The 5 best SNL skits that make moms feel seen at Christmas

Saturday Night Live aired its last episode before Christmas over the weekend, and it featured two way-too-relatable skits about what it’s like to be a mom during the holidays. Moms tend to shoulder the responsibility of holiday cheer, without much credit or support, and sometimes it’s too much to bear—even if your kids are grown.

These aren’t the only spot-on skits SNL has produced that make moms feel seen at Christmas. Here are five of our favorites.

Pongo (2023)

Why is it that children always want a pet for Christmas? In this parody commercial, two kids look disappointed after opening their gifts and say they really wanted a puppy. But what’s that? One more gift under the tree! It’s Pongo, the “perfect pet” that has no holes, no fur, and doesn’t make a sound. The skit takes a dark turn when Pongo starts popping up everywhere and Mom (played by Sarah Sherman) can’t take it anymore. 

“I was the one who bought Pongo because your pathetic father was too cheap to buy a dog!” she screams in a moment of distress as her family catches her digging a grave for the pet that’s neither alive nor dead.

Gifts From Mom (2023)

Kate McKinnon stars as a self-deprecating mom in this skit. When her daughters and their boyfriends come home for Christmas, she can’t help but put herself down while doling out gifts, stating that the kids are going to hate what she got them and that she’s a “trash” mom even though everything is wrapped to perfection and thoughtfully chosen. 

Meanwhile, the dad (played by Austin Johnson) feels confident about the presents he got for the guys as he tosses paper bags in their laps, even though they end up being offensive.

The Christmas Conversation (2020)

At the height of the pandemic, people were hesitant to travel home for the holidays (and rightfully so), but as moms there’s not much that stings more than a child saying they’re not coming home for Christmas. This 2020 skit shares how three FaceTime conversations go when daughters tell their mothers they’re not traveling this year. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t go well.)

Best Christmas Ever (2018)

On Christmas night after the kids are in bed, mom and dad (played by Cecily Strong and Matt Damon) cuddle up on the couch to talk about what they refer to as the “best Christmas ever.” As they reminisce about the day, flashbacks pop on the screen showing how much of a nightmare it actually was, from kids fighting to unappreciative (and unruly) family members.

When Damon asks how Strong, “the hostess with the mostest,” did it all, she says “I guess I was just full of Christmas cheer” as snippets of her chugging wine and smoking cigarettes throughout the day flash by. The moral? Even when it’s the worst, it’s the best. This one hits HARD.

Christmas Morning (2020)

Moms usually do it all during the holidays, and sadly a lot of them don’t get much in return. This parody song is way too relatable as the family raps about everything they got for Christmas (even the dog), while the mom just got a robe. 

The 2020 skit, starring Kristen Wiig as the underappreciated mom, became so popular that it actually started a social media trend where moms showed off the robes they got as Christmas gifts.