Greetings! This time of the year is full of many traditions. Decorating, baking cookies, music, and of course the holiday specials/films. I’m sure many of us have our favorite holiday films that we watched as kids- that we continue to watch to this day. There is just something fun about re-watching these specials and films, reminiscing about holidays of the past and simply just relaxing and having a good time. A few years ago I added to these traditions by watching anime. I know what you are thinking- watching anime is a year round thing, what is special about that? Well at the time I came to the realization that there are surprisingly high amount of holiday themed episodes/films in anime. Some of the shows I was watching at the time had such episodes and the light bulb of inspiration prompted me to dig deeper. From there a new yearly tradition was born. Yes, I now have a holiday anime viewing list. I have a lot of fun with this and would like to share with you some of favorites from my viewing list in the hopes that maybe you will share some of your favorite holiday themed episodes or if you haven’t yet give this a try.

The cool thing about this tradition is that holiday episodes consist of a multitude of genres. You have your romantic/romantic comedy type episodes with episodes such as Wotakoi Episode 6 or My Senpai is Annoying Episodes 3 and Episode 11 (Yes, I’m counting New Years episodes as well since it is big holiday too). On a quick side note, if you aren’t watching My Senpai is Annoying- you really should be. It is a gem from this current season. This is probably the most common genre that you find a holiday in as the setting lends itself well to these type of stories. And let’s face it, many of these are feel good stories. That is what we want this type of year right?

You can also get your drama/action fix with shows such as the season 2 episode of Log Horizon literally titled “Christmas Eve” or the Toradora holiday episodes. Yes, Log Horizon seems like a weird choice for this list but this episode is one of the best ones in the series. It may not scream holiday in terms of it’s content but I tell you it is a nice change of pace to include this on the watch list. And of course the Toradora episodes have so many iconic moments that they are a must watch. It is also one of the many key turning points for the story’s narrative as a whole in my opinion. Even a series like Steins;Gate 0 gets in on the action with an amazing holiday themed episode.

Of course there is also some fun fluff to be had as well. K-on episode 7 is a must watch Christmas episode. It is an all time classic with a bunch of fun and adorable moments. Getting to see a young Yui and Ui, having Sawa-chan just cause chaos, and just seeing the group have fun as a whole is great to watch. Miss Kobayahi’s Dragon Maid Ep. 10 is another great one. It is the source of a few hilarious meme’s after all. Why not check it out if you haven’t. Laid Back Camp also has a holiday themed arc. Comedies such as Azumanga Daioh, School Rumble, and Lucky Star get in on the act as well. If you are looking for a chill and feel good way to spend some time then these are a must watch.

A must watch list of holiday themed anime includes some films as well. No holiday anime list is complete without Satoshi Kon’s masterpiece Tokyo Godfathers. I discovered this film a couple of years ago and now it is a must watch for me every year. This film includes everything that you would expect from a holiday film. There are plenty of laughs, memorable characters and a story with lot’s of heart. It’s messages about family, hope and redemption will resonate with most people as it did for me. If you want to know more, I did do a review a couple of years back which you can check out here. And of course I would be committing a serious crime if a didn’t mention The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. This film is all time classic with it’s holiday setting, it’s inspiration from a classic holiday story and an emotional narrative. Not only is my all time favorite anime film but it is the film that inspired to start my holiday anime tradition.

These are just a sample of the great holiday themed anime content out there. I personally have a great time going through my list and rewatching these shows along with the other holiday films and specials. It is an awesome to revisit some of my favorite series and gives me a cool excuse to do so. I have close to two dozen episodes/films on my list to watch this year and I look forward to discovering more each year. I also love how this covers so many different types of genres and stories as well. While there are a lot of great anime movies and specials, many of them have a similar tone and diving into different types of stories for the holidays is quite refreshing. It is a great way to scratch the anime itch while also celebrating the holidays. So if you have the time, I encourage you to add anime viewing to your list of holiday traditions. You won’t regret it.

So these are some my favorite holiday episodes and films. Do you have any favorites from my list or ones that I missed? Is this something that you do yourself? Please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear about more great Holiday themed anime episodes and films. So until next time, this is Railgunfan75 signing off. See you next time and once again I wish you all Happy Holidays!