This week saw the mid-season finale of Glee which has come to be a recurring Christmas special.  Not only was this the best Christmas episode they've done, but it was also one of the best episodes of the entire series!  The McKinley High Gleeksters got to have their own Christmas special on TV, and with Artie in the director's chair they churned out what I think is one of the most magical moments I have ever seen on TV.  It was an homage to The Judy Garland Christmas Special as well as to Star Wars (which only made a very small appearance); it was cheesy, but pure TV perfection.  I honestly cannot tell you how much I loved this episode.

The show started off with a bang with Mercedes singing Mariah Carey's infamous 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' as the rest of the Glee-clubbers got in touch with their holiday spirit as they decorated the choir room.  Mercedes' vocals were once again incredible, and it was such a fun way to draw you in to the Christmas fun.

Next, Rory took center stage to croon 'Blue Christmas' as a gift to his family back in Ireland.  It was such a beautiful performance.  His voice is really great, and I hope that they keep him on the show indefinitely because he could become a lead vocalist after Finn graduates.  In my opinion he's 10x the singer Finn is so that would be a nice change.

As preparations got under way for the TV special, Artie began auditioning people and so of course no show would be complete without a Rachel Berry solo.  It's a nice song and all, but it was a little boring. 

The first original composition for this episode is a duet between Blaine and Rachel as they audition together for the Christmas special.  Being an original song, it was actually very good and in time could become a staple Christmas song.  I loved it!

And so begins the Christmas special.  Blaine and Kurt are getting ready for their Christmas party as "roommates" and so as they are waiting for their guests to arrive they sing one of the cutest numbers they have ever done.  This was the highlight of the Glee Holiday Spectacular for me.

Mercedes and Rachel arrive with some comedic finesse, and as they settle in they sing a number that they had just happened to be working on.  This was probably the low point for me.  I didn't like the song at all, and it was a little boring.

Finn and Puck show up at the party dressed as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, and they venture to sing one of the greatest Christmas classics.  Just a fun, musical moment of the TV special.

'Christmas Wrapping' brought the Cheerios to the special, with Brittany S. Pearce taking on lead vocals.  It was a silly and cute performance and it was a great homage to what happened on The Judy Garland Christmas Special.  

Ending the episode on a high note, the New Directions were feeling guilty about not performing at the homeless shelter because of their big TV debut, but because the show finished early they made their way down to the homeless shelter that Sue, Quinn and Sam were volunteering at to give an uplifting performance.  It's always great to see the more charitable side of the kids, and seeing them put a smile on Sue's face is always priceless.  'Do They Know It's Christmas' is being sold on iTunes separate from the Christmas album, and $0.91 from every sale is being donated to The Band Aid Trust so I encourage you to buy it.

Below I've included what is more or less the Glee Christmas Spectacular, minus the dialogue.  Matthew Morrison's directorial debut could not have gone any better.  This is one of my favorite Glee episodes ever, and I can only hope that when the show comes back in January for its mid-season premiere that it will be just as great as the first half of this season was.  Well, that's it for now and I want to thank you for reading my weekly Glee-caps.  I'll see you back here in January!