The Dandy Warhols, the following music can be heard in the episode: "Little Bit More" by Tony C. and The Truth "Slow Hands" by Interpol "Saturday Night" by Ozomatli "Camp-Fire" by Starling Electric "Little Drummer Boy" by The Dandy Warhols Production The episode was written by Diane Ruggiero and directed by Nick Marck. "An Echolls Family Christmas" marks Ruggiero's third writing credit for the series (after "The Wrath of Con" and "The Girl Next Door"). In addition, this episode is Marck's second directing credit for Veronica Mars (after "The Girl Next Door"). All series regulars appear in the episode. Also, recurring characters Aaron and Lynn Echolls as well as Jake and Celeste Kane appear in the episode after not appearing for several episodes. Some fans of the show cite this episode as one of the best episodes of the series as a whole. This (and the following episode) are the only episodes of the series to be aired out of production order. The following episode, "Silence of the Lamb" was produced before this episode, but was aired after, due to "An Echolls Family Christmas" being a Christmas-themed episode which aired as season's final episode of the year in December 2004. Reception Ratings In its original broadcast, "An Echolls Family Christmas" received 1.90 million viewers, ranking 109th of 111 in the weekly rankings. This episode is the lowest-rated episode of the first season. Reviews The episode was critically acclaimed. In a glowing review, Rowan Kaiser, writing for The A.V. Club, stated that "this episode works at every level: it's tense, it's funny, it's light, it's dark, it stands alone, it builds up the plot, it's plausible, and it's surprising." The reviewer also wrote that "It also allows for some wonderful bits of dramatic irony." He also praised the poker game, the guest stars, Keith's storyline, and the episode's Christmas feel. Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A+," its first such rating for the series. Price Peterson of TV.com also gave a positive review. In his episode verdict, the reviewer wrote that "This episode WORKED. There are few things better than seeing a bad person get reformed…Plus I just love me a Christmas episode, you know?" References External links "An Echolls Family Christmas" at Mars Investigations 2004 American television episodes American Christmas television episodes Veronica Mars (season 1) episodes