True, Fred. I suppose that helps to make them "timeless," and might have been considered a plus for re-runs, in a series where there were never meant to be a full season's worth of episodes anyway. Still, it's pretty unusual that a show could continue in any form for all those years without once doing a "Christmas episode" of some kind. Back then, it seemed practically mandatory for any show to eventually do a "Christmas Carol" parody.

I could almost convince myself that Ransom for a Dead Man was around Xmas. That's probably just my imagination, since if it had been, there was ample opportunity to mention it ("So sad, especially at this time of year" etc.)

But I just can't get over the ceiling decorations in that greasy spoon. Did people really have such tacky year-round decorations like that?

Also, Lee Grant's fur coat in So. California (obviously winter) and Margaret's friends at the European school not being around "this time of year".

But I admit that's not much to go on.

Good Detective work!

There's a scene in MURDER UNDER GLASS where Columbo and Paul Gerard are looking for vegetables at the market (with Michael Lally as the market man) - you can see a few Halloween decoration in the background.