"Christmas Who?" (also known as "Patchy The Pirate Presents The SpongeBob Christmas Special") is the eighth episode of season two of ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...

'' and the 28th episode overall, which serves as the first double-length episode of the series. The episode aired on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

in the United States on December 7, 2000. The episode marks the first appearance of both Patchy the Pirate and his pet parrot, Potty in the main show. The episode follows SpongeBob as he learns what

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

is about, and as he creates excitement for everyone in Bikini Bottom.

Plot

Encino, California Encino is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History Etymology The name Encino is the misspelling in masculine of Encina, the Spanish language, Spanish word for "holm oak” (Quercus ilex). The Spanis ...

, the French Narrator introduces the president of the SpongeBob SquarePants fan club, Patchy the Pirate, along with his "pet", in actuality a marionette,

Potty the Parrot The characters in the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' were created by artist, animator, and former marine biologist Stephen Hillenburg. The series chronicles the adventures of the title character and his various ...

. Patchy receives a fan letter, asking if SpongeBob likes

as much as he does. Patchy explains that the people of Bikini Bottom did not always celebrate Christmas, and decides to show how they were introduced to it. While heading to

Sandy's Sandy's was a chain of American fast-food restaurants begun in 1956 by four entrepreneurs from Kewanee, Illinois: Gus "Brick" Lundberg, Robert C. Wenger, Paul White and W. K. Davidson. Sandy's was the ancestor of the midwestern franchises of t ...

treedome for a surprise visit,

is horrified to see her electrifying the tree with

Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom ...

, perceiving it as a house-fire. Sandy informs SpongeBob that she is preparing for the holiday season, and explains customary Christmas traditions to him. SpongeBob becomes excited of a visit from

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

, and spreads the news to the rest of Bikini Bottom. However, Squidward refuses to participate in the celebrations, claiming that Santa does not exist. The citizens of Bikini Bottom enthusiastically prepare for the upcoming holiday, but their faith is shattered after Santa fails to arrive on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

(Santa actually does not come until the day after). Upset with SpongeBob, they leave him behind and go home in disappointment, now believing that Santa doesn't exist. Squidward relishes that Santa did not come and taunts a despondent SpongeBob over it, the latter now thinking that Squidward was right all along. However, after being presented with a homemade gift from SpongeBob, Squidward feels guilty for hurting his feelings and tries to compensate for his rudeness by masquerading as Santa Claus to SpongeBob; however, he later winds up distributing all his possessions to the residents of Bikini Bottom as Christmas gifts. SpongeBob visits Squidward to express his excitement of Santa's visit, but Squidward makes him turn around and leave, all while still shouting in joy. Squidward encounters a note from Santa Claus, graciously thanking him, and sees his sleigh soaring overhead. Dismissing Santa as a sign of his insanity, Squidward goes inside his house to play his clarinet. After the SpongeBob episode ends, Potty gives Patchy a little present. Patchy then steps under a

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...

, hoping to be kissed by a woman, only for Potty to start chasing after him with the intention of kissing him. Seeing that Patchy is busy at the moment, the French Narrator wishes the audience a happy holiday season.

Release

Broadcast

"Christmas Who?" was originally broadcast Thursday, December 7, 2000 at 8:30pm. As of 2020, it is still rebroadcast on Nickelodeon during the Christmas season. On December 6, 2012, almost 12 years after "Christmas Who?", another ''SpongeBob'' Christmas episode was released on Nickelodeon called "

It's a SpongeBob Christmas! "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is the 23rd episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants (season 8), eighth season, and the 175th episode overall of the American animated television program, television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. It originally aire ...

". A third ''SpongeBob'' Christmas-themed episode, "SpongeBob's Road to Christmas", first aired on Nickelodeon on December 10, 2021.

Home media

"Christmas Who?" was released on the DVD compilation called ''Christmas'' on September 30, 2003. The episode was also included in '' SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 2nd Season'' DVD released on October 19, 2004.''SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 2nd Season''. DVD. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2004. On September 22, 2009, "Christmas Who?" was released on the ''SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes'' DVD, alongside all the episodes of seasons one through five.

Reception

The special received generally positive reviews; a reviewer on Reviewstream.com calls it "a great story of the holiday spirit". In the DVD released by

, the episode was ranked at number 10 as one of SpongeBob SquarePants's 10 Happiest Moments.

References

External links

* {{SpongeBob SquarePants episodes 2000s animated television specials 2000 American television episodes 2000 television specials 2000s American television specials American Christmas television specials SpongeBob SquarePants episodes Television episodes with live action and animation American Christmas television episodes