A Ranking of the Scooby-Doo Christmas Episodes

12/6/2022

Back in 2016, I wrote up a post giving my reviews of all the Christmas and winter Scooby-Doo episodes. However, I never specifically ranked them from least favorite to favorite, so I thought it might be fun to revisit those reviews and rank each of the episodes! I'm just going to stick with the Christmas episodes for this ranking, and I'll save the winter ones for next week! :)

5. Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays
I honestly love all of these episodes so much that it's hard to choose one. When I think of Christmas episodes, this one is the least memorable of the five here, but it's by all means still very good. I thought the Sinister Snowman was a really cool villain, especially his ability to shapeshift! The ending with Santa is also very heartwarming.

4. Scary Christmas
The comedy in this episode is top notch. Fred continually bringing the gang back to the "Big Sad Eyes Orphanage" was really random and hilarious. It was interesting how this episode's Daphneism allowed us to get to know her on a little more personal level too, since we discover her insecurities with having her birthday overshadowed by Christmas. Fred's fixation on not wanting to solve the pterodactyl mystery because it isn't Christmas related is also hilarious. Definitely a must-add to any holiday special marathon!

3. Scroogey Doo
Before this episode came out, I'd wanted a Scooby-Doo episode that parodies A Christmas Carol for years. The story just fits so well with the Scooby-Doo formula. On top of that, A Flintstone Christmas Carol is one of my favorite Christmas specials of all time, so I always wanted a Scooby-Doo version of the story. I know we kind of got that with The Nutcracker Scoob, but I was really happy when Jon Colton Barry announced that he'd be doing a Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! adaptation of the Dickens tale. I really like how JCB and Tom Konkle wrote this story, where in addition to Scrooge being visited by the three ghosts, there is sort of a mystery around why Scrooge is the way he is, and why these ghosts are really visiting him. I thought they incorporated the style and absurdist nature of Be Cool very well into this classic story. Fred's grudge against raccoons and Scrooge worrying what would happen if he got menopause were my personal favorite jokes of the episode haha.

2. A Scooby-Doo Christmas
This is such a classic episode and it was very close to being my favorite Christmas special. The Headless Snowman is a very creative villain. The ending is also super cute with Shaggy and Scooby giving each other presents.

1. The Nutcracker Scoob
Since I was a kid, this was always my favorite Scooby-Doo Christmas special. When I was younger, I remember when Cartoon Network used to play this every Christmas and I would always enjoy sitting down to watch it. Even though it's not a full-on adaption of A Christmas Carol, I love how this episode is kind of an amalgamation of that and The Nutcracker. That scene of Scooby, Shaggy and Scrappy dressing up as elves is absolutely adorable. However, I think the most adorable scene of the episode is Snowball dancing at the end of the episode lol. I really liked the villain as well; they were very cool-looking!

I hope you enjoyed reading these rankings. If you want to share your rankings for the Scooby-Doo Christmas episodes in the comments, I would love to see them!

39 Comments

Becker

12/6/2022 12:30:17 pm

What a list of episodes. I like all of them, but #1 is still obvious to me, one of the best WNSD episodes imo.

5) Scroogey Doo
4) Haunted Holidays
3) Scary Christmas
2) Nutcracker Scoob
1) A Scooby-Doo Christmas

WildwindVampire link

12/6/2022 04:01:23 pm

Yeah, it was hard not to pick "A Scooby-Doo Christmas" because I absolutely love that episode. Honestly, I think nostalgia is mainly what caused "The Nutcracker Scoob" to edge it out on my list.

Dzsasztin

12/6/2022 02:52:30 pm

I always assumed the orphanage mentions in Scary Christmas are a reference to Fred's involvement with the Children's Home in The Nutcracker Scoob.

WildwindVampire link

12/6/2022 04:01:41 pm

I'd never made that connection before, but that's such a cool way to think of it!

Matt

12/6/2022 06:24:26 pm

This is actually a really good set of episodes overall

5. Scary Christmas- Not really a favorite of mine, but it is good

4. Scroogey Doo- Don't mean to be picking on Be Cool, but that is just the way the list falls

3. A Scooby Doo Christmas- Very good, but I would take both the Valentines and Halloween episodes over this one in WNSD

2. Haunted Holidays- One of my favorite specials. Really like this one

1. A Nutcracker Scoob- An obvious pick for me. A true classic

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 09:59:24 am

The WNSD Valentine's Day and Halloween specials are my favorites too, even though I love the Christmas special. I had the Christmas episode in my top 10 for the series for the longest time, but it was recently knocked out by "Mummy Scares Best."

Shadowscooby

12/7/2022 05:54:46 am

Scooby Doo Haunted Holidays:
This was a very good Christmas special. This one also had a dark tone to it kind of. The Sinister Snowman was a great villain. I liked his shapeshifting and freezing powers. I liked the backstory of Vladmir and how he became the snowman. The scene when the fake Santa when into the blizzard and you can here him screaming being attacked by the snowman was intense.

Fabian Menckle as the culprit was pretty obvious. I liked that this special feature the real Santa Claus and that he helped Shaggy and Scooby. That was a fun idea. Shaggy controlling the toy car Scooby is on and he hits a lot of objects is just like NSDM intro where he was on a car and hitting objects.

The ending was nice with Havaros Menkle happy with the success of his toy store and Scooby as Santa Claus.

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:16:28 am

I agree this special had a dark tone. I love the Sinister Snowman as the villain and his backstory was genuinely quite creepy. The scene where the fake Santa got attacked was definitely very intense. I guessed the culprit right away. The ending where the real Santa showed up was very heartwarming. I noticed that similarity from The New Scooby-Doo Movies too. I think that's a reference to "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair."

Shadowscooby

12/7/2022 05:56:11 am

Scary Christmas:
This was a really fun Christmas special. Daphne being born on Christmas and resents the holiday because it overshadows her birthday reminds me of Marcie who’s birthday is on Halloween and resents the holiday from A Scooby Doo Halloween. I liked all her attempts of turning the Christmas holiday into her birthday celebration.

The pterodactyl was a creepy villain. It was creepy that he pretended to be Santa Claus and scared those two boys.

It was funny that Fred was trying to avoid this mystery because he says a pterodactyl for Christmas doesn’t make sense. Haha he always goes to the Big Eyes Orphanage. It was also funny that every time he has an apiffany, he has that guy do the light and has that music playing.

David and Allistar Leventhal’s motive of smuggling a prestoric egg reminds me of Johnny and Mr. Bohannon’s motive smuggling pirated cds. That and the fact the both set of culprits used a pterodactyl for their plan.

The ending was sweet with Fred giving the kid from the orphanage a present and the gang and the citizens of Rockenville singing happy birthday to Daphne.

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:18:27 am

I love this Christmas special! That reminded me a lot of Marcie too. I thought the pterodactyl was a good villain. Fred's obsession with solving a Christmas mystery and the Big Sad Eyes Orphanage was funny. The epiphany stuff was amusing too.

The mystery was pretty easy to figure out. I liked the ending. It was very cute!

Mr Neither

12/7/2022 06:32:34 am

5. Scroogey Doo
4. Scary Christmas
3. Scooby Doo Christmas
2. Haunted Holidays
1. Nutcracker Scoob

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:19:00 am

Nice to see "The Nutcracker Scoob" at the top :)

Mr Neither

12/9/2022 04:27:59 am

Nostalgia. I remember that episode being prominent on VHS as a kid. Love it. Also interesting fact: Although being referred to as Scroogey Doo, the book at the opening and closing of the episode is titled "Scroogie Doo"

WildwindVampire link

12/9/2022 09:48:05 am

Yeah, same for me on the nostalgia.

I noticed that too about the book! I wonder if the episode title was different in the first draft of the script, and they forgot to change it on the book in the final version.

Mr Neither

12/9/2022 10:16:44 am

Good point, could well be, just seemed a little strange is all.

Shadowscooby

12/7/2022 07:03:25 am

Scroogey Doo:
I liked this episodes take on a Christmas Carol. They really did a good job structuring it in Be Coo style. The opening was funny with Scrooge being angry that the Ghost of Jacob Marley didn’t knock and he said ghosts don’t knock and just appear. He was ruining the whole three ghosts warning haha. It was funny that he didn’t know what word to say and the gang had to help him with the word.

I thought it was interesting that three of the ghosts look different when they first appeared and that they looked scarier after they delivered a message.

I like that this special focused on Velma. The Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come future visits Velma and took her through time.

In the past, she was working on something with toilet paper and we learned how she met the gang. That was a good origin story.

In the present, she was supposed to be at the science thing instead she was solving a mystery with the gang. She then goes back to Scrooge’s house.

In the future, the gang are still solving mysteries in their old age and and Velma as the monster and she was mad that she missed out on things she could’ve done because of her solving mysteries with the gang.

It was good that she came to her senses and saw that all of this was a lie and she and the gang trapped the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (Future).

Dr. Buggly as the culprit was interesting. He saw that Scrooge was a mean old man and that he had a lot of money and letters from people who are sick. His plan was to dress up as all the ghosts and convince Scrooge to to pay for all those sick patients and Buggly would be filthy rich since he’s a doctor and those are his patients.

He went after Velma as the ghosts because she was a threat to his plan. I like the clue of Gubmuh Hab and that it’s Bah Humbug backwards and that it was made for hypnotizing.

Velma was able to make it the the science thing and tell the audience about Bah Humbug and the science of mystery deduction. That was nice that she accepted that she can be part of the gang and can also be her.

It’s unfortunate that Scrooge didn’t learn his lesson and that he will continue being greedy and not sharing his money. Bugglys plan was evil but he would’ve made Scrooge be kind and generous.

Fred and the raccoons haha. It was funny that he had beef with them since he met Velma. The raccoons dressed up as the old lady and had red eyes. You can hear Fred echoing Racoons.

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:24:23 am

It was great to finally get an episode focusing around A Christmas Carol! The opening with Jacob Marley's ghost was funny. I also found it amusing how Scrooge couldn't think of obvious words. I really liked that twist of the ghosts looking scarier after they gave their message too. That was a super interesting twist! It was neat that Velma was the one focused on in this episode.

It was funny to see the gang in their old age. I thought the culprit was pretty easy to guess, and it was obvious to me that "Gubmuh Hab" was "Bah Hambug" backwards. It was really neat how they made Velma's reveal of the culprit her presentation at the science conference. The episode's ending was both somber and amusing. I liked Fred's grudge against raccoons lol. It was funny about how the old lady was just a bunch of raccoons dressed up haha. I didn't realize that weird echo at the end was Fred saying "raccoons"! I'd always wondered what that was, because it seemed odd.

Dimitri Brenick

12/7/2022 09:01:11 am

1. A Scooby Doo christmas
2. Scooby Doo Haunted Holidays
3. A Nutcracker Scoob
4.Scary Christmas
5.Scroogey doo
scroogey doo is, in my opinion,a bad episode and scary christmas just has too many clichés and gags that hurts rewatches.

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:00:55 am

Nice list! Personally I like both of the Be Cool episodes, particularly "Scroogey Doo." I can definitely understand that specific type of humor doesn't work for everyone, though.

Gibby Norton

12/7/2022 09:38:33 am

I haven’t seen any of these recently enough except for A Nutcracker Scoob to rank them. However, I did grow up with Nutcracker Scoob and A Scooby-Doo Christmas so I do love both for certain. And then I honestly discuss Scroogey Doo with my non-Scooby fan friends a lot when trying to convince them to watch Be Cool and Scooby in general, so that may be my current favorite.

WildwindVampire link

12/7/2022 10:02:09 am

Glad to meet a fellow appreciator of "Scroogey Doo!" :) I think the episode was a really well-done parody of A Christmas Carol and definitely has a broad appeal and I loved the comedy in the episode.

Shadowscooby

12/7/2022 10:28:47 am

Hey Wildwind what do you think about my comment on Scroogey Doo?

Shadowscooby

12/7/2022 10:29:26 am

Oh wait never mine I see the comment my bad.

Wombatissimo

12/8/2022 10:19:37 am

I think the town name of “Rockwellville” in ‘Scary Christmas’ was intended to be reminiscent of painter Norman Rockwell.

WildwindVampire link

12/8/2022 07:10:50 pm

I think you're right. In retrospect I think I was misremembering a comment made by someone when the background paintings were released. I remember someone on the ScoobyAddicts forum had said the background paintings for Rockwellville seemed based off of a small town near them that has a large Christmas celebration. I was thinking when I wrote the post that it was an actual town named Rockwellville, but I'm remembering now that it was some other small town that they didn't use the actual name for. I can't seem to find the post now, so I'm not sure what the post I was remembering is.

Anyway, I think you're probably right lol :)

Bigsantadoofan

12/10/2022 06:33:43 am

Now that I've watched all the specials, coincidentally 3 of them I only just first watched this week, I can now do this list:

5. Nutcracker Scoob - good but extremely overrated, i really like the final five minutes and the ghost is cool
4. haunted holidays- i remember really liking this one, and looking back at it now the santa/shaggy and scooby thing was really cute, so pretty great one
3. Scroogey Doo - I have extreme 2017 nostalgia from this one and it's great, the concept of the gang solving a christmas carol was excellent and apart from a few flaws was executed very good, still its not the best special
2. 2. A Scooby-Doo Christmas - absolute joy to watch, the ending is really wholesome and the plot is neat, instead reccomendation!
1. Scary Christmas - Okay this take is hotter than ryan reynolds sleeping on an oven cooking spiced foods but I just love this episode so much, it is simply amazing. Every character is hilarious in this, with the funniest being fred, in be cool in general he is just amazing, but this was definitely one of his pinnacle episodes. The christmas mystery, christmas epiphanies and orphan gags were all amazing. The other members of the gang were also great, really liked the insight into daphne's past and shaggy and scooby training for their christmas dinner! The mystery was good but had an obvious culprit, but eh, oh well, doesnt matter, great *Christmassy* monster and a really wholesome ending, this is a solid 10/10 in my book.

WildwindReindeer link

12/10/2022 08:49:08 am

Love the Christmas username!

3. Although I loved this, the one flaw I felt there was in this episode was that the gang seemed out of character towards the middle of the episode. They were actually quite cruel to Velma. I think they should have been just oblivious or indifferent to what she wanted, as that would have been more in-character.

1. "this take is hotter than ryan reynolds sleeping on an oven cooking spiced foods" Hahahaha this is easily one of the most random comments I've seen on here this year lol. I absolutely love this episode as well, and wish I could have put it a little higher than I did. Agreed that this is one of the more hilarious season 1 episodes and I really enjoyed it. The other three were just slightly better and/or more nostalgic to me, but this is still a great one so I absolutely agree with you.

bigsantadoofan

12/10/2022 10:01:57 am

Completely agree with you, also i meant to put 'instant' instead of well, 'instead' at no. 2 and i accidentally put two 2s, i know it's not really that big of a deal but that paragraph may have been confusing to read

WildwindReindeer link

12/10/2022 10:44:27 am

No worries, I wasn't confused :)

threephantomrey

12/10/2022 05:30:33 pm

this is an interesting ranking! the nutcracker scoob is such a great christmas special in my opinion. now im considering rewatching it before christmas this month

WildwindVampire link

12/10/2022 06:00:23 pm

Thank you! Agreed, I feel like "The Nutcracker Scoob" is quite underrated. I was glad to see a few people in the comments said it was their favorite too!

threephantomrey

12/10/2022 06:07:22 pm

of course! :D

Jakob123

12/10/2022 09:34:22 pm

A Scooby-Doo Christmas (Great)

Haunted Holidays (Great and Scary)

Scary Christmas (Unusual Villain choice but still good)

Scroogey-Doo (Really Good and fun parody of A Christmas Carol)

WildwindVampire link

12/11/2022 09:07:49 am

Great list! I'd definitely recommend watching "The Nutcracker Scoob" if you ever get a chance, I think it's a great episode!

Jakob123

12/10/2022 10:26:42 pm

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
We're telling you why
Santa Scoob is coming to town

The gang is making a list
They are checking it twice
They're gonna find out who's been naughty or nice
For Santa Claus is coming to town

Scooby sees you when you're sleeping
And he knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for mystery sake

Oh! you better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
Cause we're telling you why
Santa Scoob is coming to town

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Scoob is coming to town

And littlest fuzzy dolls that cuddle and coo
Monster trapping kits, and Scooby snacks too
Santa Scoob is coming to town

The kids in Girl and Boy land will have a Christmas fling
They're gonna build a Toyland town all around the Mystery Machine

So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, We're telling you why
Santa Scoob is coming...

Santa Scoob is coming...

Santa Scoob is coming to town

Scooby-Doo: Merry Christmas to all, and to al a Scooby Dooby Doo!!!!!

WildwindVampire link

12/11/2022 09:08:32 am

Very nice song! :)

Carson Maitland - Smith

12/11/2022 06:09:25 am

Will the ranking be celebrities Mystery Inc should solve the next cases with?

Sdf

12/12/2022 06:34:08 pm

5. Scary Christmas
4. Haunted Holidays
3. Scroogey Doo
2. Nutcracker Scoob
1. A Scooby Doo Christmas

I like all of them but the wnsd episode is the only one i feel nostalgic about. Merry xmas everybody

WildwindVampire link

12/13/2022 06:12:31 am

Great list! Not all that dissimilar from mine. Merry Christmas!

A Ranking of the Scooby-Doo Christmas Episodes

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