Our take
A warm, well-balanced Christmas half-hour that pairs a career turning point with two of the show's sweetest seasonal subplots, and one of the best to watch with the tree up. The coffee-house waitress's leap away from her apron gives it a backbone, while Phoebe's campaign for the unsold Christmas trees and Ross's guilty cookie-selling marathon supply the festive glow. Mae Whitman is a delight.
What happens
Gunther insists on retraining Rachel at the coffee house, and she realises she hates the job she has been drifting through. With encouragement from Chandler and Joey she quits to chase a career in fashion, then panics about what comes next. The boys help with her job hunt, and she lands a new job, only to find it is not quite the step up she hoped for. Joey has taken a seasonal job selling Christmas trees, and Phoebe, who helps out, is heartbroken to learn what happens to the trees nobody buys. Ross, meanwhile, accidentally breaks the leg of a young girl selling cookies for her troop, which costs her the chance to win a trip to space camp. Wracked with guilt, he sets out to sell hundreds of boxes on her behalf so she can still win. By the end, the friends have come round to Phoebe's view that every unwanted tree deserves a proper Christmas.
Can the kids watch it?
Mild language and innuendo; a good pick for families with children from about 9, PG for the broadcast cut.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
- Courteney Cox as Monica Geller
- Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
- Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
- Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
- David Schwimmer as Ross Geller
Guest stars
- Shelley Berman as Mr. Kaplan Jr.
- James Michael Tyler as Gunther
- Mae Whitman as Sarah Tuttle
- Romy Rosemont as Troop Leader
- Kyla Pratt as Carla Nichols
Director
- Terry Hughes