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The holiday season is upon us, whether or not we want to believe it. After an entire year of mainly stay-at-home activities, you’ve probably streamed just about everything there is to watch on all streaming services — maybe you’ve even dipped into some holiday movies and shows already. Of course, now is the best time to revisit — or visit for the first time — the classic staples of holiday-themed SNL sketches. Best known for its satirical sketches about politics, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has made a household name for itself since its debut in 1975.
Over its decades of broadcast, the live comedy sketch show has premiered numerous and diverse holiday sketches that radiate laughter and joy to all those who watch them. In my opinion, these sketches barely get the credit they deserve. The dry and witty humor is characteristic of everything worth loving in a comedy sketch show. The cast is constantly changing, adding a variety of talents that make for interesting skits that never get old.
Whether you’ve watched SNL since you were a little kid like me or are just learning about it for the first time by reading this article, it is worth the watch, especially during the holidays. SNL celebrates all different kinds of holiday cheer, and from earliest to as recent as last year, these holiday sketches are the ultimate holiday re-runs. If you aren’t familiar, here are some of the classic staple holiday SNL re-runs worth visiting.
Schweddy Balls (1998)
We’re starting strong with one of the classic holiday sketches. Featuring SNL regular host Alec Baldwin and cast members Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer, this holiday sketch about holiday treats will have you rolling on the floor with laughter.
The sketch opens up in a National Public Radio style setting with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as the hosts. They are interviewing Pete Schweddy of the famed confection business, Schweddy Balls. Obviously, the name itself is an innuendo, but the sketch’s comedy comes from the intention of the actors. All actors in the skit maintain their composure as they work through a script of laugh-out-loud lines about Schweddy Balls, all while reviewing a seemingly innocent holiday treat.
This sketch is hilarious because the actors featured in it are so good at containing their laughter. Alec Baldwin delivers skilled control over his expressions. Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer’s dry humor and ability to deliver absurd lines add to the sketch’s humor, making this sketch one of the best holiday SNL re-runs to watch.
Motivational Santa (1993)
After his passing in 1997, Chris Farley left a huge hole in many SNL fans’ hearts. To this day, he is still memorialized and fondly missed among the cast members and alumni. We miss him so much on the show because of the guaranteed laughter from all of the skits he starred in. Farley’s ongoing sketch was his depiction of motivational speaker Matt Foley who participates in a “Scared Straight” style comedy sketch.
The sketch features Chris Farley as Matt Foley busting into homes and screaming at delinquent children. He uses his own life living in a van down by the river as an example for kids to work hard and stop getting in trouble. In this holiday version of the classic Matt Foley sketch, Foley is a troubling yet hilarious Motivational Santa who turns visiting the mall Santa into a whole new experience.
David Spade plays alongside Farley as his elf helper in this roll-on-the-ground-laughing holiday sketch. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, it doesn’t take much to understand how awkward it is to visit a mall Santa — let alone visiting a mall Santa who screams in your face about living in a van down by the river. Any Chris Farley classic is worth the re-watch, but this SNL re-run is especially worth a viewing (or two).
The Hanukkah Song (1994)
During the Weekend Update, SNL covers some of the past week’s most notable news stories from a satirical perspective. Every weekend, the Weekend Update host invites a “guest start” depicted by a regular cast member to join the sketch with a different bit. Despite his reputation for producing terrible comedy movies, Adam Sandler is an incredibly talented and hilarious actor with deep roots in SNL. He is also credited for one of the funniest SNL holiday sketches of all time: The Hanukkah Song.
Sandler is best known for his ability to throw his voice, despite being a very talented musician. He comprised a Hanukkah song after being sick of all the holiday sketches being focused on Christmas. In the song, Sandler sings about why Hanukkah is such a great holiday, making nods to famous Jewish people, and tells kids why they should be proud to celebrate Hanukkah. This isn’t really a sketch, but rather a musical performance by Sandler — however it is still one of the most notably funny and holiday-themed performances in SNL history. It’s great to see different holidays celebrated on such a large platform and laugh in the process.
I Wish It Was Christmas Today (2001)
In this sketch, Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan perform possibly the most annoying yet most catchy Christmas song you’ll ever listen to. The four cast members can be seen nodding along awkwardly in this performance, and it is truly a spectacle to be seen.
This sketch’s claim to fame is the hilarity of the four straight-faced men bopping along very seriously to a simple Christmas song. In combination with the simplicity of the words, the effort it probably took these four to keep a straight face while performing is very impressive to watch. This song has been revisited and performed multiple times since its debut in 2001, with a guest appearance from Ariana Grande in a more recent season. It is an SNL holiday re-run staple for the books, and the song will be stuck in your head for months after the season has passed.
Tim Meadows On Kwanzaa (1998)
Tim Meadows is a hilarious actor best known for his role in Mean Girls, but most people don’t know about his origins as a cast member on SNL. Meadows was a hilarious regular on the show for several seasons in the ’90s through the early 2000s and led in a hilarious Weekend Update sketch about Kwanzaa.
In the sketch, Tim Meadows is invited on the Weekend Update to talk about the holiday of Kwanzaa. Accompanied by two beautiful women, Meadows starts to sing about all of the wonderful and sensual parts of celebrating Kwanzaa, and things don’t stay too serious for long. Meadows sings about all of the things he can do for you during Kwanzaa that Santa could never dream of, making for a song full of well-crafted innuendos guaranteed to make you laugh.
Even if you don’t celebrate Kwanzaa, this sketch is worth the watch, and Tim Meadows delivers a hilarious performance per the usual. This classic reminds us where Meadows had his start, making him all the more to appreciate in his most recent roles in movies and television.
Many More Where That Came From
Saturday Night Live has broadcasted weekly since 1975, with only a few months off during the rest seasons. Every show has up to twenty sketches each, which means plenty more hilarious moments to be experienced by audiences. The show also dominates during the holidays, and NBC regularly shows re-run compilations with holiday relevant classics to be enjoyed with the whole family.
If you’ve never seen SNL before, I guarantee visiting the classics will be a surprising delight when you see some of your favorite actors and actresses as members of the cast of guest hosts on the show. In addition to hilarious acting, the show also features weekly musical performances that are always amazing. Going into the holidays this year, it might feel difficult to get into the holiday spirit — but whatever holiday you celebrate, and whoever you choose to celebrate with, try celebrating it by revisiting some of these vintage SNL classics. I guarantee you won’t regret it.