It's right after Thanksgiving, and the kids are already ready for Christmas. The only thing they want for Christmas is a new Smart TV. Marge and Homer see an ad on TV for a Black Friday sale, noting a huge sale on the (incredibly) expensive Smart TV. Marge goes out on Black Friday morning to get the TV. She ends up giving most of her warm clothing to Gil, who is freezing. She's not worried though, because Homer's coming to relieve her any moment now. Unfortunately, Homer does not show up on time. When the store is about to open, the entire town rushes into the store. She runs towards the electronics but has to stop in order to save Gil and help him get a present for his granddaughter. In that time, the final Smart TV is taken off the shelves. And then, Gil gives up his granddaughter's present for $100. Homer finally arrives to pick up Marge, and he immediately crashes the car. And then the other car.
Marge tells the kids they aren't getting the Smart TV, and they are disappointed. Homer tells them that they have to make this Christmas special for Marge, because she's been trying so hard to make it special for them. They decide to take them on a trip to Florida, and they settle on a place they really know nothing about, because everything else is way too expensive. Marge mentions that she wants to stay home for Christmas, so they end up drugging her and knocking her out to get her on the road. They arrive at their destination, which turns out to be run-down and disgusting, with a tiny room to boot. It's also raining outside, making this Christmas trip a true disaster.
Lisa and Bart complain to the manager about the misleading advertising, but she does nothing to help. Marge tells them what an awful time she's having, and they decide to go home. Bart is able to help them get a refund by scaring the manager, and they rush off to Springfield. The car breaks down 5 miles from town, but they can walk to Moe's, where they discover that he's serving dinner to the needy and the elderly. They get to eat a nice Christmas meal, and appreciate the holiday for the first time in forever. Later on, the family gets a new Smart TV with some of the money from the hotel manager.
Wrap-Up:
I usually enjoy Simpsons holiday specials, and this one wasn't different. It was a really fun episode that felt really different from any other Christmas episode that I've seen this year. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfectly enjoyable and a big improvement on most of the episodes this season. The plot of the episode was really sweet and heartwarming, and, despite it not going as-planned, I'm glad the rest of the Simpsons wanted to give Marge a special Christmas after all that she's done for them. In addition to just being more entertaining all-around than most of this season, I thought this was the funniest episode of the season by far, especially during the scenes at the hotel. I also have to add that the opening sequence was very fun and festive, and I really loved it.
Score: 9/10
Grade: A-
