5 Best Chicago Fire and Chicago Med Holiday Episodes That One Chicago Fans Still Fiercely Debate
5 Best Chicago Fire and Chicago Med Holiday Episodes That One Chicago Fans Still Fiercely Debate
For the One Chicago universe, the holidays have never been just about twinkling lights or warm reunions. Instead, Christmas and Thanksgiving episodes often deliver maximum emotional damage — tragedy wrapped in tinsel, miracles born from chaos, and moments that split the fandom straight down the middle.
Years later, fans are still arguing about which holiday episodes hit hardest, crossed the line, or changed the course of beloved characters forever. Here are five holiday episodes from Chicago Fire and Chicago Med that continue to spark heated debates — and emotional rewatches — every winter.
1. Chicago Fire — “A Chicago Welcome” (Christmas Episode)
Few holiday episodes are remembered with as much raw intensity as this one. Set against a festive Chicago backdrop, the episode pulls Firehouse 51 into a devastating call involving family, loss, and the cruel timing of tragedy.
What divides fans to this day is the episode’s refusal to offer comfort. There’s no neat resolution, no easy lesson — just the brutal reminder that emergencies don’t pause for Christmas. Some viewers praise it as painfully realistic. Others argue it was too dark for a holiday slot.
Either way, it remains one of the most emotionally draining Christmas episodes in the franchise.
2. Chicago Med — “When to Let Go” (Holiday Medical Crisis)
Holiday episodes at Chicago Med often revolve around impossible medical choices, and this one still fuels arguments online.
A critical patient’s fate collides with family wishes, faith, and ethics — all unfolding during the holiday season, when emotions are already heightened. Fans remain split over the doctors’ decisions: were they compassionate… or did they cross a line?
The episode is frequently cited as a turning point for how Chicago Med handles moral gray areas, especially during moments when hope feels obligatory.
3. Chicago Fire — “Winterfest” (Thanksgiving Gone Wrong)
Thanksgiving episodes are supposed to be about gratitude — but Winterfest delivers anything but peace.
A large-scale emergency interrupts celebrations, forcing firefighters to confront personal regrets alongside professional duty. What fans still debate isn’t the rescue itself, but the fallout afterward. Did certain characters make selfish choices? Should others have stepped up more?
This episode planted emotional seeds that bloomed much later in the season, making it a fan favorite — and a fan frustration — all at once.
4. Chicago Med — “Nothing to Fear” (Christmas Under Pressure)
This episode divided viewers almost instantly. While some praised its hopeful ending, others felt the emotional payoff didn’t justify the trauma that came before it.
With the emergency department stretched thin on Christmas Day, doctors are pushed into high-risk decisions under extreme pressure. The central debate among fans? Whether the episode balanced realism with holiday sentiment — or leaned too far into one at the expense of the other.
To this day, it’s one of the most rewatched — and re-argued — holiday episodes in Chicago Med history.
5. Chicago Fire — “Hold Our Ground” (Holiday Episode That Changed Everything)
This episode still sparks debate because of what it set in motion. A holiday call goes disastrously wrong, leaving lasting consequences that ripple through Firehouse 51 long after the decorations come down.
Fans continue to argue whether the show went too far by tying long-term trauma to a holiday episode — or whether that bold move is exactly what makes Chicago Fire stand out from other procedurals.
Love it or hate it, many viewers agree on one thing: the show was never the same afterward.
Why These Episodes Still Matter
Holiday episodes in the One Chicago universe don’t exist to provide comfort — they exist to test characters when emotions are already raw. That’s why these episodes endure, and why fans still debate them years later.
Were they too bleak?
Too realistic?
Or exactly the kind of emotional gut-punch that makes One Chicago unforgettable?
As the franchise continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: when the holidays arrive in Chicago, no one is ever truly safe — and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.