Wholesome TV Christmas Episodes Busy Parents Can Trust

Merry Christmas and welcome back to Wholesome TV Picks. It's Christmas Eve and we're all busy, so I don't want to take up too much of your time.

Today's episode is a little different. I'm going to recommend Christmas episodes of shows that I've spoken about on this podcast. I thought it would be perfect for a little break from all the Christmas movies and focus on some Christmas TV, with each one celebrating the joy of family and being together.

Episode Overview

Family Ties Christmas Episodes

Family Ties has three wonderful Christmas episodes from seasons one, two, and six. My family's particular favorite is from season six called Miracle in Columbus. Alex P. Keaton, played by Michael J. Fox, plays Santa Claus at the local mall, and his sisters Jennifer and Mallory play Santa's little elves. It's all about helping a little girl who's missing her daddy. You see the serious Alex Keaton have his heart softened a bit, and he's really touched by this little girl and only wants to help her. It's a wonderful episode and has some great funny humor in it as well.

The other two episodes are A Keaton Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story. The Christmas Story goes through the parents' memories of Jennifer, Mallory, and Alex's births. And A Keaton Christmas Carol is the classic tale told in a Family Ties fashion.

MacGyver: The Madonna

Next we have MacGyver, an episode from season five called The Madonna. Now, my recollection is there was only one Christmas episode that MacGyver did, and this is a really good one. In this episode, a homeless woman goes through a traumatic event who then helps other people see the true meaning of Christmas. Every character in this episode has their own trauma that they're working through at Christmas time. By the end of the episode, their feelings are transformed and they don't feel the sadness and loneliness that they felt at the beginning of the episode.

Rescue 911 Christmas Stories

I picked three heartwarming stories that Rescue 911 featured during the Christmas season:

A story about a Santa Claus that saves a boy from choking

An episode where some teenage girls on New Year's Eve accidentally call a wrong number and end up helping a complete stranger who is experiencing a heart attack

My favorite: when a crook was trying to break into a home through the chimney like he was Santa Claus and ends up getting stuck

Hearing from the dispatchers getting the 911 call about a guy trapped in the chimney to the reactions of the police officers and the firemen that have to help excavate him out of the chimney is simply a lighthearted, funny story that I wanted to share.

Lassie Christmas Episodes

Finally, Lassie has quite a few Christmas episodes, so I picked two: one from season five and one from season seven called The Christmas Story and The Christmas Tree.

The Christmas Story is an episode where Lassie saves a little girl from getting hit by a car and ends up getting hit herself, and it's all about the miracles of Christmas. The other episode is a story where the Martin family helps a homeless family have a wonderful Christmas and discover the meaning of friendship.

Why These Shows Matter

All of these shows are terrific TV shows to watch with your family, not just the Christmas episodes.

Family Ties can teach families today how to interact with each other and how to find the humor in our differences. It teaches people that disagreements don't mean you have to ignore somebody like today's society is doing right now.

MacGyver is a fantastic show that any family can benefit from watching. He was an icon back in the eighties and my absolute all-time hero of TV. My children absolutely love MacGyver as well.

Rescue 911 is another fantastic series to watch with your family. Very educational, teaching children how to respond to difficult situations and highlighting stories from across the country. It can teach your children CPR and how to respond in an emergency.

Lassie from the 1950s is a classic you can't go wrong with. It was a staple in American homes in the early television days, and there's a reason why it went for so many years. This show is about traditional family values, respect, and above all, the beautiful relationship between a boy and his dog.

Learn More

I go into depth on each of these shows in previous episodes:

Episode 3: Rescue 911

Episode 5: Lassie

Episode 9: Family Ties

Episode 11: MacGyver

After you listen to those shows, you'll understand why I highly recommend them for your family.

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Join me next week for another special episode where I'm going to highlight the best episodes of 2025 for Wholesome TV Picks and why they still matter for your family today.

Have a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have time to sit down and watch one or two of my recommendations from today. Remember, your values matter and your TV should too. Take care.