The 10 Best Chrismukkah Moments From The O.C.

20 years ago, The O.C. introduced us to the magic of Chrismukkah when Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) declared: “In this house, you don't have to choose!” Although the practice of celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah isn’t a new concept, the Fox teen drama popularized the term “Chrismukkah” to the point where it became a pop culture phenomenon, not unlike Seinfeld's Festivus. In 2004, “Chrismukkah” was included as one of Time’s “buzzwords” of the year. The following year, Grey’s Anatomy incorporated the holiday into the Season 2 episode “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” There are even books about Chrismukkah!

In a 2013 interview with Vulture, The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz explained that his own experience of feeling like an “outsider” as a Jewish student at the University of Southern California inspired him to have the characters celebrate Chrismukkah. “The show is really about outsiders: Ryan [Ben McKenzie] was the most obvious outsider, as was Seth,” he said at the time. “The idea of a mixed [half-Jewish, half-Christian] family in Newport would also contribute to the Cohen outsider-family status … Seth coined a holiday that would both celebrate and underline his outsider status in Newport. That led us to Chrismukkah.”

There are four Chrismukkah specials in the series, one episode per season. Although you could certainly binge all of them in one evening, we figured we’d save you some time by narrowing down the very best highlights. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 Chrismukkah moments of The O.C. in chronological order.

Seth Explains the Origins of Chrismukkah

"The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (Season 1, Episode 13)

We were all as wide-eyed as Ryan (Ben McKenzie) when Seth first held up a menorah and a candy cane and proclaimed, “Let me introduce you to a little something that I like to call ‘Chrismukkah.’ It’s sweeping the nation!” Seth explains how he “invented” the holiday as a kid, having been raised by his Jewish father, Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Christian mother, Kirsten (Kelly Rowland). According to him, Chrismukkah consists of “eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents,” a tree and stockings, plus Chinese food and movies.

Despite the enthusiastic pitch, Ryan understandably doesn’t immediately jump for joy at the idea. After all, as Kirsten reminds Seth, it can be a tough time of the year for anyone—but especially for a recently adopted teenager who’s still acclimating to living in an unfamiliar world. Nevertheless, Seth is determined to get his foster brother in the holiday spirit. “Soon, Ryan will learn the magic of Chrismukkah,” he vows, jingling a bell.

This moment is instrumental not only because it introduces viewers to the very concept of Chrismukkah, but also because it plays with the changing family dynamics as Ryan tries to figure out where exactly he fits in. Plus, who doesn’t love seeing Adam Brody in a festive reindeer sweater?

Ryan and Marissa Go Shopping for Presents at South Coast Plaza

"The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (Season 1, Episode 13)

It’s not often that Ryan and Marissa (Mischa Barton) get to catch a break and just do cute couple-y things together. The adorable montage of them holding hands in the department store, riding the escalator together, and her guiding him through the thorns of the iconic shopping destination as Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe This Christmas” plays serves as a respite from all of the teen angst that ensues later in the episode.

“I know it sounds stupid, but I like it here,” a twinkly-eyed Marissa muses to Ryan as they browse through the high-end store she can no longer afford. “Everything is so… perfect.”

Of course, the serenity doesn’t last too long. Their idyllic trip to the mall comes swiftly crashing down when Marissa is, sigh, caught shoplifting. The drama is iconic in its own way, and Barton’s acting shines in this episode as Marissa continues to act out (“There’s drinking, crying, cops. Well then, it must be Christmas!”). But it’s the sweet mall sequence preceding the storm that really stands out.

Summer Dresses Up as Wonder Woman for Seth

"The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (Season 1, Episode 13)

Some aspects of The O.C. admittedly haven’t aged super gracefully, and Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Anna (Samaire Armstrong) falling over themselves to compete for Seth’s affections doesn’t feel like it would hold up very well today. That being said, we couldn’t not include Summer dressing up as Wonder Woman on this list.

At this point in the season, both Summer and Anna have realized they have feelings for Seth, but he just can’t bring himself to choose between them. So, it shouldn’t be a shock when both girls show up to accompany him to the holiday party. Over the course of the evening, they both give Seth presents: Anna makes him a ridiculously adorable comic book while Summer takes the more risqué route and seductively dresses up as Wonder Woman to woo him.

Despite its ridiculousness, the scene is a gift for Sethmer shippers everywhere and one that O.C. fans won’t forget any time soon. Bilson saying, “I hear you like comic books, Cohen,” still lives in our minds rent-free.

Ryan Finally Hangs His Chrismukkah Stocking

"The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (Season 1, Episode 13)

Although Ryan is initially hesitant to participate in the Cohens’ Chrismukkah festivities, he finally fully joins in at the end of the episode when he hangs the personalized stocking that Seth gave him. As a bonus, we also get a glimpse at the family’s incredibly cute holiday card, which, of course, includes Ryan.

When Ryan hangs his stocking, it not only shows that he’s come around to celebrating Chrismukkah, but also demonstrates that he’s beginning to feel like he’s truly a part of the Cohen family. His journey to accepting Sandy and Kirsten as his parents and Seth as his brother isn’t something that happens overnight, but instead little by little over the course of the entire series. This scene marks one of the first major milestones toward that.

Lindsay Is Revealed as Caleb’s Illegitimate Daughter

"The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t" (Season 2, Episode 6)

Season 2 of The O.C. tested the waters and shook things up with new characters, different relationship pairings, and shocking plot twists. At times, the show started to feel like it was veering into soap opera territory, which wasn’t necessarily great. Sometimes though, the absurd swings the writing took actually paid off — or at least, they were fun to watch.

“The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t” doesn’t quite live up to Season 1’s holiday special, but the episode delivers maximum drama when Kirsten’s father Caleb (Alan Dale) admits to everyone at the holiday party that Lindsay (Shannon Lucio), the boys’ new classmate and Ryan’s budding love interest, is his secret daughter from an affair. Although it’s certainly not a typical Christmas moment, it’s an undeniably iconic reveal that makes Marissa’s half-joking suggestion that they spike the eggnog suddenly seem reasonable. The dramatic scene also hints at Schwartz and co-executive producer Stephanie Savage’s later teen drama Gossip Girl.

Summer Saves Chrismukkah

"The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t" (Season 2, Episode 6)

A determined Summer gets her time to shine in this episode when she spontaneously concocts the perfect plan to save Seth’s favorite holiday. “You guys can all give up,” she tells the group as they mope around the diner after Caleb’s scandal spoiled the party. “But I still believe in a Chrismukkah miracle!”

With the rest of the gang’s help, she manages to put together a glorious last-minute Chrismukkah lawn display, bringing Lindsay and the Cohens together as they accept their new reality. Overall, it’s a nice, warm holiday moment that balances out the antics of the rest of the episode. And, although Summer and Seth aren’t together at the time, they share a sweet exchange as they sit on the front porch wearing “yamaclauses” and he proudly remarks, “Summer Roberts, you saved Chrismukkah.”

The Core Four Go Christmas Tree Shopping

"The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah" (Season 3, Episode 10)

Season 3’s “The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah” is widely regarded by fans as the weakest of the series’s holiday specials, primarily because of how much it bizarrely revolves around the far-from-loved character Johnny Harper (Ryan Donowho). That being said, there are still a couple of moments worth highlighting — for starters, the episode kicks off with a great scene of Ryan, Seth, Marissa, and Summer going Christmas tree shopping.

The show is always at its best when the core four is together, and scenes like this highlight how much chemistry the group has. It’s a simple teaser: both staple couples are finally together at the same time, and the characters all get to play off each other. Who doesn’t love watching Summer insist they keep searching for the perfect tree as Ryan points out that they’ve already been at the lot for three hours? Overall, the scene feels reminiscent of Season 1’s dynamics and reminds us why we’re still tuning in.

Ryan Gets "Bar Mitzvah'ed"

"The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah" (Season 3, Episode 10)

When Johnny doesn’t have the money to pay for his knee surgery, the gang is determined to help. Despite his insistence that he doesn’t want to be their charity case, the friends decide to raise funds by putting on a unique fundraiser event: a bar mitzvah for Ryan.

Even though we don’t love the Johnny-ness of it all (why exactly are we focusing so much on this whiny side character again?), it’s undeniably fun to see Ryan get, as Summer succinctly puts it, “bar mitzvah’ed.” As an aside, it’s also nice that the Cohens’ Jewishness, something that was pretty rare to see represented in a 2000s teen drama, remains an important element throughout the series’s run.

Ryan and Taylor Tumble Off a Ladder and Wake Up in a Parallel Universe

"The Chrismukk-huh?" (Season 4, Episode 7)

The fourth and final season of The O.C. is controversial for a myriad of reasons: Mischa Barton’s glaring absence after Marissa’s shocking death in the Season 3 finale “The Graduates,” the stark change in tone, and the pivot to unexpected new romantic pairings such as Ryan and Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser). The season also has its fair share of defenders, with some fans considering it a return to form for the series. However you feel about Season 4, the show’s last Chrismukkah special is certainly a memorable one.

As Ryan hangs the holiday lights, he and Taylor get into an argument over their relationship status. When she climbs the ladder, she accidentally sends them tumbling onto the ground. They get knocked out (how do TV characters never sustain any brain damage from these things?!) and, in their dream states, enter an alternate universe where Ryan never came to Newport. Basically, it’s The O.C. version of Marvel’s What If…?.

As one of the biggest creative swings the show takes in Season 4, it’s one of those “you either love it or hate it” plots. Whether you believe Ryan and Taylor were the superior pairing or are still upset about Marissa to this day, it’s certainly entertaining to watch the characters stumble their way into this wacky It’s a Wonderful Life land.

Alternate Universe Sandy Bails Ryan Out of Jail

"The Chrismukk-huh?" (Season 4, Episode 7)

Boy, we’ve really come a long way from Season 1, haven’t we? When Ryan finds himself stuck in jail in this twisted alternate universe, Sandy (or at least, this AU version of him) surprisingly comes to bail him out.

The final entry on our list deserves a spot for a couple of reasons. First, it serves as an unexpected nice parallel to when we met Sandy in the pilot, back when he was just Ryan’s attorney paying him a visit in juvenile detention. Additionally, the heartfelt dialogue between the two here drives home the overall point of the episode: Ryan is seriously struggling to move on after Marissa’s death. It’s not until he has this one-on-one moment with Sandy that he’s finally able to acknowledge the extent of his grief and admit why he can’t commit to Taylor.

Lastly: the image of Ryan sitting next to that Santa Claus in jail is just incredibly hilarious. If that doesn’t say “Merry Chrismukkah!,” what does?

Kelly Martinez is a TV Reporter based in Los Angeles. Her previous work can be found at BuzzFeed and People Magazine, among other outlets. She enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and explaining the plot of Riverdale to people.