"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round — apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that — as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."
— Fred to his uncle Ebenezer, A Christmas Carol
An index of tropes related to (both Christian and secularized versions of) the holiday of Christmas
, and all the various cultural traditions associated with it.
This is a sub-index of Holiday Tropes. Also see Halloween Tropes and Valentine's Day Tropes.
Tropes:
- Anti-Christmas Song: When you're tired of hearing Christmas carols, and a simple "Bah! Humbug!" just won't cut it.
- The Anti-Grinch: Strange how a guy whose heart isn't two sizes too small can snafu the holidays better than someone whose is.
- An Ass-Kicking Christmas: We're Saving Christmas the old-fashioned way: with good ol' Lefty and Righty.
- Away in a Manger: A baby born on Christmas Eve in a stinky barn... are you sure he's not the Second Coming?
- Badass Santa: The perfect thing for An Ass-Kicking Christmas. Just don't end up on his Naughty List...
- Bad Santa: You got tube socks while the Big Dumb Bully got tens and twenties? There's only one reason.
- "Better If Not Born" Plot: A subversion to the famous It's a Wonderful Plot, which showcases how everyone's lives would improve if you didn't exist.
- Chaos of the Bells: When the classic Christmas song "Carol of the Bells" is used as a soundtrack for action, suspense, and/or dread.
- Chekhov's Gift: Rule #1 when your present is Chekhov's Gun — don't return it.
- Chimney Entry: Santa's favorite way to deliver toys personally.
- Christmas Angels: Angels are associated with Christmas.
- The Christmas Annual: That beloved Doorstopper would make the perfect gift for A Very British Christmas.
- Christmas Carolers: Their attempts to inspire Christmas cheer inspire some people to break out the Anti-Jehovah's Witness Cannon.
- Christmas Cat-astrophe: A house pet is confused by the change in routine at Christmas time and proceeds to cause chaos around the home.
- Christmas Creep: Stores having Christmas sections well before December.
- Christmas Elves: Clean and sprightly like elves, yet short and industrious like dwarves... hmm...
- Christmas Enthusiast: Someone who really, really loves Christmas.
- Christmas Epilogue: The final scene of a story is set at Christmas.
- Christmas Every Day: Christmas is so great, why can't we have it every single day of the year?
- Christmas in the Big House: Having to go to jail (or, perhaps, break out of it) during the Christmas season.
- Christmas in July: Who says we can't combine some yuletide cheer with bikini season?
- Christmas Light Chaos: Dealing with Christmas lights can be very, very hard.
- Christmas Miracle: A helpful stroke of good fortune comes to the characters in their time of need during Christmas time.
- Christmas Rushed: A product or media work is pushed through development to get it out ahead of the holiday shopping season.
- Christmas Songs: 'Tis the season for holiday-themed pop music.
- Christmas Town: Where all the magic happens!
- Clothes for Christmas Cringe: What a horrible gift... clothes!
- Commercialized Christmas: Merry Christmas. Now, Buy the Merchandise!
- Convenience Store Gift Shopping: The best presents you can buy with too little time and/or money.
- Crappy Holidays: Stale TV specials. Five months of bills! Black Friday hordes that would trample their own mother for a discount toaster. Asinine holiday music for three months solid, you know you're getting divorced as soon as the ball drops on New Year's Eve, and top it off with Dinner and a Show. It's the unhappiest time of the year.
- Crappy Homemade Gift: A homemade gift that turns out to be... not so good.
- Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Nixon: Someone gets the names of at least one of Santa's reindeer wrong.
- Did I Mention It's Christmas?: Oh, right. Let's put up the tree, and then we'll get back to our Zany Schemes.
- Dinner and a Show: Part of the holiday is dinner at Grandma's place. Or the in-laws come over and you get stuck cooking. Or both. And none of them approve of your politics, religion, lifestyle, or choice in partner any more than you approve of theirs. Worse, you're all snowed in...
- Dreaming of a White Christmas: No heavy slush, just a perfect powdery blanket of fun!
- Encouraged Regifting: A character gives someone a gift they know will be given away.
- Everyone Hates Fruit Cakes: Along with the Homemade Sweater from Hell, this serves as a reminder that Christmas ain't perfect.
- Everyone Is Christian at Christmas: Ah, Christmas, when Informed Judaism becomes just a little more informed.
- Excessive Gifting: Giving way too many gifts to somebody all at once.
- Gift for an Outgrown Interest: A gift-giver's idea of what the recipient would like is based on very outdated memories.
- A Gift for Themselves: Can't leave myself off the gift list!
- Gift-Giving Gaffe: My geologist friend gave me a present! Aw, I Got a Rock...
- "Gift of the Magi" Plot: The moral of this story is: Being Twice Generous can be just as lame as being Twice Shy.
- Gift Shake: Let's just hope that whatever's inside isn't fragile...
- Gingerbread House: A sweet building that everyone wants to eat at Christmas (unless you're Hansel and Gretel).
- The Grinch: He's a mean one, and he can't stand the holidays.
- Happy Holidays Dress: The Pimped Out Dressmaker has been waiting all year to debut this little number.
- Holiday Ceasefire: Enemies or rivals temporarily putting aside their differences to celebrate a holiday (usually Christmas) together.
- Holiday Volunteering: Christmastime is all about giving, after all, which is why you Got Volunteered for our annual charity drive.
- Hollywood Giftwrap: The average Joe in Real Life can't wrap gifts like the elves can.
- Home by Christmas: Soldiers fighting in a war are seemingly assured of a quick victory that will allow them to be back home by a certain date, such as Christmas.
- Homemade Sweater from Hell: It's itchy, it's tasteless, it's two or three sizes too big... but it is Christmas...
- How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?: Fiction has so many different answers.
- How the Character Stole Christmas: ...And then realized the True Meaning of Christmas, and gave it back before we had to beat it out of him.
- Hurrying Home for the Holidays: Gotta make it back from work in another town before Christmas dinner!
- Icy Keyboard: Setting a musical wintry atmosphere by featuring a prominent keyboard instrument of some kind.
- It's a Wonderful Plot: Choosing to live is the ultimate Christmas Miracle.
- Jack Frost: The Anthropomorphic Personification of ice, snow, and winter. Sometimes also associated with Christmas by extension.
- Julekalender: A Christmas-themed television show that's traditional in Scandinavia and Finland.
- The Krampus: A demon who specializes in Corporal Punishment; now, that's a holiday tradition!
- Leaving Food for Santa: And some vegetables and water for the reindeer; can't forget them!
- Let There Be Snow: To all kids Dreaming of a White Christmas down south, anything's possible this time of year.
- Literal North Pole: An actual pole marking the North Pole, frequently striped like a candy cane.
- Living Christmas Tree Topper: A living being stands in as the star atop the Christmas tree.
- Ludicrous Gift Request: When the impossible gift is on your wish list.
- Mall Santa: Try not to let your whiskey-soaked beard fall off, will ya?
- Merry Christmas in Gotham: For one special time a year, the Crapsack World becomes... kind of pleasant.
- Mistaken for Santa: Someone wrongly thinks someone else is Santa Claus.
- Mrs. Claus: Because who would want Santa to be single?
- My New Gift Is Lame: A gift that brings disappointment to whoever receives it.
- Over-the-Top Christmas Decorations: Your Christmas cheer isn't great enough unless it can be seen from orbit.
- The Parody Before Christmas: A Christmas story based on the format of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
- Peking Duck Christmas: I guess not Everyone Is Christian at Christmas, but hey, the Chinese restaurant is always open!
- Pets as a Present: Aww, look! There's a Ridiculously Cute Critter in my stocking.
- Powerless at Christmas: Demonic (or otherwise evil) forces wielding power? Not on Christmas!
- Present Peeking: There's an art to it, as any anxious kid in fictionland will tell you.
- Pseudo-Santa: When someone/something other than Santa brings gifts at Christmas (or an equivalent holiday).
- Red/Green Contrast: An omnipresent color combination for the holiday.
- Santabomination: Santa Claus... if he were imagined by H. P. Lovecraft.
- Santa Ambiguity: So was Santa Claus Real After All? Your guess is as good as mine.
- Santa Claus: Red suit, check. White beard, check. Large belly, check. Ho ho ho, check. Sack of toys... hopefully not filled with Creepy Dolls.
- Santa Clausmas: Christmas stories don't mention Christianity.
- Santa's Existence Clause: See? Santa Claus is real, just like the Easter Bunny and Stingy Jack!
- Santa's Naughty and Nice List: What Santa uses to decide if you're good and get gifts or if you're bad and get coal.
- Santa's Sweatshop: You do not want to work at Santa's workshop.
- Saving Christmas: Old Saint Nick is in danger, and it's up to us to set things right!
- Secret Santa: A classic gift exchange system that leads to many an Unwanted Gift Plot.
- Sexy Santa Dress: Because this time of year is no reason to forget the Fanservice!
- Sinterklaas: A Dutch winter holiday character who served as an inspiration for Santa Claus himself.
- Snow Globe of Innocence: A snowglobe representing a more innocent, happier time or idealized life is often popularized around Christmas (and easiest to find then).
- Snowlems: Who says snowmen have to be inanimate?
- Snow Means Love: Romance in a snowy or wintry setting, which is almost mandatory for Christmas stories.
- Snowy Sleigh Bells: Sometimes part of Christmas Songs.
- Star of Bethlehem: Who needs a compass when you're The Three Wise Men in Bible Times?
- Still Believes in Santa: A character's age-inappropriate belief in Santa makes them look childish.
- Stuck in a Chimney: When Santa's attempted toy delivery leads to a Help, I'm Stuck! moment.
- Subbing for Santa: Can our Ragtag Bunch of Misfits handle the reins? Someone Has to Do It, after all...
- Surprise Santa Encounter: Why would Santa Claus make The Cameo in Anime? Awesome, Dear Boy, that's why.
- The Three Wise Men: We come bearing gold and a couple of smelly things.
- Tiny Tim Template: A character who's based off or parodies Tiny Tim.
- True Meaning of Christmas: It's better to give than to receive, so give me a hundred dollars.
- The Twelve Spoofs of Christmas: A parody version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
- Twisted Christmas: Seasons Beatings on this Darker and Edgier Christmas!
- Unconventional Christmas Tree: Something other than the classic spruce or pine is used as a Christmas Tree.
- Under the Mistletoe: Wait a minute, that's holly. Ah, who cares when it's time for smooches?
- Unwanted Gift Plot: Pretending to like a gift you hate.
- Usurping Santa: This year, Christmas will be ours!
- White-Tailed Reindeer: All deer are the same, right?
- Yet Another Christmas Carol: Not getting any good cheer from The Scrooge? Send three ghosts to Scare 'Em Straight!
- You Mean "Xmas": Fictional Holiday that's based on Christmas.