J.A. Morris says:
On Christmas Eve, Marge says “for once we’re gonna celebrate Christmas as a family” and sets all the clocks to go off at 7am on Christmas Morning. Bart wants an early start on gift opening, so he drinks 12 glasses of water, causing him to wake up at 5am. Bart proceeds to open his first gift, a toy fire truck (the Inferno Buster 3000), which accidentally sets fire to the tree and all the presents. Bart hides the evidence in the snow. When the family comes down at 7am, he lies telling them a burglar broke in and stole everything, including the tree.
This tragic incident touches the hearts of the residents of Springfield, they bring gifts and money to the Simpsons. Bart seems to be getting away with his lie, but his conscience gets the better of him, and the Simpsons (once again) become the most hated family in town.
The Simpsons has had about a half-dozen holiday themed episodes during their 19-year run, not to mention a few that make Christmas a part of the story. The first “episode” of the Simpsons was a 1989 Christmas special (we’ll review that one another time). In fact, they’ve released two “Simpsons Christmas” dvds. "Miracle On Evergreen Terrace' is one of the best. There are a couple subtle and not-so-subtle nods to A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life in this episode, and it also contains one of my all-time-favorite Simpson quotes. When Lisa worries that her family have become pariahs, Marge counters with “There’s no shame in being a pariah.” Classic.
Three and a half candy canes:
.5