Our take
An anthology in the style of the Halloween specials, and like most of them it is uneven. The wartime tale is the strongest, a tall story with real comic momentum. The Nativity retelling has some good lines and the Nutcracker finale is pleasant if slight. Critics were split, with some ranking it low among the holiday outings. It earned its writer a Writers Guild nomination, and the musical segment is a nice way to close a Christmas evening.
What happens
Three Christmas tales in one episode. In the first, Reverend Lovejoy's car breaks down on the way to Christmas mass, so Homer takes the pulpit and tells the Nativity his own way, with himself as Joseph, Marge as Mary and Bart as the baby Jesus. In the second, Grampa recalls his days as a Second World War fighter pilot, stranded on a Pacific island with Mr Burns as his gunner. Grampa mistakes Santa's sleigh for an enemy plane and shoots it down; once he realises what he has done he nurses Santa back to health, only for Burns to steal the sleigh and fly off, leaving Grampa stranded again. The third story follows the people of Springfield getting ready for Christmas Day, all of it sung to music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet.
Can the kids watch it?
Mostly fine for children from about eight; the BBFC rated it 12 on DVD, so check with younger ones.