Back in August 2021, Ted Lasso released a Christmas episode, and even though it was the dead of summer, the mix of holiday cheer and typical Ted Lasso charm and wholesomeness had “future classic” written all over it. Since then, “Carol of the Bells” has become a staple Christmas rewatch for me — it encapsulates everything I love about the holiday season in a neatly wrapped 30-minute package. The installment, which can be watched completely standalone because it doesn’t call back to any of the season’s major arcs, tracks how a few members of AFC Richmond spend their Christmas day. It’s an episode where not much happens other than the characters we’ve come to know and love hanging out on Christmas, but still, seeing the team celebrate by bringing all of their international traditions together or seeing how Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham, who is given a chance to sing in the episode) spends the holiday by giving back to others warms the heart in a way only cozy holiday content can.
Photo: Apple TV+
