The Everybody Loves Raymond holiday episodes center around the two main holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, with many seasons having one episode dedicated to each of the holidays. Premiering in 1996, this CBS sitcom stars Ray Ramono as Ray Barone, a sportswriter who often finds himself caught between his beloved wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) and his parents who live across the street (Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle). Rounding things out is his ever-present brother Robert (Brad Garrett). With so much family conflict, it makes the sitcom a perfect place to show how hectic holidays can be.
Raymond was still somewhat coming into its own during its relatively tame first season. Still, there are a few highlights, such as the breakthrough pilot, as well as this entertaining Thanksgiving special. Debra attempts to kick off a new tradition of making a fish dinner for the extended family. There are many funny Everybody Loves Raymond first season moments in this episode in particular. In a typical undercutting, subtly-insulting fashion though, Marie decides to barge in with a turkey, which leads to humorous moments as well as family drama. This is further inflamed by a particular mishap with the fish preparation, putting Debra in further distress.
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Debra and Marie at Thanksgiving on Everybody Loves Raymond
Thanksgiving is a time for turkey, but in this Everybody Loves Raymond holiday episode, it is a gelatinous one made out of tofu. This is the idea that Marie poses during this health-conscious Thanksgiving special. This imitation bird is supposed to help her and Frank with their high cholesterol, but all it really does is create the inevitable drama and amusing quips. This funny, endearing romp is also an instance where Marie is actually a fairly sympathetic and likable character on Everybody Loves Raymond.
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The Toaster episode of Everybody Loves Raymond
There are plenty of funny Everybody Loves Raymond Frank and Marie scenes. Despite being a Christmas special that revolves around gift-giving, this one stands out with some particularly comedic showings from Ray’s quirky parents. As most fans are aware, these two aren’t always the most receptive when it comes to getting presents from their family. Unfortunately for Ray, this means that his engraved toaster ends up getting returned without even being opened. What follows is some amusing humor from Frank and Marie at the department store as they try to relocate the specialized item.
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The Debra-Marie rivalry often sets the stage for some gags that can be both funny and awkward. Season 4’s “No Thanks” reaffirms this with a Thanksgiving-themed plot involving Debra’s new plan to “cope” with Marie’s subtle jabs. Marie spends the day cooking with Debra, which means that insults and smarmy comments are likely to ensue. This allows Debra to try out her new tactics – which is to shrug them off and even respond kindly. But of course, this ends up mostly backfiring on Ray’s scorned wife.
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They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and the humorous photo that closes out this installment nicely sums up the drama and family clashes in the episode. There’s a simplicity to this one, which
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Debra dropping the turkey in Everybody Loves Raymond
A classic series moment comes courtesy of this Thanksgiving special, “Fighting In-Laws.” The parents in question are not Ray’s this time, but Debra’s. Ray happens to overhear some personal details regarding his in-laws; namely that their relationship is struggling, and they are going to marriage counseling to patch things up. Cue the iconic moment from Debra, who gets frustrated by the fact that her parents aren’t quite as flawless as she thought compared to Ray’s. She attempts to angrily storm off while also managing a turkey, setting the stage for wacky slapstick of her fumbling and sliding around with the bird.
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If not for Ray’s obnoxious behavior and underhanded ways here, this Christmas special would likely be better. Still, it does make for some genuinely funny moments sure to induce some nervous laughter. In it, Ray decides to get Debra a great present, so she’ll agree to let him golf with his friends. This maneuver ironically causes Ray to get paranoid – as he questions Debra’s motives when getting the awesome gift of a DVD player with some movies. While this episode from 2000 is a bit dated, good comedy has proven to be timeless, and there’s plenty of it to go around in this amusing romp.
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A scene from the Everybody Loves Raymond episode Older Women
While the holiday themes sort of take a backseat here, that doesn’t stop this season 6 episode from being entertaining or funny. Debra’s parents get a rare chance to show off their comedy chops here, as the story is centered around a now-divorced couple and a woman of a certain age as his new date. There are many great Everybody Loves Raymond side characters and there’s plenty of awkward hilarity – including a hilarious conversation between the Barone men and Debra’s father on the couch as they question the union.
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It seems that even by way of a nice Christmas card, Marie couldn’t help but get in a couple of disses aimed towards Debra. This episode revolves around a rather controversial Christmas letter from Marie, who not only has unfavorable words for Debra but also Robert. While it is ironically intended to paint her family in a good light, others soon start feeling slighted and self-conscious. It is amusing to see such drama and humorous banter stemming from a casually written letter, but it is from Marie, so it might be expected.
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It’s often the effort, ideas, and intentions that make gift-giving special, more so than the item itself. Yet, in the case of Ray’s Christmas gift to Debra, the idea is not his own, but of his brother Robert – who has a sort of unadmitted fixation on her. Debra fawns over this gift, causing Ray’s brother to reignite their rivalry at a pretty inappropriate time. He spills the beans in front of both Debra and Amy, establishing the gift was his idea. As one might imagine, both humorous and tense moments ensue from there.
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The comedy level is often amped up in the later seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond, thanks in part to the inclusion of Amy’s hilarious family. The comedic talents of Fred Willard, Georgia Engel, and Chris Elliott are on full display in this Thanksgiving episode, and the Barones are still at their best. The episode plays with the fun rivalry between the Barones and the MacDougalls, who it seems couldn’t be further apart. This is driven home by a humorous portrayal of Ally’s play featuring pilgrims and Native Americans. Tensions are high and banter is plentiful, especially when it’s discovered that Pat has killed a hobbled bird.
