When Homer learns he won’t be receiving a Christmas bonus, he takes a second job as a mall Santa to cover the family's holiday expenses. This financial crunch is worsened after Marge is forced to spend the family's savings to surgically remove a "Mother" tattoo that Bart got impulsively at the Happy Sailor .

Eric Stefani, brother of singer Gwen Stefani, worked as a layout artist for this episode.

In this debut, several characters looked different than they do today; for instance, Barney Gumble had yellow hair, and Moe Szyslak had black hair.

This episode was actually the eighth produced but aired first. The originally intended pilot, "Some Enchanted Evening," was delayed due to major animation errors.

(S1E1) is the legendary 1989 Christmas special that launched the world's most famous animated family into a half-hour series. The Plot: A Not-So-Merry Christmas