The following was originally posted on December 24th, 2010.

By my reckoning there were three true Christmas episodes of M*A*S*H: “Dear Dad” (01×12), “Dear Sis” (07×15) and “Death Takes A Holiday” (09×05). There was also a Boxing Day episode, “‘Twas the Day After Christmas” (10×10) and a New Year’s Eve episode, “A War For All Seasons” (09×06). Which is your favorite? And who made the best Santa Claus: Hawkeye, B.J. or Colonel Potter?

“Death Takes A Holiday” is one of my favorite episodes of M*A*S*H. The main storyline, which sees B.J., Hawkeye and Margaret working furiously to keep a mortally wounded soldier alive through Christmas, is intense but falls apart somewhat when looked at logically (would the soldier’s family really feel any better knowing he died five minutes after Christmas?) but it holds up well overall. What works best is the secondary storyline involving Charles and his family’s Christmas tradition. I’ve always found the line, “It is sadly inappropriate to give dessert to a child who has had no meal,” to be very profound and the scene in which Klinger brings Charles dinner and Charles calls him Max very touching.

Hawkeye as Santa Claus, from “Dear Dad”

B.J. as Santa Claus, from “Dear Sis”

Colonel Potter as Santa Claus, from “Death Takes a Holiday”

Situations in which Charles is depicted in a positive light are almost always excellent. So while “Dear Sis” is properly a Father Mulcahy episode, Charles’s reaction to receiving his toboggan cap is my favorite part of the episode, followed closely by the camp singing “Dona Nobis Pacem” and, of course, Father Mulcahy slugging a soldier. “Dear Dad” is easily the most amusing of the three episodes. For example, Colonel Blake’s disastrous attempt at giving the 4077th a lecture on sex and reproduction is hilarious, as the following exchange proves:

Colonel Blake: “The union of Figure A, man, and Figure B, woman, is the most sublime expression of romantic love. However, only in the institution of marriage is it recommended that this expression take place.”
Trapper: “Uh, sir.”
Colonel Blake: “Mm-hm.”
Trapper: “What happens in the event that Figure A is attracted to Figure B and wants to get married but Figure A is already married to, say, Figure C and Figure B is engaged to Figure D? But Figure A can’t keep his hands of Figure B because she’s got such a great figure.”
Colonel Blake: “Uh-huh. Well, according to the Army he’s got to forget her.”
Hawkeye: “That figures.”

I’m torn between Hawkeye and Colonel Potter as the best Santa. Hawkeye’s bushy eyebrows really stick out in my mind but Colonel Potter brings a certain amount of gravitas to the role.

By my reckoning there were three true Christmas episodes of M*A*S*H: “Dear Dad” (01×12), “Dear Sis” (07×15) and “Death Takes A Holiday” (09×05). There was also a Boxing Day episode, “‘Twas the Day After Christmas” (10×10) and a New Year’s Eve episode, “A War For All Seasons” (09×06). Which is your favorite? And who made the best Santa Claus: Hawkeye, B.J. or Colonel Potter?

“Death Takes A Holiday” is one of my favorite episodes of M*A*S*H. The main storyline, which sees B.J., Hawkeye and Margaret working furiously to keep a mortally wounded soldier alive through Christmas, is intense but falls apart somewhat when looked at logically (would the soldier’s family really feel any better knowing he died five minutes after Christmas?) but it holds up well overall. What works best is the secondary storyline involving Charles and his family’s Christmas tradition. I’ve always found the line, “It is sadly inappropriate to give dessert to a child who has had no meal,” to be very profound and the scene in which Klinger brings Charles dinner and Charles calls him Max very touching.

Hawkeye as Santa Claus, from “Dear Dad”

B.J. as Santa Claus, from “Dear Sis”

Colonel Potter as Santa Claus, from “Death Takes a Holiday”

Situations in which Charles is depicted in a positive light are almost always excellent. So while “Dear Sis” is properly a Father Mulcahy episode, Charles’s reaction to receiving his toboggan cap is my favorite part of the episode, followed closely by the camp singing “Dona Nobis Pacem” and, of course, Father Mulcahy slugging a soldier. “Dear Dad” is easily the most amusing of the three episodes. For example, Colonel Blake’s disastrous attempt at giving the 4077th a lecture on sex and reproduction is hilarious, as the following exchange proves:

Colonel Blake: “The union of Figure A, man, and Figure B, woman, is the most sublime expression of romantic love. However, only in the institution of marriage is it recommended that this expression take place.”
Trapper: “Uh, sir.”
Colonel Blake: “Mm-hm.”
Trapper: “What happens in the event that Figure A is attracted to Figure B and wants to get married but Figure A is already married to, say, Figure C and Figure B is engaged to Figure D? But Figure A can’t keep his hands of Figure B because she’s got such a great figure.”
Colonel Blake: “Uh-huh. Well, according to the Army he’s got to forget her.”
Hawkeye: “That figures.”

I’m torn between Hawkeye and Colonel Potter as the best Santa. Hawkeye’s bushy eyebrows really stick out in my mind but Colonel Potter brings a certain amount of gravitas to the role.

I’m not sure why but late last night I found myself thinking about the “Dear Dad” trilogy of episodes, broadcast during the first two seasons of M*A*S*H. Each of these episodes had Hawkeye writing a letter to his father describing the various goings-on at the 4077th. The letter home was used often by writers as a way to frame episodes, but these three episodes (and the three “Mail Call” episodes) are unique in that they share the same title and nothing else.

The first two of these episodes were part of Season One. In “Dear Dad” (originally broadcast December 17th, 1972) Hawkeye recounts the following events: Radar’s attempt to mail a jeep home; the camp’s Christmas celebrations; Henry and his struggle to get through a lecture on sex; Father Mulcahy dealing with a brawl between Frank and Klinger; Margaret’s tent being collapsed by Hawkeye and Trapper; and Hawkeye (dressed as Santa Claus) flying to the Hill 28 to operate on a wounded corporal. The episode ends up with a quick recap of the cast.

“Dear Dad”

Then, in “Dear Dad, Again” (originally broadcast February 4th, 1973) Hawkeye tells his father about all manner of things: Klinger trying to get out of the Army; his bet with Trapper that he could walk naked to the Mess Tent without anyone noticing (he lost); Radar cheating on his final exam for a correspondence course from the Triple A High School Diploma Company; a round of bad jokes in the Swamp; a depressed Frank getting drunk; the shocking revelation that Captain Adam Casey, a talented doctor, isn’t really a doctor or a captain; and the camp’s No Talent night, complete with a four piece band (Trapper, Hawkeye, Radar and another man) conducted by Henry with Margaret singing lead vocals.

“Dear Dad, Again”

Finally, during Season Two came Dear Dad Three (originally broadcast November 17th, 1973) and its own mix of hilarity and horror: a soldier is brought in with a live grenade embedded in his body; the camp throws a Happy Hour party; Trapper and Hawkeye paint the skin of a patient, who is afraid he’ll get the wrong colored blood, with tincture of iodine; watching movies of Henry’s daughters (sad) and Henry himself (hilarious); Frank and Margaret get into an argument and then make up; the monthly staff meeting; and another Happy Hour party.

Dear Dad…Three

So which “Dear Dad” episode is your favorite? I’m torn between “Dear Dad Three” simply for the inclusion of the lovely Sivi Aberg as Anna Lindstrom and “Dear Dad, Again” because of No Talent night and the scene in which Hawkeye tells Trapper hilariously awful jokes:

Hawkeye: “Knock, knock.”
Trapper: “Who’s there?”
Hawkeye: “Abe Lincoln.”
Trapper: “Abe Lincoln who?”
Hawkeye: “Don’t you know me?”
Trapper: “That’s awful.”
Hawkeye: “Okay, can I do another one?”
Trapper: “No!”
Hawkeye: “Knock, knock.”
Trapper: “Who’s there?”
Hawkeye: “Thomas Jefferson.”
Trapper: “Thomas Jefferson who!”
Hawkeye: “Was Abe Lincoln just here?”
Trapper: “Hawkeye, I never liked you.”

Talk about your favorite “Dear Dad” episode in the comments.