Both episodes
- Christmas Episode: Both episodes take place at Christmas time. "Season's Cheatings" is about gift swapping and "A Flipmas Carol" serves as a Whole-Plot Reference to A Christmas Carol.
"Season's Cheatings"
This Christmas, Lincoln is interested in a Rip Hardcore backpack, so he rigs the gift swap so Lily (read: Rita and Lynn Sr.) can get it for him. When it turns out Lily will make her own gift instead, Lincoln attempts to manipulate things so he'll still get the backpack from a different sibling instead.- Awesome Backpack: The Rip Hardcore themed backpack, which Lincoln hopes to get for Christmas. According to an ad, it can also serve as an inflatable raft and shield, and Chandler later demonstrates it has a jetpack too.
- Bittersweet Ending: While Lincoln is forced to sacrifice his coveted Rip Hardcore backpack to Chandler, he does get a pair of earrings for Lola that she loves, and Lily makes him a finger-painting of herself giving him the backpack.
- Call-Back: Chandler’s father working at the sewage plant is brought up again; Chandler got the earrings he trades for Lincoln's backpack because his dad found them there (someone flushed them down the toilet).
- Continuity Nod: Like in "Cover Girls", Lincoln dresses up as his sisters (and mom) to aid in getting his gift.
- Lincoln going to Vanzilla to "rage" and elaborately drawing up plans from his mattress are references to "The Sweet Spot".
- Crappy Homemade Gift: Zig-zagged. Lincoln rigs the Secret Santa so that Lily will buy him a gift, knowing that she can't due to her young age so he'll actually get the gift from his parents. Only this time, the parents have Lily make the gift instead. Lincoln does not like the idea of receiving something that was made from scratch by a two-year-old, so he schemes to get what he actually wants. He gets the bag he wants, but ends up having to give it away. Luckily, Lily watches his sacrifice, so she ends up making a painting of herself giving him a replacement. It's actually surprisingly well-drawn for a two-year-old who is implied to have done it with her fingers.
- Didn't Think This Through: Lincoln is so focused on scheming about getting a good present for himself that he forgets to find a present for Lola.
- Fun with Flushing: Chandler's dad found the earrings that Chandler trades to Lincoln at the sewage plant where he works.Chandler: "You wouldn't believe the things that some people accidentally flush down the toilet."
- Gift-Giving Gaffe:
- Lincoln recalls past Christmases when Lisa gave him a stack of papers that was pi worked out to the five-millionth decimal, and when Lucy gave him an empty box that was supposed to be a void of nothingness.
- Lori decides that whichever sibling she's giving a gift to this year gets a Fairway University mug since she's too busy with finals to go Christmas shopping.
- Mr. Coconuts decides he wants to be the gift giver instead of Luan, and that his gift would be fake dog poop.
- Gift of the Magi Plot: The second half of the episode has this when Lincoln fails to find a gift for Lola and is forced to trade his gift to Chandler for a gift Lola will like.
- Has Two Thumbs and...: Well, more like "Has Two Arms And..." Lincoln asks Clyde, "What has two arms and a Rip Hardcore backpack to slip over them?" In a twist, it's Clyde who says "This guy!" instead of Lincoln before correcting himself.
- My New Gift Is Lame: Lincoln considers Lisa and Lucy among the worst gift-givers; the former once gave him a stack of papers with pi worked out to the five-millionth decimal, and the latter a void of nothingness (an empty box).
- Oh, Crap!:
- Lincoln when Rita announces that this year Lily will get her own gift for the gift exchange, rather than let her parents do the shopping, which ruins Lincolns plan.
- Lincoln, again, when he realizes he forgot to get a gift for Lola.
- Running Gag:
- Lincoln retreating into Vanzilla to let out a Cathartic Scream about his plans failing.
- Lincoln trying to get someone else to be his secret Santa. Lily is deemed old enough by the parents to give her own gift. Lincoln tries to get Leni only for Lynn, Leni's recipient, to guard her while Leni is sleeping. Lincoln decides on Lori but she's too busy with final exams to get a proper gift. Lincoln tries Luan next, but Mr. Coconuts demands to be the gift giver. When he finally settles on Luna, she agrees as she owes him for when he stepped in for one of her bandmates during a gig.
- Secret Santa: The episode centers around a gift exchange between the Loud kids, and Lincoln trying to get a Secret Santa that will give him the gift he wants.
"A Flipmas Carol"
In this take on A Christmas Carol, Flip is visited by four ghosts who show him the origins and consequences of his swindling.- Accidental Misnaming: Flip refers to Scoots as "Skeets" when he sees her in the Bad Future.
- Bad Future: Flip is shown one where the Food and Fuel went out of business due to everyone getting tired of him cheating them, and he ends up Dying Alone.
- Bad Job, Worse Uniform: Lynn has to make deliveries for Flip while wearing an elf costume.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Flip making Lynn work for him is understandable as she broke a restroom door. That said, Lynn's annoyance at having to work on Christmas is also understandable.
- But You Were There, and You, and You: Flip is visited by ghosts resembling Lisa, Lincoln, Clyde, and Lucy.
- Convenience Store Gift Shopping: Flip takes full advantage of people resorting to this by selling them crappy products for outrageous prices.
- Day in the Limelight: An episode that focuses solely on Flip.
- Decomposite Character: In this episode, the Ghost of Christmas Present is divided into two characters: Lincoln and Clyde. They're still treated as one ghost by Flip and the Ghost of Christmas Past.
- Formerly Fit: Flip was skinny in his middle school years.
- Freudian Excuse: It turns out that Flip's greed and swindling ways came from being unable to get into his middle school dance and losing his sweetheart because Scoots sold him a phony ticket and bouquet of fake flowers. It was then that he swore he would never be cheated by anyone again.
- Given Name Reveal: Flip's full name, Phillip Phillipini, is engraved on his "tombstone" in the future.
- Green Around the Gills: Lola when she accidentally gets a mouthful of the expired, exploding turkey that Lynn Sr. made for dinner.
- The Grim Reaper: The Ghost of Christmas Future is basically Lucy with this motif, complete with scythe.
- Impact Silhouette: Lynn left one in Flip's bathroom door, which is why Flip is making her work for him to pay it off.
- Irony: The Ghost of Christmas Past resembles Lisa, a Child Prodigy scientist and one of the least likely to believe in the paranormal.
- Jerkass Realization: Flip has one when he sees how miserable his conman ways are making everyone.
- Lonely Funeral: Flip is shown in the Bad Future that he will die alone and unmourned if he doesn't change his ways. His grave is a large clump of dirt with his tombstone being a pizza box with his name scribbled on.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's never made clear if Flip's ghostly visits really happened, or were just a dream.
- Potty Emergency: Implied. As Lynn said, she really needed to pee, but accidentally dropped the keys down the nacho cheese vat. Thus, explaining the hole in Flip’ bathroom door.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When the Ghost of Christmas Future (Lucy) arrives, Flip sneaks out and gets in his van to drive away. But Lucy still catches up to him.
- The Scrooge: Flip is this, fitting the Christmas Carol plot. He cheats Mr. Grouse, Cheryl and Meryl, the McBrides, and the Louds out of the their money, and forces Lynn to work for him on Christmas.
- Work Off the Debt: Flip has Lynn working for him due to her breaking his bathroom door.
- Yet Another Christmas Carol: The episode is a Whole-Plot Reference to A Christmas Carol. Flip is visited by three ghosts to attempt to teach him the true meaning of Christmas.
