Summary

• The Downton Abbey Christmas specials serve as satisfying finales to their respective seasons, wrapping up recurring plots and setting up future storylines.
• These episodes manage to feel festive even when Christmas isn't the main focus, showcasing the show's ability to create a holiday atmosphere.
• The series finale, "The Finale," successfully brings the entire show to a satisfying conclusion, with long-running plots finally resolved and a heartwarming New Year celebration.

The Downton Abbey Christmas specials and season finales make for some of the best period drama viewing over the holiday season. From 2011 to 2015, Christmas Day saw the airing of five special double-length episodes of Downton Abbey that accompanied their respective seasons, with many of them full of festive spirit and plenty of drama. These special episodes tended to not only have Christmas as part of the story, but their placement at the end of the seasons effectively served as their finales.

The extended runtime of the Downton Abbey episodes on Christmas not only had the recurring plots of their seasons wrapped up, but they also planted the seeds for plots for the following season. The Downton Abbey Christmas episodes serve as some of the best in the show, and also somehow manage to feel festive even when they don't technically focus on Christmas.

Downton Abbey is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Christmas At Downton Abbey

Season 2, Episode 9

Season 2 was jam-packed with some of Downton Abbey's best storylines, and these included the show's first Christmas special — which was no exception. Among the Crawleys, there was the reintroduction of Anthony Strallan into Edith's life, Robert dealing with Sybil's marriage and pregnancy, and the drama between Mary, Matthew, and Richard Carlisle coming to a head. Meanwhile, downstairs, there was Thomas continually trying to gain favor, the trial of Mr. Bates, and Daisy grappling with her feelings on William's death.

Christmas and New Year were significant only at the beginning of the episode, despite the title. Unlike later Downton Abbey Christmas specials, there were no important seasonal events to tie all of these plots together or make them organized. As a result, "Christmas At Downton Abbey," as a conclusion to the first two seasons and a prelude to the third season, was somewhat disted.

A Journey To The Highlands

Season 3, Episode 9

While it's still considered a Downton Abbey Christmas episode, the season 3 special doesn't actually include Christmas. "A Journey To The Highlands" revolved around the Crawleys visiting Duneagle Castle in Scotland and the servants attending a fair in Thirsk. These events away from Downton allowed the upstairs and downstairs characters to be mixed, such as Tom and Isobel attending the fair and the Bates's, Molesley, and O'Brien accompanying the family.

One of the Season 3 stories concluded in this Downton Abbey special is the complications of Mary's and Matthew's marriage, culminating with Mary giving birth to a baby boy, George. Combined with Robert finally accepting Downton's reforms, Edith and Michael Gregson affirming their love for each other, and Thomas reconciling with Jimmy, "A Journey To the Highlands" was overall a positive special. Unfortunately, all of these events were overshadowed by the abrupt and shocking death of Matthew right as the Downton episode ended.

The London Season

Season 4, Episode 9

"The London Season" also did not revolve around Christmas, and served as an extended adventure away from Downton. The main plot revolved around Rose's debutante ball, which involved the upstairs and downstairs casts in various ways. This episode also saw the implementation of the British Royal Family into the story (an element later repeated for the 2019 Downton Abbey movie).

The scandal with the Prince of Wales and the upstairs cast was an exciting change of pace, while downstairs plots like Thomas's influence over Baxter and the murder of Mr. Green were developed further. Other stories for season 5 that had good starts here were Edith concocting her plan for her daughter, Isobel developing feelings for Lord Merton, and Mary's love triangle with Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake officially beginning.

A Moorland Holiday

Season 5, Episode 9

Between Rose's marriage and the arrest of Anna over Mr. Green's death, the final episodes of season 5 were a roller coaster of drama. These stories were explored further in the next Downton Abbey Christmas special, "A Moorland Holiday." In the episode, the Crawleys were invited to Brancaster Castle by Rose's new family, and some of the downstairs cast got involved with Anna and Mr. Bates.

In addition, some story elements and characters for the sixth and final season were introduced, namely Robert's ulcer, Henry Talbott, and Bertie Pelham. The episode was also able to squeeze some time in for a Christmas celebration in the last few minutes. Anna reuniting with Mr. Bates and Carson finally proposing to Mrs. Hughes as Christmas songs played ended the episode and season 5 on a high note.

The Finale

Season 6, Episode 9

As the ending of the entire show, the Downton Abbey Christmas special of Season 6 had the arduous task of bringing everything to a satisfying conclusion. For the most part, "The Finale" succeeded as an uplifting Christmas special and ending to the series. It allowed future installments like the 2019 and 2022 films to tell their own stories separately.

Despite the abrupt introduction of some plot elements like Bertie's mother, Daisy's affections towards Andy, and Carson's retirement, they are easily offset by the conclusion of long-running plots since the show began. Edith's marriage and Thomas's change of heart finally came after years of hardship and heartbreak, and both characters more than deserved it. The episode's final minutes with the New Year celebration and bringing back almost all the major characters was an excellent way to end the season and Downton Abbey.