We Still Don’t Know the Answer to This ‘Simpsons’ Christmas Mystery

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While not as beloved as the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, The SimpsonsChristmas episodes are almost always a treat, like “The Fight Before Christmas” or “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” which introduced the ever-faithful Santa’s Little Helper. But there have been lumps of coal as well. Take “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace.” In fairness, it’s not a horrible episode. It’s not a Yuletide “Moe’s Bar Rag,” for example. But what sends it straight to Santa’s naughty list are the actions of Springfield’s citizens against the Simpsons. Cruel, harsh even, and it’s a mystery why they acted so out of character.

Christmas Goes Up in Flames in ‘The Simpsons’ Episode “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace”

“Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” begins at bedtime on Christmas Eve. Before being sent to bed, Marge (Julie Kavner) makes it clear that no one gets up to open presents until 7:00. Shockingly, Bart (Nancy Cartwright) ignores Marge, and wakes up well before then. He unwraps his gifts. finding a remote-controlled fire truck. Bart starts playing with it, but sprays water on an overloaded electrical socket, setting off a fire that melts the plastic tree and presents. Looking to evade punishment, he drags the smoldering mess out to the front yard and buries it under the snow. Once he’s done, Bart goes back inside, only his timing couldn’t be worse. It’s 7:01, and the family is downstairs in shock. Thinking fast, Bart makes up a story about seeing a burglar in the house taking the tree and presents.

The police are called in, and Kent Brockman (Harry Shearer) arrives with his news team to cover the story. The news travels fast, and soon everyone in Springfield comes together to pull off an It’s a Wonderful Life moment, gifting the Simpsons a new Christmas tree and $15,000. Homer (Dan Castellaneta) uses the money to buy a new car, which, in true Homer fashion, he drives onto a frozen lake, where the car promptly cracks the ice and sinks (after passing the Plow King, a nice nod to “Mr. Plow”). However, the guilt he feels forces Bart to confess to the family. After a touching group strangulation of Bart, they opt to keep the faux story alive when Brockman arrives to do a follow-up.

Springfield’s Citizens Make the Simpsons Pay in “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace”

Here’s where the “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” mystery begins. A cameraman finds the tree’s remains, forcing the Simpsons to confess. Springfield’s citizens are, rightly, angry, and proceed to shun the family and send letters demanding retribution. Only there was no insurance on that brand-new car that now sits in Lake Springfield, so no money to pay them back. Marge gets on Jeopardy!, hoping to win some, only she finishes with negative $5,200. When the Simpsons arrive home, the people of Springfield are on the lawn waiting, which Marge sees as a gesture of forgiveness. Nope. Forgiveness comes with a price, which is paid when the people file into the house and ransack everything, including the pets, leaving only a tattered washcloth.

While the anger of the town is understandable, their act of retribution is not, hence the mystery. Bart’s only real crime here was lying, and there’s not a 10-year-old that would immediately confess to a similar act. The act wasn’t purposeful, and Bart has 36 seasons of moments where he’s been mischievous on purpose that didn’t get the same reaction. The rest of the family had only discovered the truth moments before the town and reacted as likely any family would, hoping to sweep it under the rug until they assessed their next steps. Besides, it’s Christmas. What happened wasn’t right, but a family was still robbed of Christmas, and taking away everything they own, leaving nothing is uncharacteristic and reprehensible.

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Or is it out of character? The story somewhat mirrors “The Telltale Head,” where Bart saws the head off of Jebediah Springfield’s statue and only confesses later. When he and Homer go to return the head, a vengeful mob approaches. Only in this case, the town is quick to forgive. They are not so forgiving in The Simpsons Movie, where the townspeople descend upon the Simpsons’ home and raze it after Homer’s actions put Springfield under a dome, with the family escaping harm thanks to a sinkhole under Maggie’s sandbox. “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge,” “At Long Last Leave,” and “Mayored to the Mob” also feature Springfield’s angry mobs. As far as the money, the hypocritical townspeople have pulled scams of their own, as in “Radioactive Man,” where price gouging by the town forces the movie’s production to go bankrupt. This would all suggest that the mystery isn’t a mystery after all.

“Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” and other episodes of The Simpsons are available to stream in the U.S. on Disney+

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