History WesternAnimation / ArthursPerfectChristmas

** Uncle Fred makes a pitstop at the Reads house to drop off his gifts for the family, where his car breaks down. It turns out he bought an ApologyGift for Jane after breaking her new teaset by accident the previous year.

* StockScream: When D.W. opens the bathroom door on Arthur going in the toilet, Arthur lets out one of his first-season screams, resulting in his voice briefly sounding much younger (as his voice actor, Michael Yarmush, was going through puberty at the time, resulting in Arthur [[VocalEvolution having a noticeably deeper voice]] during this special and the rest of the fifth season.)

* OnlyOneWhoLikesSpam: George brings a tin of lutefisk (dried and boiled fish), part of his Swedish family's holiday tradition, to school. Everyone pinches their noses and passes it around except for [[BizarreTasteInFood Buster]], who happily eats a piece and then scoffs down another.

* TruthinTelevision: DW's behaviour on Christmas morning. Most kids her age are the first ones up on Christmas morning, and wake up everyone else to open presents. It's also pretty realistic for tired, out of routine, overwhelmed preschoolers to have a small breakdown at least once on Christmas. That it was only a few seconds is the most unrealistic part.

* BrattyHalfPint: D.W. of course, perhaps more than usual. She keeps bugging Arthur and her parents about wanting Tina the Talking Tabby for Christmas, and keeps accusing Arthur of having written her letter to Santa all wrong despite him saying he didn't. On Christmas morning she's the first one up and ''wakes up everyone else by running throughout the house yelling that it's Christmas''. She [[ToiletHumor opens the bathroom door on Arthur using the toilet]] (she [[ItMakesSenseInContext thought Santa was in there]]). And to top it all off, there's her WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}-esque temper tantrum among seeing she did not get Tina the Talking Tabby for Christmas that's so loud [[TheScream it can be heard outside]], and ''[[KarmaHoudini she is not punished for her actions]]''.

* AbsenteeActor: Fern, Prunella, and Sue Ellen have no dialogue in the special whatsoever, though Sue Ellen and Fern are both seen briefly in Mr. Ratburn's class and both Fern and Prunella are present at Muffy's Christmas party. Fern also appears on the supplementary ''Arthur's Perfect Christmas'' music album, singing a punk rock version of "Silent Night."

It's time for Christmas, and Arthur wants everything to be perfect. Unfortunately, nothing is going right! Buster keeps getting woken up too early by his nervous mother, Francine is trying to tell Muffy that she can't attend the latter's holiday party on the first night of Hanukkah, and D.W. is obsessed with getting a Tina the Talking Tabby doll. Can Arthur at least receive a semblance of sanity in time for Christmas morning?

* HanukkahEpisode: There is a small sub-plot where Francine celebrates Hanukkah with her family, skipping Muffy's fancy Christmas party, because she finds her traditions and family more personal and important.
** We even see Francine and her family having Chinese food for dinner on Christmas day and then going to the movies afterward, both of which are popular "modern traditions" Jewish people follow on Christmas day.

** After Arthur meets Jane back at the giant cane, she tells him she got everything on her list, but one was all sold out. This could most likely be Tina the Talking Tabby, which D.W. throws a fit over when she gets a talking duck instead.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Uncle Fred becomes this to Arthur after Arthur accidentally breaks the glass swan and worries his mother will hate him for it.

But after today I just have to say...\\

* OnlyOneFindsItFun: George brings a tin of lutefisk (dried and boiled fish), part of his Swedish family's holiday tradition, to school. Everyone pinches their noses and passes it around except for [[BizarreTasteInFood Buster]], who happily eats a piece and then scoffs down another.

** In a FreezeFrameBonus near the end of the special, one of the movies listed at the Mill Creek Mall cinema is ''Franchise/{{Jaws}} 12''

** In a FreezeFrameBonus near the end of the special, one of the movies listed at the Mill Creak Mall cinema is ''Franchise/{{Jaws}} 12''

* InnocentlyInsensitive: Muffy’s song is about wanting to spend time with Francine - mostly imagining herself enjoying lavish treatment while Francine works herself to the bone as her servant in situations such as her being a princess.

* AnAesop: As Uncle Fred tells Arthur near the end, "you don't always get what you want in life. Sometimes, you get something better."

** Binky trying to bake desserts and flubbing the recipe in some obvious way (such as forgetting to peel the bananas).

* ShoutOut: In the "What's the Use of Presents?" ImagineSpot song number, Muffy plays a version of VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 in which Francine is Mario.

* Truth in Television: DW's behaviour on Christmas morning. Most kids her age are the first ones up on Christmas morning, and wake up everyone else to open presents. It's also pretty realistic for tired, out of routine, overwhelmed preschoolers to have a small breakdown at least once on Christmas. That it was only a few seconds is the most unrealistic part.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: After Arthur meets Jane back at the giant cane, she tells him she got everything on her list, but one was all sold out. This could most likely be Tina the Talking Tabby, which D.W. throws a fit over when she gets a talking duck instead.

* MoodWhiplash: D.W. completely loses it when she gets a talking duck instead of Tina the Talking Tabby, but once she activates it the first time, she instantly calms down and finds herself enjoying it.

* AbsenteeActor: Fern, Prunella and Sue Ellen have no dialogue in the special whatsoever, though Sue Ellen and Fern are both seen briefly in Mr. Ratburn's class and both Fern and Prunella are present at Muffy's Christmas party. Fern also appears on the supplementary ''Arthur's Perfect Christmas'' music album, singing a punk rock version of "Silent Night."

* EncouragedRegifting: Arthur wants to get his mom a glass bird to replace one he broke. Unfortunately, he breaks the new one the day of Christmas. He starts crying, thinking he's ruined Christmas, but is comforted by his [[CoolUncle uncle Fred]]. Fred decides to take the gift tag from Arthur's present and put it on the gift he was planning on giving Arthur's mom, so that Arthur will have something to give his mother.

** We even see Francine and her family having Chinese food for dinner on Christmas day and then going to the movies afterward, both of which are popular traditions Jewish people follow on Christmas day.

* ToiletHumor: A rare instance in the franchise. D.W. thinks Santa is in their upstairs bathroom (when it was actually Uncle Fred shaving) and wants to show her dad, but she opens the door just as Arthur is peeing in the toilet. Arthur naturally screams in shock.

---> '''D.W''': [[Main/NoIndoorVoice "I WANTED TINA THE TALKING TABBY! I WANTED TINA THE TALKING TABBY! I WANTED TINA FOR CHRISTMAS! I WANTED TABBY!"]] '''''wimpers''''' [[Main/NoIndoorVoice "SANTA, HOW COULD YOU! THIS IS THE WORST CHRISTMAS EVER!"]]

* ShaggyDogStory: Arthur spends almost half the special protecting his mother's present like a child, only for him to accidentally shatter it mere moments before he's ready to give it to her.