Simpsons _____ Stories are basically the new clip shows. Simpsons Bible Stories anyone? While they don't recycle footage, they're sort of a cop-out. It's almost as if the writers couldn't come up with a full episode, and decided to go with smaller segments instead. Simpsons Christmas Stories is a mixed bag as a result. The first story is a retelling of the birth of Christ, while the second sees Grandpa out for revenge on Santa Claus. The final segment starts with Springfield elementary performing the Nutcracker, and ending with Marge giving Homer a present - a present wrapped and labelled as being to herself, because she knew Homer would forget to get her something. The gift gag was pretty classic, but the rest of this seventeenth season episode was pretty weak, also placing it in the "meh" category.