{"id":360751,"date":"2025-12-20T22:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T22:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/360751\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T22:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T22:37:11","slug":"the-o-c-s-chrismukkah-episodes-ranked-worst-to-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/360751\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The O.C.’s’ Chrismukkah Episodes, Ranked Worst to Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

In time for the holidays, The Hollywood Reporter compiled a ranking of Seth Cohen’s hybrid holiday of Christmas and Hanukkah.<\/p>\n

\tDecember 20, 2025 11:30am\t<\/p>\n

\tPublished on December 20, 2025\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Adam<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAdam Brody, Rachel Bilson and Benjamin McKenzie with Shannon Lucio in ‘The O.C.’ Chrismukkah episodes.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWB\/Courtesy Everett Collection (2)<\/p>\n

\n\tChrismukkah is upon us.<\/p>\n

\n\tBack on Dec. 3, 2003, The O.C.\u2019s Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) introduced his own hybrid holiday to adopted brother Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), blending Christmas and Hanukkah to reflect his interfaith family, as his dad Sandy (Peter Gallagher) is Jewish and his mom Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) is Christian.<\/p>\n

\n\tSeth may not have invented combining the two holidays, but he did give the world a name for what he called \u201cthe greatest superholiday known to mankind.\u201d Writer-producer Stephanie Savage told The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> in 2016 she was surprised by how many viewers already celebrated something similar but lacked a term for it. <\/p>\n

\n\tEach season\u2019s Chrismukkah episode followed Seth using his superholiday to solve the latest crisis on the Fox drama, resulting in some of the show\u2019s most entertaining and dramatic moments. With Hanukkah underway and Christmas approaching, it\u2019s that time of year to revisit how these episodes stack up.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah\u201d (Season 3, Episode 10)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"The
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: WB\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe idea of this episode is very fun: Seth wants to throw Ryan a Bar Mitzvah for Chrismukkah, and he even has a new name for it \u2014 the \u201cChrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah.\u201d Even though Ryan isn\u2019t Jewish, they decide to hold the event to raise money to help Marissa\u2019s (Mischa Barton) friend Johnny (Ryan Donowho) afford a surgery. Throughout the episode, Seth\u2019s passion and excitement about teaching Ryan more about Judaism \u2014 and bringing him closer to the Cohens \u2014 make for some of the series\u2019 most endearing moments. (It even earned a spot on our list of top Seth Cohen moments<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, the storyline ends up revolving around Johnny yet again, and Marissa putting him first instead of Ryan was a frustrating focus of season three that is widely agreed upon by fans. It\u2019s also worth noting that after Johnny plans to rob a gas station but is stopped by Ryan (another Chrismukkah miracle), the plotline is dropped entirely. In the end, Seth\u2019s heartwarming efforts aren\u2019t enough to outweigh the exhaustion of the ongoing Johnny storyline.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Chrismukk-huh?\u201d (Season 4, Episode 7)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"The
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Yarish\/WB\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe most unique Chrismukkah episode is \u201cThe Chrismukk-huh?,\u201d set in an alternate universe where even the theme song is different (the only time it ever changes). After Ryan and Taylor (Autumn Reeser) fall off a ladder and hit their heads, they wake up in a reality that shows what would\u2019ve happened if Ryan had never come to Newport: Kirsten and Sandy are divorced; Kirsten married Jimmy (Tate Donovan); Sandy is mayor and is with Julie (Melinda Clarke), who\u2019s cheating on him with Ch\u00e9 (Chris Pratt); and Seth and Summer (Rachel Bilson) never dated and are exaggerated versions of their early-season selves. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe most emotional moment comes when Ryan meets Kaitlin (Willa Holland), who reveals Marissa died three years earlier in a Tijuana alley from an overdose \u2014 the fate she would\u2019ve met in season one\u2019s \u201cThe Escape\u201d if Ryan hadn\u2019t saved her. It\u2019s a jaw-dropping twist, made even more heartbreaking when Ryan discovers Marissa had written him a letter before she died, telling him she loved him but needed to leave Newport so they could both move on \u2014 only for the letter to get lost in the mail. This episode nearly ranked higher on the list: it\u2019s creatively written, highlights how crucial Ryan is to everyone\u2019s lives, gives him the closure he needs to let go, and wraps up Marissa\u2019s story as well as the show could at that point. But it isn\u2019t quite as festive as Seth\u2019s ideal Chrismukkah.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn\u2019t,\u201d (Season 2, Episode 6)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"The
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: WB\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe sophomore season\u2019s festive episode is a strong follow-up to season one, with Seth just as eager to celebrate Chrismukkah and inviting Summer and Marissa to join the Cohens, while Ryan brings his girlfriend Lindsay (Shannon Lucio). The episode\u2019s major twist \u2014 revealing that Lindsay is actually Caleb\u2019s (Alan Dale) love child and Kirsten\u2019s half sister \u2014 creates one of the most dramatic Chrismukkah moments in the series.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat makes the episode stand out, though, is how the characters react: Seth defends his mother and kicks Caleb out, and when the holiday seems on the verge of falling apart, Summer steps in and brings Chrismukkah to a devastated Lindsay by decorating her home to save the day \u2014 must be another Chrismukkah miracle. Her gesture is even more meaningful because she and Seth aren\u2019t dating at this point in their on-again, off-again relationship, which proves their eventual endgame. And while Lindsay remains a minor figure in the overall series, her storyline as Caleb\u2019s daughter is far more entertaining than Johnny\u2019s arc in season three. Oh, and she gave us Yamaclauses!<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Best Chrismukkah Ever\u201d (Season 1, Episode 13)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Adam
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tSeason one\u2019s \u201cThe Best Chrismukkah Ever\u201d easily takes the top spot, introducing Cohen\u2019s \u201cinvented\u201d holiday with Seth assuring Ryan he doesn\u2019t have to choose between Christmas and Hanukkah in the Cohen household because they celebrate \u201cChrismukkah,\u201d which is soon to be \u201csweeping the nation.\u201d In addition to Seth\u2019s over-the-top festiveness, the episode is packed with moments \u2014 Summer\u2019s Wonder Woman costume gift, Marissa\u2019s Chanel dress that Mischa Barton <\/a>still has today, and the Seth\u2013Anna (Samaire Armstrong)-Summer love triangle hitting its breaking point \u2014 while delivering plenty of drama. <\/p>\n

\n\tAfter Marissa is caught shoplifting and later gets drunk at Caleb\u2019s party, she nearly gets Ryan in trouble when she rides home with an open container in his car, a close call that pushes her to realize she needs help. Ryan getting off scot-free becomes the show\u2019s first true Chrismukkah miracle \u2014 or, as Cohen might say, maybe he just had Jesus and Moses working for him.<\/p>\n

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