Ludachristmas 

Jack gets attached to Liz's nurturing parents because they provide the love and support he never got from his mom. The staffers get ready for their raunchy holiday party, but Kenneth changes their plans at the last minute.

Director:

Don Scardino

Writers:

Tina Fey (created by), Tami Sagher

Stars:

Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Tina Fey	...	Liz Lemon
Tracy Morgan	...	Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski	...	Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer	...	Kenneth Parcell
Scott Adsit	...	Pete Hornberger
Judah Friedlander	...	Frank Rossitano
Alec Baldwin	...	Jack Donaghy
Katrina Bowden	...	Cerie
Keith Powell	...	Toofer
Lonny Ross	...	Josh Girard
Elaine Stritch	...	Colleen Donaghy
Anita Gillette	...	Margaret Lemon
Andy Richter	...	Mitch Lemon
Buck Henry	...	Dick Lemon
Maulik Pancholy	...	Jonathan

Storyline

Jack gets attached to Liz's nurturing parents because they provide the love and support he never got from his mom. The staffers get ready for their raunchy holiday party, but Kenneth changes their plans at the last minute.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas episode | pinching cheek | pinching cheeks | anterograde amnesia | short term memory loss | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liz's father twice uses the phrase "Lemon party". While this makes sense on the surface because of the Lemon family's last name, it is also a risqué joke. Indeed, an internet search for "lemon party" leads to an image of a gay orgy of elderly men. The reference is confirmed when Liz's father says "It wouldn't be a Lemon party without old Dick".

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Goofs

In the beginning, Jonathan, Jack's assistant informed Jack that his mother is here; she took a bus to Atlanta and convinced the JetBlue to accept an Amtrak ticket. But in fact, JetBlue doesn't fly out of Atlanta or stop at Atlanta since its establishment in 1999.

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Quotes

Margaret Lemon: Knock knock! It's just the Lemons. We've come to drop off a little goodbye present.
Jack Donaghy: Oh, thank you!
Margaret Lemon: Oh, my goodness! What a beautiful office. Oh, your mother must be so proud of you.
Dick Lemon: Wow, look at this carpet. I feel like we should take off our shoes. Should we take off our shoes?
Jack Donaghy: No, please sit down and make yourselves comfortable.
Margaret Lemon: Well, we don't want to bother you. We know you must have big plans.
Jack Donaghy: Well, I was going to drive up to Vermont and visit my girlfriend, C.C.
Margaret Lemon: Oh, I love that name, C.C!
Dick Lemon: Ooh, ...
[...]

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Connections

References Flashdance (1983)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
(uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont

User Reviews

Hello, Elaine!

Ah, Christmas: the time of year where everyone is supposed to be kind and loving with everyone. Unless you're a) in a Tim Burton movie; b) Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa; or c) Colleen Donaghy. If it's the last one, then it also means twenty minutes of solid gags and another Emmy nomination for the terrific Elaine Stritch (too bad she didn't win this time, but what the hell, Kathryn Joosten in Desperate Housewives is the only actress who can compete with her in the comedy guest category).

Christmas at TGS tends to mean one thing only: a raunchy party (as witnessed by the writing on Frank's hat: "Ho Ho Horny!"). Unfortunately, Kenneth has other plans, since he believes the holidays shouldn't be mocked in some profane way. For Liz, however, Christmas means something else entirely: a visit from her parents and little brother Mitch (played by Conan O' Brien's sidekick Andy Richter), who had an accident years before and believes it's still 1985. Jack is intrigued by that (he thinks Reagan was the best President ever) and quickly develops an attachment to the Lemons, who give all the love and support he never received from his mother. This is confirmed when she shows up and insists on spending the day with them.

Christmas episodes are, by nature, effortlessly charming, probably because of the joyous context (maybe that's why they're called Christmas Specials in the UK). That this one features an acting duel between Alec Baldwin and Elaine Stritch is just the icing on the cake. In any sane universe, she will have to appear at least once in every season. I mean, even The Sopranos, which stayed perfect for the entirety of its run, was still never quite the same after Nancy Marchand's death. It's a scientific fact: cranky mothers are funny (and get nominated for an Emmy).

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Silvercup Studios East, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Broadway Video, Little Stranger, NBC Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1