Top 5 Emotionally-Moving Christmas TV Episodes from Twilight Zone to Punky Brewster

These are my choices for the top 5 moving Christmas TV episodes. Some are happy, some sad, and some angry but all are affected by the Christmas spirit in one way or another.

Twilight Zone - "Night of the Meek"

First aired: 12/23/60

Henry Corwin is a department store Santa with a drinking problem. On this particular Christmas Eve, he shows up drunk at work and is fired by the store manager, Mr. Dundee. Corwin leaves the store, still donning his Santa costume, and mopes around town, unsure of what to do or where to go. Suddenly, he finds a magical bag that produces any gift that Corwin wishes of it when he reaches into it. Being a generous man, he starts passing gifts out to everyone.

Mr. Dundee and police officer Flaherty see Corwin passing gifts out and believes the merchandise as been stolen, and arrests him. They can't find anything but junk in the bag and is let go. Corwin taken no gift for himself but wishes to be able to pass out gifts every year - the results are magical!

This is a terrific Twilight Zone episode starring Art Carney as Henry Corwin. I watch it yearly and it never grows old every time I see it. The story is good on its own but Art puts in a great performance and makes the role his own. If you haven't seen it, give it a try when you get the chance.

Serling narration at the end, as always, gives a great moral message that we can all stand to learn. "There's a wondrous magic to Christmas, and there's a special power reserved for little people. In short, there's nothing mightier than the meek, and a merry Christmas to each and all."

All in the Family - "The Draft Dodger"

First aired: 12/25/1976

It's Christmas dinner at the Bunker house and it's not just family this year. Mike's friend, David, was a Vietnam draft dodger, who has been living in Canada. If he's turned in to the authorities, he would go to prison. Archie finds out and wants to turn David in because Archie believes in doing his duty for our country and he served in WWII. Another guest is Archie's friend, a man who lost his son to a war. Archie is furious but his friend puts Archie at ease and everyone eats Christmas dinner.