Christmas Who?

Plot

In Encino, California, the French Narrator presents Patchy the Pirate, the head of the SpongeBob SquarePants fan club, alongside his so-called pet, Potty the Parrot, who is actually a puppet. Patchy gets a letter from a fan asking whether SpongeBob enjoys Christmas as much as he does. Patchy explains that the residents of Bikini Bottom didn't always celebrate Christmas, and he decides to show how they first learned about it. On his way to surprise Sandy at her treedome, SpongeBob is alarmed to see her putting Christmas lights on a tree, thinking it's a fire.

Sandy tells him she's getting ready for the holiday season and explains typical Christmas traditions. SpongeBob gets thrilled about Santa Claus coming and shares the news with everyone in Bikini Bottom. Squidward refuses to join in, insisting Santa isn't real. The townspeople eagerly get ready for the holiday, but their belief crumbles when Santa doesn't show up on Christmas Eve, likely because they stayed up all night waiting.

Disappointed, they blame SpongeBob and go home, now convinced Santa doesn't exist. Squidward enjoys that Santa didn't come and mocks a sad SpongeBob, who starts to think Squidward was correct. But after SpongeBob gives him a handmade gift, Squidward feels bad for being mean and tries to make up for it by dressing up as Santa for SpongeBob. He ends up giving away all his belongings to the townspeople as Christmas presents.

SpongeBob visits SquidBob to share his excitement about Santa's visit, but Squidward tells him to go away while still shouting happily. Squidward finds a note from Santa thanking him, and sees Santa's sleigh flying overhead. Thinking this is a sign he's losing his mind, Squidward goes inside to play his clarinet. After the main episode, Potty gives Patchy a small gift.

Patchy stands under some mistletoe, hoping for a kiss from a woman, but Potty chases him with the intent to kiss him instead. Since Patchy is occupied, the French Narrator wishes everyone a happy holiday season.

Release

"Christmas Who?" was originally scheduled to air the previous evening, but was pushed back to a full day later to make space for a rerun of a different episode. The episode was officially 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!".

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

Did You Know?

• Patchy the Pirate's pet parrot Potty is in actuality a marionette.
• In the DVD released by Nickelodeon, the episode was ranked at number 10 as one of SpongeBob SquarePants's 10 Happiest Moments.