The holiday season in the One Chicago universe isn’t just about snow, gifts, and festive decorations — it’s where heroes crack, friendships deepen, romances ignite, and Christmas chaos turns into unforgettable television.

For content creators like you, Huyen, these episodes are pure gold: emotional, nostalgic, dramatic, and binge-worthy. Here are the 5 best holiday-themed episodes across Chicago Fire and Chicago Med that still burn in fans’ memories.

1. “Merry Christmas, Etc.” — Chicago Fire (Season 1, Episode 10)

This is where it all began.

As the first Christmas episode of the franchise, it sets the emotional DNA for every holiday installment that followed. Firehouse 51 faces intense rescues, but what makes this episode iconic is the raw humanity behind the helmets.

Casey carries leadership pressure, Dawson shows emotional strength, and Otis, Shay, and the original crew deliver a rare blend of festive warmth wrapped in life-or-death stakes. It’s the episode that made fans say:

“Chicago doesn’t do Christmas soft — Chicago does Christmas real.”

2. “Secret Santa Has a Gift For You” — Chicago Med (Season 7, Episode 9)

A Christmas party at Gaffney Medical? Yes.
Holiday emergency cases? Obviously.
But a fandom meltdown? Absolutely.

This episode uses the Secret Santa tradition as its emotional backbone while the ER gets flooded with seasonal crises. What should have been a feel-good storyline turned into one of the most talked-about episodes, with fans torn between:

• “This was peak holiday heart.”

• “No, this was peak emotional trauma.”

It proves that holiday cheer in Chicago Med always comes with a diagnosis of drama.

3. “Winterfest” — Chicago Fire (Season 10, Episode 9)

Not every holiday episode needs to break your heart.
Some just need to break the internet.

“Winterfest” trades smoke for beer tents, festival chaos, and firehouse bonding — a lighter tone compared to other seasons, but still full of character sparks. It gives fans the rare gift of seeing 51 happy.

And ironically, that happiness is exactly why fans debated it:

“We love seeing them smile… but why does it feel like the calm before another firestorm?”

4. “Santa Bites” — Chicago Fire (Season 3, Episode 10)

This episode is the ultimate One Chicago holiday formula:

Holiday festival + dangerous fire + emotional implosion.

While Firehouse 51 attends the Chicago Holiday Fest, a major house fire escalates into chaos, and personal storylines — especially Casey and Dawson — take dramatic turns.

It gave us tension.
It gave us romance.
It gave us heartbreak.

It also gave fans trust issues that last to this day.

5. “Naughty or Nice” — Chicago Med (Season 3, Episode 4)

If you like your Christmas episodes wrapped in psychological depth instead of glitter, this is your pick.

Dr. Charles faces emotionally heavy truths, proving that not all holiday wounds are physical. This one is intense, unsettling, and unforgettable.

Because sometimes, the scariest thing in Chicago isn’t the fire or the injuries —
it’s the emotional fallout.

So, What Makes Chicago Holiday Episodes Different?

• The stakes are always high

• The emotions are always raw

• The cheer is always temporary

• And the fandom is always divided

Because in Chicago, even Christmas has a plot twist.

FINAL THOUGHT

These episodes prove one thing:

The holidays in One Chicago don’t save the characters — they reveal them.
And fans don’t just watch these episodes, they argue about them for years.

So if you’re planning a holiday marathon, remember:

It’s not just Christmas television.
It’s Chicago Christmas television.
And that hits differently.