It is a most beloved tradition, the annual Doctor Who Christmas episode. Starting with Ten, with alien remote controlled Christmas trees and “pilot fish” that piont to something bigger, like say, the Sycorax, and David Tennents debut. Of course what is a Doctor Who Christmas episode without rigged and dangerous Christmas decorations? What Whovian will look at their Christmas tree the same ever again? Nobody does killer Christmas like Doctor Who!

Even when Rose is home for Christmas, she still can’t get away from adventure – much to Mickey’s chagrin who just wants to spend time with her – There is no Christmas vacation for the Doctor and his companions. Can a still regenerating Doctor save the world? Of course. Nothing like fighting aliens on Christmas day. All in the work of a Time Lord! Luckily the Doctor is still regenerating and when he gets his hand cut off it grows back (and of course his cut off hand comes to great use later on).

The next year we were introduced to Donna via the Christmas episode, though she wouldn’t become a companion for another season. Who can forget Donna trying to jump from the moving car to the flying TARDIS as she screams about her wedding dress and the Doctor says, “Yes, you look lovely, now jump!” Never without humor or positivity, the Doctor, even during a crisis. Something we could all learn.

Donna continues to call Ten a martian, to which he responds, “I’m…I’m…I’m not from Mars,” Donna is pure Earthling, constantly calling the Doctor a Martian. She doesn’t yet seem to have an understanding that there’s more out there then Mars. She falls into the Martian cliché right away instantly associating “alien” with “Mars” but as we see in coming seasons, she very much grows out of that and becomes The Most Important Woman in the Universe. Donna really does come a long way!

A Christmas wedding should be magical and romantic and full of holiday spirit – but not for Donna Noble, no no, Donna Noble spends her Christmas wedding not getting married but instead fighting aliens and consequently meeting The Doctor (lucky girl!) Of course, despite Donna’s poor broken heart, her not getting married to Lance turns out to be a very good thing!

The Racnoss ship even looks like a Christmas star, glittering and shining in the sky above London, as if it could just fit on top of a spacey Christmas tree. Though unfortunately, the pretty star in the sky is not a Christmas tree topper. Imagine living in London.

Christmas night and you’re on the town with your best mates, celebrating (perhaps a little too much even) when you look up at the sky and see a giant sparkling silver star hanging above you. Has the City of London actually put this together? How did they pull this off? It’s beautiful and puts you in the Christmas spirit. Then suddenly each point of the star begins firing off electric beams and London is in chaos. The Thames ends up drained and you wake up with a hang over. What a Christmas! And all the while you have no idea of the Doctor’s involvment.

This is how the Doctor works, largely behind the scenes for most of humanity. Only a few select people ever get to experience what the Doctor does. He is very much like Santa! Only without delivering presents all around the world and a less round belly. An alien fighting Santa!

Sometimes it’s not just humanity who needs saving. Sometimes the Doctor does too. Sometimes the Doctor is more broken then we – or even himself – thinks he is, and he needs someone like Donna to step in and show him the way. Donna shows him reason and stops him from going too far; one reason why he always needs a companion. We see the Doctors less forgiving side, which, lets be honest, is kind of scary. But Donna had the strength – or the gumption? – to stand up to him and bring him down a few notches.

What we see in a Doctor Who Christmas episode is everything we expect to see: Action, adventure, snark left and right, and all the Christmasy feels they can pack into one episode. We’re a pretty lucky fandom us Whovians. Because even after the regular series is over, we still get that one last Christmas episode squeezed in, and it’s usually used for important happenings such as regenerations and a change of companion.

What will this years Christmas episode hold in store for us being Capaldi’s first Christmas as the Doctor? We can only wait impatiently to find out! From this Whovian to every Whovian out there: Merry Christmas and may you’re Christmas tree not to try to kill you.

Written by Becca Christian