 " Christmas Wishes " received mostly positive reviews from critics . Hollywood writer Hannah Lawrence enjoyed the episode , writing , " as an episode , [ ' Christmas Wishes ' ] had that certain … ' spirit ' that I enjoy from Office episodes . " She also complimented the Erin @-@ Andy relationship arc . IGN writer Cindy White , although noting that the episode " had some big obstacles to overcome " with the absences of both Michael Scott and Pam Halpert , " concluded that the episode had a " high rewatch factor . " She wrote , " If my Christmas wish was to watch an episode of The Office that made me laugh a lot , consider that wish granted . " She ultimately gave the episode 8 @.@ 0 / 10 . M. Giant of Television without Pity gave the episode a " B + " . Margaret Lyons from New York wrote a mostly positively review , saying " ' Christmas Wishes ' filled me with holiday cheer , proving that there 's still some juice left in this show , " before noting that " There are still some issues left , too , though . " What Culture ! reviewer Joseph Kratzer praised Mindy Kaling and Ed Helms ' writing and directing work , and said , " If this is what happens when cast members [ … ] take the reins then the writing and directing duties should be kept in house much more often . " 
