What's the best Christmas episode of The Facts of Life? The Nanny vs Mama's Family? Let's find out!
If you grew up in the 80s, tuning in to the special “Holiday” episodes of our favorite shows was a winter ritual. Susan and Sharon bring that tradition home as they dive into the “Best Holiday Episodes” of three favorite 80’s and 90s TV shows -- The Facts of Life, Mama’s Family and The Nanny. Musical numbers, mixed-up gifts, screwed-up travel plans -- and lots of hot cocoa!

80’s TV “Holiday” episodes had them all -- and we loved them for it! So grab some eggnog and fruitcake, and listen as Susan and Sharon choose their personal favorite holiday episodes of the some of our favorite 80s TV Ladies shows!

THE EPISODES
The Facts of Life:
S5, EP12 - “The Christmas Show”
S6, EP13 - “Christmas in the Big House”
S7, EP13 - “Christmas Baby”
S9, EP12 - “It’s A Wonderful Christmas”  

Mama’s Family:
S3, EP13 - “Santa Mama”
S6, EP14 - “Mama Gets Goosed”

The Nanny:
S1, EP8 - “The Christmas Episode”
S3, EP14 - “Oy To The World”
S6, EP10 - “The Hannukah Story”  

BONUS! The Carol Burnett Show:
S2, EP12 - Eileen Farrell, Bob Hope, and Marilyn Horne
S8, EP13 - Alan Alda

THE CONVERSATION 

• GO FIGURE -- Not a lot of Hanukkah or Kwanza episodes back in the 80s.
• Why did it take FIVE SEASONS before Facts of Life finally did a Christmas episode?
• S5, EP12 “The Christmas Show” - directed by Asaad Kelada.
• In S6, EP13 “Christmas in the Big House” -- Blair organizes a charity Christmas show for what she thinks is an orphanage -- but it turns out to be a men’s prison!
• Mickey Mouse Club veteran former Mousketeer Lisa Whelchel shows off her singing skills! Heck, all the ladies get to sing! 
• NO ROOM AT THE INN? In the third Facts of Life Christmas episode, Blair’s mom gives birth -- It’s a Christmas baby episode!
• IS IT A WONDERFUL SHOW? Cloris Leachman gets center stage in the fourth -- and final -- Facts of Life Christmas episode, S9, EP10 “It’s A Wonderful Christmas”.
• Mama’s Family S6, EP14 “Mama Gets Goosed” -- The family is horrified when they meet their dinner -- a live goose that Mama plans to kill and cook for Christmas!
• The Nanny got a jump on Christmas episodes in S1, EP8 -- where complications from a gift Mr. Sheffield gives to Fran ends up fulfilling Gracie’s only Christmas wish!
• S3, EP14 “Oy To The World” -- The Nanny’s one and only ANIMATED EPISODE!
• S6, EP 10 “The Hanukkah Story” -- Susan and Sharon BOTH loved this Nanny episode where cultures clash when Fran tries to teach the Sheffields the importance of Hanukkah.
• PLUS -- BONUS HOLIDAY EPISODES from The Carol Burnett Show! - Alan Alda, star of the M*A*S*H TV show hit, sings with Carol! And plays one of Mama’s sons and Eunice’s brother in “The Family” in a hilarious, homecoming Christmas sketch.
• But is that a better episode than the Christmas special with incredibly famous opera stars, Eileen Farrell, Marily Horne and a surprise guest star Bob Hope?
• AND -- A BIG THANK YOU to our PATREON MEMBERS! We’ll tell you about NEW PERKS coming your way in 2025!

So, join Susan and Sharon as they talk Ray Charles, Community, dreidels, Alan Alda, vegetarian Christmas dinners, talking dogs, opera, “Big Spender”, Bob Hope -- and confessional confessions!  

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Watch three of The Facts of Life Christmas Episodes on YouTube. 
Watch “Mama Gets Goosed” on PlutoTV.
And “Santa Mama” on PlutoTV.
Watch The Nanny streaming on Peacock.

The Carol Burnett Show
S2, EP12 - Aired 12/16/1968 - Eileen Farrell, Bob Home and Marilyn Horne on YouTube.
S8, EP13 - Aired 12/21/1974 - Alan Alda Christmas episode clips:
- Nobody Does it Like Me with Carol Burnett on YouTube.
- “The Family” Christmas sketch with Alan Alda on YouTube. 

LIGHT READING 
Read On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Read the Guardian article “How To Survive The Broligarchy” by Carol Cadwalladr.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin at Baldwin and Co Books.
Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit at Bookshop.org

SHOP
GET IN ON THE “80’s TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE!
15% off on all merch at the 8TL Shop. 
Make sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!

CONNECT
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Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 

Get your Carter on: This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. 

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