Gather ‘round, kids, and listen as Mr. Hankey tells of Christmases old and new.

A complete guide to every outrageous South Park Christmas episode in chronological order

Gather 'round, kids, and listen as Mr. Hankey tells of Christmases old and new.

By Declan Gallagher

December 16, 2025 4:10 p.m. ET

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The classic Christmas icons: Santa, woodland critters, and Satan. Credit:

South Park Studios/YouTube (2); Comedy Central

Since the series' premiere in 1997, *South Park* has delivered 11 outrageous, unforgettable Christmas specials with its biting brand of satire.

The first one, “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Poo,” helped establish the show's irreverent humor, withering social commentary, and a willingness to lampoon everything under the sun. In other words, Trey Parker and Matt Stone weren’t going to pull any punches in the name of festive cheer.

Over the years, *South Park* has tackled the holiday season over and over, capturing the chaos of the season while still pushing boundaries (and buttons). Whether it’s the absurdity of commercialized Christmas cheer, the clash of cultural traditions, or the introduction of classic characters like a vengeful Jesus or the Satan-worshipping Woodland Critters, *South Park* consistently finds fresh ways to twist holiday conventions.

With that in mind, let’s run down each Christmas-themed episode of *South Park* to help organize your seasonal watchlist. Buckle up, because while it may not be merry and bright, Christmas in South Park is always unforgettable.

“Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo” (season 1, 1997)

The boys line up for Santa in 'Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo'.

South Park Studios/YouTube

What would Christmas be without Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo? In addition to being *South Park*'s first Christmas special, this episode introduced the eponymous fan-favorite.

Kyle’s mother demands her son’s removal from the school’s Nativity play on the grounds of the family’s Judaism. From there, she demands all religious references be stricken from the Christmas pageant altogether. Kyle suggests his imaginary pal, Mr. Hankey, as a non-religious substitute, but his idea is perpetually waved away; after all, no one else can see or hear Mr. Hankey, a literal piece of poo, because… well, they don’t believe in him. It’s a good, old-fashioned faith paradox.

Parents and school officials fight over the content of the pageant, and it all concludes at the big event with a big Christmas fight that only Mr. Hankey can remedy.

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“Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!” (season 2, 1998)

Charles Manson and Eric Cartman, a seemingly inevitable duo.

South Park Studios/YouTube

The boys head off to Nebraska to spend Christmas with Cartman’s family at his grandmother's house, but trouble arises when a recently escaped Charles Manson takes everyone hostage. It culminates with Manson reinforcing the importance of family (wink), singing a holiday tune, and (slight spoiler alert) the gang — along with various members of the Cartman clan — visiting the murderer in prison to sing a round of Christmas carols.

Emblematic of the show’s nature, this episode lampoons the tropes and structure of a traditional sitcom holiday special while injecting all the looniness, violence, and musical numbers one expects from a *South Park* Christmas.

“Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” (season 3, 1999)

Mr. Hankey delights the children of South Park.

South Park Studios/YouTube

Join Mr. Hankey in the sewer by his fire as he hosts this variety show, a collection of Christmas skits and songs featuring South Park’s most beloved residents. An album of the same name, featuring classic songs from the episode such as “The Lonely Jew on Christmas” and “Christmas Time in Hell,” among others, was released alongside the special.

One of the most joyful *South Park* Christmas episodes, “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” eschews any semblance of plot to present a delightfully warped rendition of a vintage celebrity holiday special.

“A Very Crappy Christmas” (season 4, 2000)

Turns out Mr. Hankey has family problems in 'A Very Crappy Christmas'.

South Park Studios/YouTube

The boys take to the sewer to track down Mr. Hankey, worried for the Christmas poo’s safety when he fails to materialize on Hanukkah. As it turns out, Mr. Hankey is having domestic issues with his hard-drinking wife, Autumn, and their three children — Cornwallis, Amber, and Simon. When Cornwallis sinks into an existential crisis over his position in the universe as a tiny piece of fecal matter, the boys set out to prove that every piece of poo matters on Christmas.

Aside from the juvenile main story, this episode goes out of its way to set up a subversion of the traditional “meaning of Christmas” lessons and platitudes that we’ve come to expect from TV shows that that *aren’t* about foul-mouthed fourth-graders in Colorado.

“Red Sleigh Down” (season 6, 2002)

Santa Claus and his reindeer after getting shot down in Iraq.

South Park Studios/YouTube

Cartman desperately needs to get back on the Nice List. His little scheme? Helping Santa Claus bring the joy and pageantry of Christmas to the people of Iraq. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry when Santa’s sleigh gets shot down and the big man himself gets to see some “enhanced interrogation techniques” for himself. But Christmas isn’t lost just yet; needing a miracle, the boys recruit a gun-toting Jesus to swoop in and rescue Santa.

Taking inspiration from the Bible and modern war movies like Ridley Scott’s *Black Hawk Down*, this episode nails the bizarre, morally dubious tone of holiday action movies where the emphasis is on kicking butt rather than cozy reassurance.

“It’s Christmas in Canada” (season 7, 2003)

The Broflovskis (and the rest of the town) fight a dastardly new Canadian law.

South Park Studios/YouTube

This episode aired four days after Saddam Hussein was captured, so of course we see him here operating a massive, *Wild Wild West*-style floating head from his desert foxhole. The boys travel to Canada to fight Parliament after Kyle’s adopted brother, Ike, is spirited off to our ever-dastardly North American neighbor by his biological parents.

This is a wild episode, one of those *South Park *installments that throws everything at the wall to see what sticks. Certainly more concerned with making topical jokes about Hussein’s capture than with the holidays, “It’s Christmas in Canada” is most notable as a snapshot of a very specific moment in time.

“Woodland Critter Christmas” (season 8, 2004)

You'll never guess what these adorable creatures are celebrating this holiday season.

South Park Studios/YouTube

Delivered in the style of a classic storybook cartoon, à la *Winnie the Pooh*, Stan encounters a group of seemingly benevolent woodland creatures who need a manger for the birth of their savior. Stan obliges their needs… only to discover these woodland creatures are Satanists, and the aforementioned savior is the antichrist, and they’re all hell-bent on ushering in an apocalypse.

A formally satisfying addition to the *South Park* Yuletide canon, “Woodland Critter Christmas” combines several disparate threads to create a holiday special as thought-provoking, obscene, and hilarious as it is weirdly emotional.

“#HappyHolograms” (season 18, 2014)

Kyle Broflovski feels a little left out around this time of year.

South Park Studios/YouTube

Remember when holograms were a cool new thing and Bill Cosby was still beloved? Yeah, welcome back to 2014. Here, Kyle is recruited to take part in a holiday special hosted by the now-disgraced comedian, setting the stage for an aggressive Tupac hologram and heroic feats from YouTuber PewDiePie.

*South Park* has always been topical, but this must be one of the most niche periods in cultural history it immortalized. If you were to write down anything that happens in this episode, it would sound like a bad joke. But as far as holiday specials go, it’s good fun.

“Bike Parade” (season 22, 2018)

Feeling crushed by the chaos of the holidays? Randy has got you covered.

South Park Studios/YouTube

*South Park* takes on Amazon and Jeff Bezos (depicted as a *Star Trek* alien) in this episode, which finds the town’s residents boycotting the mega-corporation over its employment practices. Amid the boycott, Randy Marsh’s weed operation sees an uptick in clients, who realize they don’t need their expensive packages as long as they have the relaxing power of pot.

An angry but no less hilarious episode, “Bike Parade” is a high-water mark for the series’ Christmas specials. In 2025, it’s perhaps even more relevant now than it was in 2018.

“Christmas Snow” (season 23, 2019)

You'll never guess the secret ingredient in Randy's seasonal strain.

South Park Studios/YouTube

South Park residents partake in their favorite “tradition” of drunk driving, enraging a pious Santa who had previously warned them to enjoy the holidays in moderation. Hence, he triggers a town-wide ban on alcohol sales until the second day of the New Year.

With nothing to ease the townspeople’s holiday anxieties, drug kingpin Randy and his confidant, Towelie, invent a new strain of weed called Christmas Snow. (Spoiler alert: It’s just cocaine.)

A heartwarming Christmas special about how a communal drug binge fuels a town-wide drinking-and-driving bonding sesh, “Christmas Snow” is one of the series’ sharpest and most riotous holiday specials.

“The Crap Out” (season 28, 2025)

What to expect when you're expecting: Satan in the newest Christmas special, 'The Crap Out'.

*South Park* capped its most topical and headline-grabbing season in years with this unexpectedly somber, but no less funny, special, which sees the much-desired return of Mr. Hankey and the Woodland Critters.

Following Donald Trump’s efforts to kill his and Satan’s love child, POTUS descends on South Park along with J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth. Stan, whose father has lost the family weed farm, seeks solace in school guidance counselor Jesus. Unfortunately, the son of God has recently had a MAGA awakening and “became all Christian,” so he's unsympathetic to any of the mad events happening around town.

Meanwhile, Towelie and Satan set off for revenge on Trump for trying to assassinate their “crap out,” as POTUS and his henchmen call the illegitimate spawn. In the end, Jesus sees how wrong he was to support MAGA, apologizing to Stan and returning the Marsh family to their former home.

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