Ludachristmas

Ah, Christmas: the time of year where everyone is supposed to be kind and loving with everyone. Unless you're a) in a Tim Burton movie; b) Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa; or c) Colleen Donaghy. If it's the last one, then it also means twenty minutes of solid gags and another Emmy nomination for the terrific Elaine Stritch (too bad she didn't win this time, but what the hell, Kathryn Joosten in Desperate Housewives is the only actress who can compete with her in the comedy guest category).

Christmas at TGS tends to mean one thing only: a raunchy party (as witnessed by the writing on Frank's hat: "Ho Ho Horny!"). Unfortunately, Kenneth has other plans, since he believes the holidays shouldn't be mocked in some profane way. For Liz, however, Christmas means something else entirely: a visit from her parents and little brother Mitch (played by Conan O' Brien's sidekick Andy Richter), who had an accident years before and believes it's still 1985. Jack is intrigued by that (he thinks Reagan was the best President ever) and quickly develops an attachment to the Lemons, who give all the love and support he never received from his mother. This is confirmed when she shows up and insists on spending the day with them.

Christmas episodes are, by nature, effortlessly charming, probably because of the joyous context (maybe that's why they're called Christmas Specials in the UK). That this one features an acting duel between Alec Baldwin and Elaine Stritch is just the icing on the cake. In any sane universe, she will have to appear at least once in every season. I mean, even The Sopranos, which stayed perfect for the entirety of its run, was still never quite the same after Nancy Marchand's death. It's a scientific fact: cranky mothers are funny (and get nominated for an Emmy).