Modern Family — Christmas Episodes

Modern Family closed out nearly every year with a Christmas episode — seven in total — full of tree mishaps, mall-Santa grievances, and last-minute holiday scrambles. All seven stream in the U.S. on Hulu and Peacock. Ratings are each episode's IMDb user score.

Note: All seven episodes are also purchasable individually on Amazon Video and Apple TV, and the series airs periodically on TBS.

Episode Synopsis

"Undeck the Halls" — Season 1, Episode 10 (aired December 9, 2009) Claire and Phil threaten to cancel Christmas after finding a cigarette and getting nothing but denials from the kids. Alex ends up taking the blame just to save the holiday, even though it turns out everyone had been telling the truth all along. Cameron and Mitchell take Lily to see the mall Santa but complain he isn't jolly enough, which gets the guy fired. Jay, meanwhile, is reluctant to blend Gloria and Manny's Colombian Christmas traditions with his own. Fred Willard guest stars as Phil's dad.

"Express Christmas" — Season 3, Episode 10 (aired December 7, 2011) Phil comes up with the idea of celebrating Christmas early, since the family will be split up on the actual day, and the compressed timeline leads to the usual pile-up of mishaps, mix-ups, and Phil-isms. It's the second Christmas episode of the series and leans hard into the show's brand of heartfelt chaos.

"The Old Man & the Tree" — Season 5, Episode 10 (aired December 11, 2013) Jay takes Manny out to cut down their own Christmas tree, bonding time that gets complicated once Gloria's mother comes to visit and puts Gloria on edge. Gloria warms up, though, once she sees her mom bonding with Claire. Mitchell gets stuck doing last-minute shopping elsewhere in the episode. Bryan Cranston guest stars.

"White Christmas" — Season 7, Episode 9 (aired December 9, 2015) Gloria rents a mountain cabin for the whole family's holiday getaway, but a string of unexpected incidents threatens to derail it. Mitchell and Cameron are determined to redeem themselves after a rough caroling performance the year before, Haley and Andy can barely keep their hands off each other, and Jay has a major announcement that catches Claire completely off guard.

"Snow Ball" — Season 8, Episode 9 (aired December 7, 2016) Despite the wintry title, this one centers on a high school holiday dance rather than snow itself. Manny and Luke scramble to avoid disaster after a texting mix-up, while Claire, Gloria, Mitchell, and Cameron all volunteer to help chaperone. Claire and Gloria try to play matchmaker for a single mom and the principal, and Mitchell finds himself oddly drawn to the school bully.

"Stuck in a Moment" — Season 10, Episode 10 (aired December 12, 2018) Phil borrows the family Christmas tree for a house showing, and Claire steals it back the moment she notices, without telling him. Mitch and Cam try to get a read on what Cal wants for Christmas from the mall Santa, whom Mitch has apparently put on trial. Haley and Dylan are trying to find the right moment to tell Claire they're having a baby, and the stress of holding the secret literally turns Alex's hair grey.

"The Last Christmas" — Season 11, Episode 9 (aired December 4, 2019) The series' final Christmas episode finds Cameron trying to keep everyone happy at the annual dinner while secretly prepping for a big out-of-state coaching interview, which makes Mitchell suspicious about his "trip to visit family." Haley is thrilled to be reunited with wine, Claire is dodging a job offer from Jay to work at his dog bed company, and Luke has to face the fallout from kissing Manny's ex-girlfriend, Sherri.