‘The Real Housewives’ 10 Most Bingeable Christmas Episodes, Ranked

The Christmas season is a time to cherish moments with loved ones by watching favorite holiday classics from over the years. Families will cuddle up with steadfast standards like Home Alone or How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Friends might reconnect by watching favorites like While You Were Sleeping or Love Actually.

For less conventional audiences during the festive winter season, there is always the controversial Die Hard to kick off the old debate of what exactly constitutes a Christmas movie anyway? Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is another dark holiday classic that is on many film buffs’ must-watch list this time of year. Even the slasher genre has its own run of Christmas classics, like Black Christmas, Krampus, or Silent Night, Deadly Night. Many people watch these films to create their own kind of holiday cheer, even if it may land them on the naughty list.

With the widening discourse on what is acceptable holiday viewing, any reality TV fan will recognize the value in a look back at the best Christmas episodes in their favorite franchise. And no franchise is more beloved on Bravo than The Real Housewives in their many cities. All kinds of festive circumstances call for a binge-watching session of the best holiday episodes the franchise has to offer. Decorating parties with roommates, marathon present wrapping sessions, a New Year’s Day brunch with besties, or even just a classic couch potato binge-watch in your coziest onesie, are perfect moments to indulge in the unique brand of holiday cheer of The Real Housewives, which are certain, as always, to be filled with a dash of drama. To make it easier for the Bravo fandom, we’ve assembled the 10 most bingeable Real Housewives holiday episodes from across the franchise.

10. “How the Wig Stole Christmas”

‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ – Season 13, Episode 18

The finale episode of Season 13 was also a holiday episode for The Real Housewives of Atlanta, where the ladies gathered at Cynthia Bailey’s legendary lake-house to get everyone in the giving spirit. Cynthia invited her Atlanta co-stars to a gift-giving “Friendmas” party, and she did not hesitate to pull out her inner elf, setting up holiday-themed llamas for pre-party photos, and carolers to serenade the ladies to their cars at the end of the evening. In between, Cynthia requested that the ladies play a round of “White Christmas,” a naughty gift-exchange game where the participants get to steal a previously opened present if they wouldn’t rather pick a new one. Cynthia asked the ladies to adhere to a gift value of around $1000, and that is where the party took a very shady turn.

While the Queen of Shade, Marlo Hampton, could not attend Cynthia’s party, she made sure to behave like a real Southern lady by forwarding her regrets with a gift of $1000 cash. The ladies loved the diamond earrings gifted by Kenya Moore, the iPhone 12 brought by Kandi Burruss, and the Baccarat perfume and Gucci bag Porsha Williams presented. But when it came to Drew Sidora’s gift giving skills, the ladies were left in disbelief. Kenya opened Drew’s gift and was shocked to find not only was it a cheap wig, but it was also seemingly a much maligned wig that Drew had already worn on the show. Drew thought by gifting the wig she could make a point about a co-star “catching strays,” but the stunt flopped with the cast and viewers, even though the drama that ensued was enough to ruin the rest of Cynthia’s holiday party.

9. “Season’s Grillings”

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ – Season 11, Episode 13

Due to the time of year they typically film, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills doesn’t often feature holiday parties. But Season 11 made up for that with an unmissable trio of episodes filmed in the winter of 2020. In episode 12, the ladies travel to series darling Kyle Richards’ La Quinta home, and attempt to reconcile the messy details of Erika Girardi’s then recent divorce announcement from embattled attorney Tom Girardi, and the financial scandal that followed. Erika’s possible involvement in the embezzlement accusations her husband was facing was a continual topic of conversation this season on RHOBH.

Episode 13 is the ultimate moment when everything came to a head, as the ladies used Kyle’s holiday-themed dinner party as an opportunity to confront Erika about her possible wrong-doing. But what’s Christmas without a little family squabble at the dinner table, right? Kyle and her sister Kathy Hilton then debrief together in Kathy’s eclectic Beverly Hills home in Episode 14, and although Christmas had already passed by that point, all of Kathy’s holiday decor remained joyously in place, as she was still waiting for reality star daughter Paris Hilton to stop by for their gift exchange.

8. “Twas the Fight Before Christmas”

‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ – Season 03, Episode 10

The third season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is pivotal to understanding the series as a whole, since this is the season that Joe Gorga joined the cast, seemingly to torture his sister Teresa Giudice, who has always had a problem with Joe’s wife, Melissa Gorga. “Twas the Fight Before Christmas” is an episode that emphasizes the problems in the Gorga family, as Teresa was constantly finding fault with Melissa, Joe Gorga was angry at his sister for disrespecting him and his wife, and Joe Giudice was irritated with everyone for getting his wife wound up. The episode opened with both families decking their halls and trimming their trees, as they discussed the impending holiday parties where the families would be forced to see one another for the first time since the disastrous christening when the Joes broke out in a brawl.

The Gorgas hosted a Christmas party at their home, complete with carolers, ice sculptures, and, inexplicably, money with the happy couples’ faces on it. As Teresa wrangled her Joe to force him to attend the Gorga’s party, he threatened violence if anyone said anything stupid to his wife. After the christening party, Teresa had been telling the rest of the cast how terrible her sister-in-law was, so the Christmas party was one of the first opportunities for everyone in the cast to see the two families interact and form opinions for themselves. Melissa sided with Teresa, for once, by asking a guest who had legal problems with her sister-in-law to leave the party when it was clear she was only brought to stir up trouble on camera. Getting into the holiday spirit, Teresa even grudgingly admitted Melissa had done the right thing. 

7. “Ho Ho Holidays”

‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ – Season 13, Episode 13

This holiday episode is an old-school Real Housewives of New York delight. Watching a scene with Sonja Morgan gossiping about Eboni Williams‘ love life with Ramona Singer and Luann de Lesepps is a reminder of how great this ensemble cast could be together, when they weren’t letting behind-the-scenes bad behavior ruin the group dynamic. The crux of the holiday spirit in this episode is that Luann invited the cast to sing and perform in a Christmas music video for charity. During episode 12, the ladies all came one by one to Luann’s apartment to record their lines. Everyone kept the spirit light, except, somewhat predictably, for Leah McSweeny, who unsurprisingly ruined the festive vibe by getting oddly litigious about the potential revenue from the song and where it would be allocated. Then, in episode 13, the cast came together in fabulous Jovani dresses to shoot Luann’s music video.

Ramona also wanted to use the video shoot as an opportunity to spread a little gossip about Sonja, who had been regaling everyone around town with stories of her sexual escapades with a man Ramona also knew. Ramona did some investigating, since she was suspicious that her friend was exaggerating, and it turned out that Sonja had in fact only slept on the man’s couch after a night of carousing. The music video shoot conveniently grouped the ladies all together at one event, and watching Ramona flit from one person to the next maliciously gossiping about her friend while filming a music video about the Christmas spirit is just too good to miss this holiday season.

6. “Pretty Ugly”

‘The Real Housewives of Orange County’ – Season 09, Episode 04

In this festive episode, the cast of Real Housewives of Orange County attend an ugly sweater party to benefit the Children’s Hospital. Tamra Judge and her husband Eddie truly got in the spirit of the event, committing to wearing their ugliest sweaters all evening. New cast member Lizzie Rovsek refused to dress herself in anything called ugly, instead pinning bows and snowflakes to a white scooped-neck sweater that hugged every ample curve.

Heather Dubrow and her husband Dr. Terry Dubrow wore chic matching black sweaters with white fur collars and snowflakes stitched on the front. Since the Orange County ladies are usually a sunny set, getting to see them decked out in their version of ugly festive clothing and mingling at a Christmas party is a treat. To keep the festive spirit light, just skip over the scenes with series’ darling Shannon Beador and her now ex-husband David Beador as they try to mend their broken relationship, or the ones with Vicki Gunvalson catching dinner with fraudster Brooks Ayers. 

5. “Jingle Bells and Prison Cells”

‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ – Season 07, Episode 01

The dramatic first episode of Season 07 covers the prison release of Teresa, after she was sentenced to a fifteen-month term when she and her husband were found guilty of mortgage and wire fraud. The paparazzi following Teresa home from prison as she attempted to remain out of sight added to the suspense, as viewers and the cast alike were wondering what Teresa’s world would look like now that she was on probation. Teresa wanted to have her immediate family only when she arrived home, excluding her brother and sister-in-law, although Melissa did request permission to have Teresa at her house for a Christmas Eve party.

The chaos in the Giudice home as Teresa’s four daughters attempted to write a banner welcoming her home, with the eldest daughter Gia Giudice running around to make sure her sisters were ready for the greeting, showed the heart of the series. Teresa and her daughters are one of the main reasons viewers fell in love with RHONJ in the first place, so seeing them together for this especially heartwarming Christmas episode is always charming.

4. “Deck the Halls With Drama”

‘The Real Housewives of Potomac’ – Season 05, Episode19

This aptly titled episode of Real Housewives of Potomac showed the beginning of the end for cast member Monique Samuels, after she and Candiace Dillard Bassett got into a physical altercation that ended in litigation. Monique was excluded from the guest list for the holiday party hosted by Robyn Dixon, in light of Candiace’s presence. Candiace got riled up about the Monique situation when Karen Huger arrived late to the party, only to be confronted for attempting to coordinate a surprise on-camera run-in between the feuding frenemies.

But the drama wasn’t limited to the Potomac ladies in this episode. Despite the holiday surprise Juan had planned by adding a proposal to the event, Ashley Darby’s husband, Michael Darby, was spreading whispers that Juan Dixon would never follow through with a wedding to Robyn. Regardless of the outcome, Juan’s charming proposal where he professed love and admiration for his partner while putting a large rock on her finger added its own element of festivity to the holiday as well. But the evening didn’t end there, as further drama ensued when an inebriated Michael told Chris Bassett to “control your wife” and Chris did not take kindly to the advice. Chris shoved Michael, Michael threatened legal action, the sparring couples were asked to leave the event, and Robyn turned everything around by making sure everyone partied holiday style for the rest of the evening.

3. “Jesus, the Countess and Joseph”

‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ – Season 11, Episode 17

In Season 11 of The Real Housewives of New York City, Countess Luann kicked off the Christmas season with her holiday cabaret, which turned into a sold-out event at the Gramercy Theater. Later in the episode, the ladies got dressed up in holiday lingerie costumes to attend Bethenny’s “Smores N Whores” Christmas party. Watching Bethenny chat about her recent break-up with her driver, who was dressed up as Santa, while wearing candy cane leggings and a Santa-hat headband was a true festive delight.

Another highlight of the party was getting to watch the RHONY ladies bond with one another as they beat up a nutcracker piñata, scooping up the adult-related prizes like they were kids at a birthday party. Plus, taking the time to make up for Sonja’s ruined surprise birthday party by arranging to have a special cake brought out for her inched Bethenny closer to the “nice” list this year.

2. “Holidazed and Confused”

‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ – Season 10, Episode 09

When it comes to Real Housewives holiday episodes, it is hard to beat the hi-jinks that The Real Housewives of New York City got up to at Dorinda’s Berkshires estate. When Dorinda hosted the ladies for a Christmas weekend at her infamous Blue Stone Manor, the focus quickly shifted toward Bethenny and her fractured friendship with Carole Radziwill. On an evening when Dorinda had planned a swanky Gatsby-inspired murder mystery party, Bethenny and Carole finally aired their grievances with another after playing a passive-aggressive game of cat-and-mouse on camera over who was responsible for their fallen friendship.

There are so many outrageous moments during this episode, it is challenging to list them all. Bethenny interrupted a heated argument with Luann to tell her her lipstick was smudged, which temporarily calmed things between them as Luann laughingly accepted the assistance. At one point, Dorinda Mrs. Doubtfired her face into a cake with candles still burning on it, and then repeated the process once they were blown out. As the evening debauchery hit full tilt, nothing will prepare you for watching Dorinda thrash a nearly naked Bethenny who was curled on the floor in a fetal position while Dorinda screamed “I own Santa!” at her. All this because Dorinda was feeling defensive about her position as Queen of Christmas when Bethenny tried to put on an elf-themed onesie. The other Housewives raged downstairs while Bethenny and Carole went in for round two of their squabble upstairs. Later in the episode, more drama ensued when the nutcracker that Bethenny had asked Dorinda to help her track down arrived, and Bethenny did not show satisfactory appreciation for her friend’s help.

1. “December: Berkshire County”

‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ – Season 08, Episode 09

The number one spot on our list is once again Dorinda hosting the ladies over Christmas at Bluestone Manor. In Season 08, the ladies had to put up with Bethenny and Luann feuding this time, as the two women let their argument derail the fun activities their hostess had planned for everyone. While Dorinda’s estate was decked out in over-the-top Christmas decor, the ladies fell to arguing so quickly that there was no time for any holiday cheer to form. Bethenny was so over Luann at one point that she threw Ramona into their argument, alluding to Luann having stolen a man who Ramona had once dated. Ramona and Bethenny trying to educate the Countess about girl-code was an iconic Real Housewives holiday moment. Then Bethenny and Luann managed to pick-up their swords, this time feuding over their similar hairstyles. The way the pair circled around Dorinda’s personal “Santa’s workshop” of a mansion as the argument about Luann’s sex life hit peeks and valleys was unforgettable.

Even more unforgettable was the moment that Luann barged in on cast mate Jules Wainstein, who had sneaked away for a cigarette and to speak to her father on the telephone. When Jules started to explain to Luann that she was speaking with her dying father, the Countess didn’t hear a word she was saying, and repeatedly spoke over her cast mate in order to continue airing her grievances about the way Bethenny had treated her. Luann was so out of touch with how inappropriate her behavior was getting, that she also later began to mock the birthday cake that Dorinda’s mother had brought for her. This was the straw that broke Dorinda’s back, and one of the most iconic moments in Real Housewives‘ history shortly followed thereafter. Dorinda finally snapping at her ungrateful guests and yelling about the effort she had put into hosting them for the weekend while gesturing wildly with a bottle of vodka in hand was also probably one of the most relatable things any of the Housewives have ever done.