The final scene of a story happens at Christmas or at a Christmas party.
This is usually a Time Skip to show it's nearly the end of the year and things have settled down since the events of the main story to show and moved into a new status quo/Happily Ever After conclusion/"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue. Since Christmas takes place at the end of the year, it's easy to suggest that the end is the start of a new beginning. The visual presentation of Christmas decorations makes it easy to tell time has passed without putting exact numbers, and also because Christmas is stereotypically associated with family and togetherness. Did I Mention It's Christmas? may occur. A Christmas Episode may count if it acts as the Grand Finale.
A variant on this trope that may still qualify is when Christmas is used as Bookends to the beginning and ending of the film. Generally, most Christmas movies will not fall under this trope, but it's possible if the ending skips forward a full year.
As this is an Ending Trope, unmarked spoilers abound. You Have Been Warned.
Examples:
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Anime and Manga
- Maria†Holic's final chapter is set during Christmas. By then most plot threads are wrapped up, Maria and Shizu have settled their inheritance dispute, and the cast gathers around for a friendly snowball fight...well, everyone except Kanako, who was deliberately left behind.
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The Grand Finale OVA, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, takes place over the Christmas season, with the final day of the conflict being on Christmas itself.
- In the final scenes of the second Tenchi Muyo! movie Daughter of Darkness show the cast decorating for Christmas as Washu sets about to revive Mayuka.
Comic Books
- Dan in Green Gables: The last chapter is set on Christmas day, a month after Dan has rejected returning to drifting the road with his mother Rain to stay at a stable home in Tennessee.
- Watchmen: In the final issue, Dan and Laurie visit Sally on Christmas Day. The intent is to show the end of an era before the "New Year" of Veidt's new world.
Fan Works
- The last two chapters of a multi-chapter ER fanfic (a Crossover with The Stand) are this, with the second-to-last
being of the surviving cast members preparing dinner on Christmas Eve and the final one being of Doug having a dream about Carol, one of the victims of the superflu, in which she assures him that it's okay for him to move on and find happiness again and pleads with him not to feel guilty when he does. When he wakes up Christmas morning, although he's still sad about her death, for the first time in a year, he feels a sense of closure about it.
- Fairy Friends: The end of "Birthday Christmas Bash" takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This part of the chapter details Jermaine, Tootie, and Trixie spending their first Christmas together as romantic partners.
- Princess Tales:
- The end of "Precocious Crush" happens on Christmas Day. This part of the chapter details Jermaine spending the holiday with Ariel, Eric, and Melody.
- The end of "Food for Thought" takes place during the Christmas season. This portion of the chapter focuses on Jermaine spending the holiday with Tiana and her family.
- The end of "Tangled in Knots" happens during the Christmas season. This part of the chapter details Jermaine spending the holiday with Rapunzel.
- The end of "Mermaid Melody" takes place during the Christmas season. This portion of the chapter focuses on Jermaine spending the holiday with Ariel, Eric, and Melody again.
Films — Animation
- The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars has one, where Tinselina (a living angel decoration) finally gets to adorn a real Christmas tree. It’s accompanied by a sweet reprise of “Home Again”.
- Toy Story 1 ends on Christmas in the new house, with the toys reliving the anxious anticipation of new toys being welcomed.
- 101 Dalmatians: Pongo, Perdita, and the puppies are reunited at the Radcliffs' house as they are decorating for Christmas.
- Lady and the Tramp: The final scene takes place at the Browns' house on Christmas, revealing that Tramp now has become a house dog with his own collar, and he and Lady have four puppies. This is an echo of the film's first scene where Lady is received as a Christmas gift.
- The final scene of Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie takes place at the school's winter dance, with Marinette pairing off with Adrien, Alya pairing off with Nino, and Chloe pairing off with Sabrina.
- Magic Gift of the Snowman takes place in the days leading up to Christmas, and ends on Christmas morning with Emery-Elizabeth having recovered enough to regain the use of her legs.
- The finale of Yo-kai Watch: Forever Friends, which took place 20 Minutes into the Past in the winter of the '60s, takes place during Christmas in the modern day.
Films — Live-Action
- The Addams Family (1991): Inverted; the film begins with a group of carolers singing Christmas songs at the Addamses' doorstep... blissfully unaware of the family on the roof, about to dump a vat of boiling oil onto them. The rest of the movie shows no sign of Christmas at all.
- The Bone Collector: Lincoln hosts a Christmas party in his new wheelchair, where he is reunited with his family.
- Call Me by Your Name: While the film is set in the summer, the epilogue takes place during Hanukkah of the same year when Elio learns that Oliver married a woman and breaks down in tears by the fire.
- Carry-On (2024) takes place on Christmas Eve, but after the chaos of the main story, the epilogue skips forward a year to the following Christmas, when Ethan and Nora have made good on their earlier discussion to visit Tahiti with their baby.
- Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) has a brief scene of the Baker family having Christmas dinner together after Kate's closing narration but before the ending credits.
- Doctor Mordrid: Following the climactic final battle, the titular Doctor Mordrid is called away and asks leading lady, Samantha, to take care of his apartment and pet raven until his return. He returns at Christmas.
- Happiest Season: While the story takes place during Christmas, the conclusion jumps to the following year's Christmas to see the family reunited.
- Houseguest: The film concludes with Kevin and the Young Family enjoying a Christmas party where they watch the mobsters losing on a televised lottery spin.
- Jumanji: In the new timeline, Alan and Sarah meet Judy and Peter at their Christmas party, and also meet their parents who had died in the original timeline with Alan and Sarah briefly freaking out when the parents mention planning the trip that got them killed. But Alan and Sarah immediately insist their father start his job right away at Alan’s factory as a means to prevent the fatal accident.
- The Nice Guys: Unusually for a Shane Black film, the main story takes place around the spring-summer of 1977, but the final scene jumps forward to Christmastime where the guys reveal they've started their own PI firm.
- The final scene of The Night of the Hunter is set during Christmas, showing that John and Pearl have been officially adopted by Rachel, though it's heavily implied that they have PTSD from the events of the film.
- The bulk of Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place in Novembernote , but the epilogue jumps ahead to Christmastime.
- The last scene of Stepmom takes place during Christmas with Jackie welcoming Isabelle into her family and making peace with her impending passing from cancer and taking a family Christmas photo.
- The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: The movie spans years throughout every season, but not Christmas until the final scene, which is set in December 1963. Madeleine is shown decorating the tree. Finally, when she goes out with François to see the Christmas decorations, Guy and Geneviève meet again in the gas station. Despite the hint of unresolved feelings between them, especially on Geneviève's side, nothing comes of it and they are implied to not see each other again afterwards.
- Wonder Woman 1984: The film concludes with Diana visiting an outside winter festival with Christmas decorations.
Literature
- Artemis Fowl: Artemis comes out of the Time Stop at the end of the first book and is surprised to find that several months have passed and it's now Christmas Day.
- "A Christmas Carol" inverts this formula, with the main action occurring in the Christmas season of 1843 and an epilogue occurring throughout the rest of the year.
- In the Dear America book Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie, Hattie's last two journal entries are written around Christmas, two months after the previous entries where the wagon train arrived in Oregon. Hattie's family has a house and furniture, her friend who married on the journey is expecting a child, and Hattie's mother — who said she wouldn't celebrate until they arrived, and when they arrived said she wouldn't celebrate until their house was built — finally seems joyful, dancing with her husband.
- The Dresden Files: The short story "Christmas Eve", originally published on Jim Butcher's website, serves as an epilogue to Battle Ground and is appended to some printed editions of the novel. It takes place on Christmas Eve half a year after the Battle of Chicago, with Harry assembling a bicycle for his daughter through the night and ruminating on the events of the previous novel, trying to give them some closure.
- Meg and Mog: The last page says that Mog needed to stay in bed until Christmas and it depicts him still in his cast with a Christmas tree.
- Old Master Q – Fantasy Zone Battle, adapted from the Manhua Old Master Q: While the precise date and time of the work is unspecified in the series, however the season finale inexplicably turns into a Christmas episode, where the Dark Lord who serves as the overarching villain of the whole series... turns out to be none other than Santa Claus himself, possessed by an ancient evil, and now Master Q and friends must figure out a way to rescue Santa from the demon inside him. The episode ends with the entire cast wishing the audience "Merry Christmas" as the credits roll.
Live-Action TV
- American Horror Story: Murder House: The last scene we see of the Harmons and Moira, they're decorating for Christmas. However, after that, a Time Skip epilogue shows Constance (who has left the house and moved away) learning that Michael is an Enfant Terrible after he kills his babysitter.
- Ghosts (UK) ends with a much-older Mike and Allison returning to Button House — now a successful hotel/resort — to visit the ghosts for Christmas. It's implied that they've been doing this every year since they moved out, and they always stay in their old bedroom.
- Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin: The final minutes of the Season 1 finale take place on Christmas Day as the liars (plus their boyfriends and Kelly) celebrate, and Chip, temporarily out of prison for Christmas, is killed by A.
- The first season of Stargirl (2020) ends with Courtney and her new family celebrating Christmas together, bringing it full circle since it opened with a Distant Prologue of her celebrating Christmas and waiting hopelessly for her father to come home.
- Stranger Things: The first two seasons have the last scenes of their finales take place around Christmastime. Season One has the characters celebrating at home, Season Two occurs at the Snowball Dance.
- Yonderland: The last episode after the finale, which could be seen as the epilogue, takes place at Thanktival.
Rides
- Carousel of Progress: The final segment of the ride set in the modern era takes place during Christmas, with John preparing a Christmas turkey with a voice-activated oven only to burn it by accidentally setting the temperature to 975 degrees.
Theatre
- The stage version of Annie ends with Annie and Daddy Warbucks planning a Christmas party.
Video Games
- Depression Quest: The epilogue has you visiting your family home during Christmas and recollecting everything that has happened during the last few months.
- Persona 5 has its Final Boss defeated on Christmas Eve, and whoever you romanced spends the next day with you. Downplayed since there's still Valentine's Day. Averted in Royal, which adds an entirely new segment to the game that takes place after Christmas.
- Team Fortress 2: the final scene of the comic series takes place on Smissmas day 1979, years after the events of the game, with the mercs all gathering at Scout's home with their families for dinner. The final guest that Scout brings to the table is you, thanking you for sticking with them after everything for so long.
Western Animation
- The American Dad! episode "Gift Me Liberty" ends during Christmas as a Book End to the beginning, which was also set on Christmas. This causes Roger to wonder whether or not this was an actual Christmas Episode during a Fourth Wall Farewell. "Father's Daze" also ends on Christmas due to Stan manipulating the rest of the family into thinking it was Father's Day for six months.
- Moral Orel ended with a flash forward showing adult Orel celebrating Christmas with his wife and children.
- The ending of the short The Small One involves Joseph buying Small One for the boy for one silver piece to travel to Bethlehem alongside his pregnant wife Mary, where the Star of Bethlehem will shine adobe the stable where they're resting and the very first Christmas will happen.
- Sonic Christmas Blast is a Christmas special based on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog that first aired as a tie-in with Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, three years after Adventures ended its original 65-episode run. The plot of the special involves Dr. Robotnik kidnapping Santa and taking his place so everyone on Mobius can give him presents. Sonic has to find and rescue Santa and return the stolen gifts to bring cheer to everyone on Mobius.
- The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants just so happened to end off with a Christmas special, with the series ending with Captain Underpants arriving to the movie based off of him and the boys just as it, along with both the episode and the series, ends.