Christening (The Office)

"Christening" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of the American version of the comedy television series The Office and the show's 133rd episode overall. Written by Peter Ocko and directed by Alex Hardcastle, the episode aired on November 4, 2010 on NBC in the United States. The episode guest stars Linda Purl as Helene Beesly, Rick Overton as William Beesly, Robert Pine as Mr. Halpert, Perry Smith as Betsy Halpert, Bobby Ray Shafer as Bob Vance, and Peggy Stewart as Sylvia.

The series, a mockumentary, depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim Halpert's (John Krasinski) baby, CeCe, is christened and Michael Scott (Steve Carell) invites the entire office to celebrate. Michael joins a church group of high school graduates on a mission to Mexico, with Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) following along to impress Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper).

Since the seventh season of The Office focused on Michael's departure, the producers wanted to showcase the ensemble cast in various episodes; "Christening" dealt with Pam and Jim. The episode was watched by 7.65 million viewers and received a 3.8 rating among adults between the age of 18 and 49, marking a slight drop in the ratings when compared to the previous week. The episode received mixed reviews from critics; while a few enjoyed the episode, several felt that the main story was unfunny and forced. Cindy White of IGN even called it one of the worst episodes of The Office to air.