Christmas Who? SpongeBob's First Holiday

 This episode has become a yule tide staple for me to the point where I watch this once or twice every time the Christmas season rolls around. SpongeBob SquarePants has had many Christmas episodes over the years, but the one I wanted to talk about today was the very first, the episode titled "Christmas Who?". I remember watching this when it first aired, as it told the yuletide tale of the time Christmas came to Bikini Bottom for the first time. 

This episode was the introduction of beloved character and long-time SpongeBob fan Patchy the Pirate as he recounts the story in some very funny live-action segments. The episode is full-length, which at the time was not a normal occurrence for our nautical hero, most episodes having two episode segments in them, thus already making this Christmas tale special. SpongeBob learns about Christmas for the first time and tries to bring it to the people of his undersea town. Trying to bring cheer to everyone and anyone as he waits for the arrival of Santa Claus. There are great jokes, both verbal and visual, even some nice moments that remind us of the best parts of giving, and even a catchy song.

This episode still has some jokes that I think about regularly, namely when Santa appears at the end of the episode, which to me is still one of the best uses of mixed media, using a form a animation or even live action in the medium the show is not known for, I have ever seen. I love the song, even the background music. I love the moments with Patchy the Pirate, which is a SpongeBob character I have always found hilarious. This episode just puts me in the mood for Christmas, filling me with that nostalgic feeling.

The song is so much fun, packed with great lyrics and visual jokes. It's short but catchy and effective. Their first Christmas, feeling like the very first Christmas, is a song I find myself singing year-round, and especially this time of year. 

The second half of the episode highlights how important it is to bring joy to others, the joy of giving, and how Christmas highlights that. SpongeBob's wish to bring Christmas and the joy of the season to his town is a simple but just incredibly wholesome wish, wanting to bring joy to even Squidward, who is a massive Scrooge in this episode. Watching Squidward's development by the end of the episode, showing those moments that he is truly a friend to SpongeBob, is also great. 

The episode just brings me back to being on Christmas break, watching cartoon episodes, and holiday movies, the special bumpers that aired during the commercial breaks this time of year. And back then, without access to shows on streaming and having to rent DVDs or get a VHS, most of the time I just had to wait for this time of year to watch Christmas episodes two or three times, until the next Christmas would roll around.

This episode, I make sure to watch at least once or twice a year, filling me with not only good memories, but giving me a good laugh still, and watching the joys of giving and celebrating Christmas, bringing it to others. This Christmas episode is so great that it feels like the very first Christmas to me, every time I watch it. 


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