someone can choose to steal someone else's gift or open a new one.
Jim is left feeling uncertain about the fate of his special present for Pam (which is eventually claimed by Dwight) while the staff guns for the iPod. Although she ends up with the iPod at the end of the swap, she elects to trade the iPod for his gift that was meant for her to show her appreciation. While she goes through the various aspects of her gift, he sneaks a letter that he wrote for her into his pocket.
After ruining his staff's mood, Michael disobeys company policy by buying an obscene amount of alcohol for the Christmas party to compensate. Everyone ends up having a good time, with the exception of Angela, who is furious that she received no appreciation for her efforts toward arranging the Christmas party, as well as the fact that Kelly makes advances on Dwight, whom she is secretly dating. The episode ends with a drunken Meredith exposing herself to a shocked Michael, who takes a picture and then quickly flees.
Christmas gifts
The following is a list of the Christmas gifts that were given amongst the employees for "Secret Santa". Though not all of the gifts are explicitly featured in the episode, Michael Schur wrote them all into the script (the list was confirmed on the Season 2 DVD commentary for the episode). Many can still be seen in the background of certain scenes.
| Secret Santa | Gift | Intended Recipient | Final Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | video iPod | Ryan | Pam (Dwight)* |
| Dwight | paintballs and free paintball lessons | Phyllis | Michael |
| Jim | teapot and inside jokes | Pam | Dwight (Pam)* |
| Pam | drawing of the office | Meredith | Oscar |
| Ryan | book of short stories by George Saunders | Toby | Kelly (Toby)* |
| Kevin | footbath | ||
| Angela | picture frame | Stanley | Stanley* |
| Oscar | shamrock keychain | Creed | Jim |
| Stanley | customized desk nameplate | Kelly | Toby (Kelly)* |
| Phyllis | knitted oven mitt | Michael | Meredith |
| Meredith | "Cancún" shot glasses | Dwight | Phyllis |
| Kelly | shower radio | Oscar | Creed |
| Creed | old, worn shirt | Jim | Ryan |
| Toby | themed poster of babies | ||
*Afterwards, Pam traded the video iPod to Dwight for the teapot, and Kelly traded the book of short stories to Toby for the nameplate. Stanley ending up with the picture frame determined by process of elimination. Ryan intends to give Creed's shirt "to a homeless guy".
Songs
- Uncredited
- "Christmas in Hollis" - Run-DMC
- "We Wish You a Merry Christmas - The Joel Evans Quartet
Availability
The episode was included on The Office: Season 2 DVD set in 2006. It was also featured on The Office: Secret Santa Pack DVD in 2010 and The Office: Complete Christmas Collection DVD and Blu-ray in 2023.
Cast
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| Steve Carell | Michael Scott |
| Rainn Wilson | Dwight Schrute |
| John Krasinski | Jim Halpert |
| Jenna Fischer | Pam Beesly |
| B.J. Novak | Ryan Howard |
| David Koechner | Todd Packer |
| David Denman | Roy Anderson |
| Leslie David Baker | Stanley Hudson |
| Brian Baumgartner | Kevin Malone |
| Kate Flannery | Meredith Palmer |
| Mindy Kaling | Kelly Kapoor |
| Angela Kinsey | Angela Martin |
| Paul Lieberstein | Toby Flenderson |
| Oscar Nunez | Oscar Martinez |
| Phyllis Smith | Phyllis Lapin |
| Craig Robinson | Darryl Philbin |
| Bobby Ray Shafer | Bob Vance |
| Creed Bratton | Self |
| Ryan Martin | Clerk |
See also
External links
The Office Wiki: Christmas Party
"Christmas Party" at the Internet Movie Database