Ah, Christmas. It only feels like yesterday the decorations and festive bunting were coming down but once again it's the most wonderful time of the year. The season of snow, carol singing and goodwill to all men. Or, if you're the Doctor, at least, the season of danger, formidable foes and alien excursions (although he has enjoyed his fair share of snow and carol singing over the years, too!). In a tradition now as unbreakable as turkey itself, the Doctor will be back on our screens this Christmas Day in his latest festive escapade, which - fact fans, take note - will be his tenth annual yuletide adventure to date. The magic began back in 2005 when, following the critically acclaimed success of the first series, the BBC decided to take another chance on their Time Lord. Placed at the heart of BBC One's Christmas Day schedule, the Doctor was about to face his greatest challenge yet. As per, though, being honoured with the most prestigious time slot on the biggest day of the television calendar was an accolade the Doctor, about to be seen in his first full adventure in his tenth incarnation, took on with his usual laidback charm as an audience of 10 million accompanied him for The Christmas Invasion. And thus the precedent was set. Every Christmas since, the Doctor has been on hand to light up our festivities proving that Doctor Who is well and truly the gift that keeps on giving. As fans await this year's outing, there's plenty of past Doctor Who cheer and jollity from Christmasses gone by to get you in the mood for what has been described as one of the Time Lord's most incredible adventures. A surefire way to put a smile on the face of even Kazran Sardick himself, here's a list of Doctor Who's Top Christmassy Moments to help warm the cockles of your heart. Deck the halls with space and Time Lords...
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
