"Christmas Party" , alternately titled "Santa Claus is Coming to Scranton" , is the tenth episode of the second season of The Office (U.S. version). It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Charles McDougall. It was first broadcast on December 6 , 2005 .
Synopsis
The office staffers hold a "Secret Santa" gift exchange at their Christmas party. Jim got Pam's name for the first time this year, and puts a great deal of effort into getting her the perfect gift. Michael buys a video iPod as his gift to Ryan, far exceeding the $20 limit. He is disappointed by the handmade item he receives from Phyllis and introduces a "Yankee Swap", in which someone can choose to steal someone else's gift or open a new one. Jim is left feeling uncertain about the fate of his special present for Pam while the staff guns for the iPod. Although Pam ends up with the iPod at the end of the swap, she elects to trade the iPod for Jim's gift that was meant for her to show her appreciation. While she goes through the various aspects of her gift, Jim sneaks a letter that he wrote for her into his pocket.
After ruining his staff's mood, Michael disobeys company policy by buying an obscene amount of alcohol for the Christmas party to compensate. Everyone ends up having a good time, with the exception of Angela, who is furious that she received no appreciation for her efforts towards arranging the Christmas party. The episode ends with a drunken Meredith exposing herself to Michael, who takes a picture, and then quickly flees.
Deleted scenes
- Oscar and Creed move a desk.
- Phyllis confides to the camera that her new boyfriend is Bob Vance.
- Dwight compares humans opening presents to bears.
- Additional scenes from the Yankee Swap and its aftermath.
- Kevin sings "Christmas in Hollis".
- Angela scolds Kelly.
- Michael explains that Christmas is about seeing people envy the gift that you gave someone.
Notes
- The party scene in this episode was filmed over three days. The bowl of egg nog sat out for twelve hours a day, although it was covered and put in the refrigerator overnight. However, the cookies and pigs in a blanket became hard and stale, which is why there is very limited eating at the party.
- There are a number of firsts in this episode: It is the first appearance of Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration (Phyllis' boyfriend) as well as the first mention of Meredith's drinking problem, which has since become a running gag.
- This episode was nominated for "Best Writing in a Comedy Series" at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to the pilot for My Name Is Earl . It was also one of six episodes submitted for the Best Comedy, which it went on to win.
- According to John Krasinski, the pencil in the teapot was a mini-golf pencil that Pam playfully threw at Jim.
- During the filming of the Yankee Swap, Phyllis Smith kept crying between takes in order to help her stay in character.
- When the Christmas ornaments did not break, Angela Kinsey improvised stomping on them.
Christmas gifts
The following is a list of the Christmas gifts that were given amongst the employees for secret Santa. Though not all of the gifts are explicitly featured in the episode, Michael Schur wrote them all into the script (the list was confirmed on the Season 2 DVD commentary for the episode). Many can still be seen in the background of certain scenes.
Afterwards, Pam traded the video iPod to Dwight for the teapot, and Kelly traded the book of short stories to Toby for the nameplate. Stanley ending up with the picture frame determined by process of elimination. Ryan intends to give Creed's shirt "to a homeless guy".
The themed poster hangs on the wall in Angela's workspace below the large whiteboard calendar, and it catalyzed the events of "Conflict Resolution". It also appeared briefly in "Ben Franklin".
The shamrock keychain can be seen briefly in "Traveling Salesman" when Jim tosses his keys to Dwight.
Pam's teapot is used once again in "Branch Wars" during the meeting of the Finer Things Club.
References
- ^ Fischer, Jenna (December 5, 2005). "Tuesday December 6th - The Christmas Episode!" (View All Blog Entries), MySpace.com
- ^ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with the Stars of “The Office” » Give Me My Remote
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Revealed in deleted scenes/commentary for "Christmas Party" on Season 2 DVD set, disc two
External links
- "Christmas Party"
Christmas Party 2005
The Moon Time 1602 Sherman, CDA (208) 667-2331 . The Elk Public House 1931 West Pacific, Spokane (509) 363-1973: The Porch Public House 1658 E Miles, Hayden Lake
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