"What's your favorite holiday movie?" is probably a more likely question than "What's your favorite holiday TV episode?". Movies get all the limelight, and it's no different this holiday season. But most TV shows do a Christmas-themed episode, and there have been many memorable ones over the years ("The Gift" from ER Season 1, "Christmas Party" and "A Benihana Christmas" from NBC's The Office, and of course the Christmas special from BBC's The Office, which provided such a perfect conclusion to the series).
But my personal favorite is probably "In Excelsis Deo" from the first season of "The West Wing", an episode which won the Emmy for Best Writing. The central plot concerns Toby being notified of a homeless veteran who had passed away over the previous night due to exposure, sleeping on a park bench. Toby had donated his coat to the YMCA and the coat had subsequently been passed on to the veteran, and the police had found Toby's card in the coat. Toby proceeded to use his position as a senior staffer in the White House to arrange a military funeral for the veteran. Highlights of the episode: (1) The selfless act by Toby; (2) the juxtaposition of the choir at the White House singing "Carol of the Drums" with the funeral taking place; and (3) Mrs. Landingham's heartbreaking account that she had lost her two sons in Vietnam on Christmas Eve, in a scene as powerfully moving as it is quiet and understated.
The following video is the "Carol of the Drums" scene. I really love the beautiful editing job done here, where the music of the choir perfectly paces the scene.
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