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.
That is what the Everybody Loves Raymond holiday episodes all look like, with Ray’s parents, and especially his mother Marie, creating conflict with Debra, and the entire family suffering through Thanksgiving and Christmas as a result. In later seasons, new characters arrive to the Everybody Loves Raymond cast with the MacDougall family, as Robert marries Amy MacDougall, and both Marie and Frank have new targets for their scorn, thankfully giving Debra a reprieve, but still making the holiday gatherings nothing but one drama after another, often in hilarious fashion.
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.
Ray and Debra often get cruel, annoying reminders that they live right across the street from Ray’s intrusive parents. A prime example of this frustrating dynamic is season 2’s “All I Want for Christmas.” The two are hosting a Christmas morning celebration, and the family is set to arrive at any minute. This would seem a pretty inopportune time for Ray to get “hot and bothered,” as he prepares to use advice from a woman at work to get Debra in the mood. He’s successful and what follows is some awkwardly funny scenes as they look to power through and deal with the already aggravating company of Ray’s parents.
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.