Every Simpsons Christmas Special - Ranked

This year’s episode is named in a parody of the fifteenth season’s ‘Tis The Fifteenth Season, despite having nothing to do with it. That’s pretty much the level of originality on show here.

Gil returns, and in fairness is used in just one act, although it’s still a little cheap. Marge gradually gives away more and more winter clothes to him, eventually sacrificing her chance at a Black Friday TV to help him get a teddy bear. Which he immediately sells to Lovejoy, a moment that doesn’t earn the laugh something so contrived needs to.

This puts Marge in a terrible mood, so the family attempt to cheer her up with a vacation away. From here on out, Christmas kind of washes in and out of the story. Visiting the hall of Vice Presidents is nowhere near as funny as it should be, with one lame, go nowhere Hamilton gag the only offering. The section where the couple next door in the hotel have loud sex was weirdly out of place too.

Despite that, it does keep the family together throughout and even with iffy pacing, manages to tie the narrative together at the end.