Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates Christmas

There's something about the holidays that tends to bring out the best in people, or maybe it's just that we feel more guilty than usual. As Chris Rock so wisely points out in this special holiday showing of Everybody Hates Chris, there's probably a lot of people starving on President's Day, too.

Young Chris just knows for sure he's going to get a walkman for Christmas. He's been leaving hints all around the house since Thanksgiving, plus, it's the only thing he's asked for. Meanwhile, his younger brother Drew pulls an emotional rug out from under their little sister, Tanya, when he shows her their presents before Christmas, proving there is no Santa Claus. That was probably the moment I found most affecting, as I clung to my belief in Santa Claus much longer than most normal kids. Their mother was especially distraught by Tanya's new found information, knowing she was finally starting to realize that not everything that came out of an adult's mouth was the truth. In a hilarious sequence, their mother imagines an older Tanya drilling her mother on all the supposed "truths" she's been told all her life. My favorite: "Can I really not bring a white boy home?"

At Chris' school, his class is collecting food for the needy. His mother lets him take some canned food for the food drive, but insists he only take name brand food so people don't think they're too poor to afford it. His father disagrees, and the two of them argue, not by yelling, but through facial expressions (they don't like to yell in front of the kids). Luckily, the viewing audience is provided with subtitles.

As it turns out, the food drive is actually for Chris, because his teacher assumes that since his family is black they're obviously poor, too. They're not rich, that's for sure, but like any family with limited means, they get by just fine. When the water heater breaks down, Chris has to accept that his parents can get presents for his siblings, but not for him. His mother makes up for it by being extra nice to him, and on Christmas morning Tanya gives him one of her presents, a game of checkers. Any other sitcom would have poured on the sweetness at this point, cued the uplifting music, and topped it off with some sappy holiday BS. As usual, Chris avoided all of that, showing that Christmas isn't all about last minute miracles. Sometimes, it's about getting a free bank calendar as your only gift.