Season 13's She Of Little Faith is almost more of a Lisa episode than a Christmas episode, and is known as the episode in which Lisa converts to Buddhism. Nominated for an Emmy (it lost to an episode of Futurama), the episode sees Lisa become disenchanted with the commercialization of Christianity, and eventually turning to Buddhism when she happens across Springfield's Buddhist temple, where she finds Lenny, Carl, plus actor Richard Gere, the latter of whom teaches her the basics of the belief system. She Of Little Faith gets high marks for its portrayal of Buddhism, and it's a character trait for Lisa that has lasted through the seasons, but, really, Christmas doesn't come into the equation until Marge tries to bribe Lisa back to Christianity with it. Of course, it's pointed out that being Buddhist allows practitioners to take part in other religious traditions, and therefore Lisa is free to continue celebrating Christmas with her family. Oh, and Marge initially tries to bribe Lisa with a pony (cue "it's been done!" comments). It's an episode that functions better as character development for Lisa, and less as a holiday story, and for that, it's on the bottom of the list. As a Christmas story, it ranks a solid "meh."
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
