If anyone can personify holiday cheer, it’s Jessica Day. She makes a song and dance out of anything from finding a rebound lover to using the toilet. So, there is no way a holiday will go by without getting the Jess treatment AKA the warm and fuzzies.

B-B-B-Billy At The Gate!

The whole gang makes a plan to ride to the airport together to hang out before they all lead off to their separate directions: Jess off to cheerio London to meet Ryan’s family, Nick and Winston back to Chicago in time to hit up their fave bar (where Winston is a Chicago “10”) and CeCe and Schmidt off to NYC respectively. Their plan seemed to be on the up and up until arriving at LAX to find chaos–a Midwest storm has delayed flights everywhere. That’s ok, Mama Jess will fix it! She manages to get almost everyone rebooked, when she encounters a bah humbug airport agent (yes, we get a taste of Billy Eichner, swoon). At first, he is her booking nemesis but later saves the day actually getting Winston and Nick on first class tickets! Score.

He’s A Reverse Santa!

Everyone scurries to their own corners while they wait and Jess becomes more and more anxious about meeting Ryan’s seemingly rich family… whose estate is reminiscent of Downton Abbey. After a run in with a disgraceful Santa doppelganger, Jess, feeling defeated, ushers everyone else on to their flights and decides to give up and stay home. But not if Nick has anything to do with it! Everyone runs to the rescue to give Jess a much needed pep talk and help her rally to get on her flight. I just love when the guys sacrifice themselves to be there for Jess, just like in season one when they show up for her when she was stood up on her rebound date. At the core of this show is their friendships, and zingy one-liners, but more so how much they really love each other and that is the foundation of any holiday feel-good episode.

Why It Works!

I knew this episode was going to be a winner from the beginning where it opened on the school play Jess’ students were putting on. What a refreshing take! Where can I watch the rest of that? Also, I love any chance to see Coach and Winston overlap on the series and here we even get some back story on their families. Plus, a touching moment from Coach is a Christmas miracle–I mean did you see how happy he was with his adorbs niece? Schmidt realizing there is more to care about than status (with that airport lounge pillow in tow) is a nice treat. He had an opportunity to throw that interaction in CeCe’s face to score points but he took the high road, awe. And the irony of Jess who believes in the goodness of everything having a disturbing encounter with reverse Santa! He steals her gifts, but at the end of the day, not her spirit. Extra points for any screen time I get with Billy Eichner as a cranky but hilarious Christmas elf.

Memorable Quotes

Schmidt: “The red eye? What do I look like a 24-year-old that’s afraid to break up with his girlfriend?”

Scbmidt: “Hey, let’s wait in the first-class lounge like the other HBO Go Subscribers”

Schmidt: “Stupid trash lobster”

Airport Teller (Billy Eichner): {referring to it being Christmas} “Oh I didn’t know that, I thought they just did a Black version of Annie for no reason.”

Airport Teller: “Well, well, well if it isn’t old Bangs LaRue”

Nick: “We probably should’ve taken trains. The sky is too fickle, it’s a play place for butterflies.”

Jess: “Sir, I’d like the strongest drink you have. And also, a wine spritzer on the side in case I don’t like it”

Jess: “He was a reverse Santa!”

Winston: “It’s actually a polio horse. Originally, the horses were bred as helper horses for people with polio. But I don’t think anything of what I just said was correct, so…”

You can watch New Girl “Laxmas” (Season 4, Episode 11) here.