After my previous thread about the slight lack of recent commeradery on ER, I have watched last year's Christmas episode since then and noticed that some of the greatest moments with the whole staff together has been in the Christmas episodes. Blizzard, with the party at the end; The next year, I remember Carol caroling solo at the hospital, only to be joined by Doug and everyone else around. I think the next year was when Jeanne put a star on top of the staff Christmas tree and when Maggie told her she should put it on her own family tree, Jeanne says this is her family. Do You See What I See--all the nurses together to share Carol's news about the funding of the new clinic, Doug and Carol's wonderful announcement, the nurses singing together outside the ambulance bay, and the snow fight. Fifth season crazy Amanda Lee organized the surprise party. I love this show because it shows Carter and Lucy working great together and I love the shot of them watching their patient together through the window in the hall. And then Doug and Carol leaving to spend Christmas Eve together. And of course every year they have a beautiful Christmas carol in the background. I don't remember this season's too much, but my point is, we need more of these moments more often, not just at Christmas. I know this doesn't have much to do with anything, but I noticed it amidst our wait for this Thursday.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), March 20, 2000

Answers

I understand what you mean- it's a form of spiritual "magic" that makes all of the rest of the year's dysfunction tolerable. My favorite installments are "Blizzard (1st year)" and "A Miracle Happens Here (2nd year)-" the epi which featured the Holocaust survivor (who came in with her granddaughter) who sort of adopted Mark into her family. And yes, my favorite part of "Do You See..." is the scene of Carol, Jeanie, and the nurses looking at the Christmas tree sent over by "Gamma" Carter. I didn't like "The Miracle Worker (5th year)" as much- but that's just 'cause I bristle at the plot's suggestion that doctors are somehow more than human. Did we even have a Christmas episode this year? I'm not remembering one.

-- Chris A. (movibuf@juno.com), March 20, 2000.

Carter also exchanged all the secret Santa gifts for guns for those gang members and then had to replace all the secret Santa gifts himself.

-- amanda (amanda.rehm@home.com), March 20, 2000.

This year's Christmas episode was okay, but I absolutely LOVE the first five!! :-)

-- Leigh (WillnGraceNYC@yahoo.com), March 21, 2000.

I loved all the Christmas episodes except Season 5--the thing with Amanda collecting Mark's possessions and hanging his picture on her tree was just too darn creepy and over-the-top. The earlier ones were definitely the best. I also think of Season One's "Blizzard" as kind of a Christmas episode, even though it was actually the one before...it just had that feel about it.

-- Mary (mslyman@erols.com), March 22, 2000.

Yeah, the Amanda Lee story was quite over the top for ER, I didn't mind her until she went psycho. Also, at first I didn't enjoy seeing Carter in his "instrument of God" mode, esp. after interrupting the mother in the hospital's church/sanctuary (pretty inappropriate) But then it wasn't him being arrogant (even after his "pretty arrogant of me, huh?" comment to Lucy and her casual agreement), it was just him being his usual optimistic/do everything you can for the patient, self. It was a good bonding show for Carter and Lucy.

-- Elaine (mrsclooney78@hotmail.com), March 24, 2000.