12 Years Later, Bob’s Burgers’ Christmas Special You Forgot Is Still Its Darkest Episode Ever

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The show consistently delivers fantastic holiday episodes. Their Thanksgiving installments are particularly beloved, often featuring Bob Belcher’s determined (but usually derailed) quest to cook the perfect turkey – whether it’s interrupted by a snowstorm rescue or a chaotic trip to an amusement park. Plus, Linda’s Thanksgiving songs are incredibly catchy and tend to stick with viewers for months!

Christmas is always a big deal for the Belcher family. Linda is famous for putting up her Christmas tree right after Halloween, even though Bob isn’t thrilled about it – she playfully tells him to ‘kiss the mistletoe on my butt!’ But one year, they learned a lesson about putting up a real tree too early. When their first tree didn’t work out, they ended up on a surprisingly stressful and chaotic adventure in their old car to find a replacement.

Bob Belcher Faces Gaslighting and a Road Rager in Season 4, Episode 8

Usually, Bob’s Burgers holiday episodes are lighthearted and playful. They often involve the Belcher family getting into silly adventures, like the time they looked for a Christmas tree and stumbled into a drag club, or when they invited a homeless man – who might have once been a mannequin – to stay with them.

A standout episode of Bob’s Burgers is a Christmas special, notably because it features significant character development for Louise and Tina. Usually, the show tackles more serious or complex storylines in its regular, non-holiday episodes – like the time Bob and Mr. Fischoeder almost drowned at the pier.

However, Season 4, Episode 8, “Christmas in the Car,” is arguably the most intense episode for the Belchers. It centers around a genuinely dangerous situation sparked by Linda’s eagerness to decorate for Christmas. After her first two Christmas trees die, the family is forced to find a replacement on Christmas Eve. To make matters worse, Bob is distracted from a great meal, and the family accidentally enrages the wrong person on their way home from getting the tree.

The children almost cause a serious accident by forgetting to warn Bob about a huge semi-truck shaped like a candy cane as he’s backing out of a parking space. While Bob is stuck, Linda accidentally annoys the truck driver by honking along to “Jingle Bells,” which he interprets as anger. On the way home, Bob realizes the truck is following them very closely and driving dangerously near their vehicle.

It’s not just that the family is being followed – the real problem is that no one will listen to Bob when he tries to warn them. Gene is preoccupied with getting his song played on the radio, Louise enjoys the drama, and Tina is completely oblivious. To make matters worse, Linda unfairly blames Bob for a near-miss with a snow plow, even though it was the candy cane truck driver’s fault. And to top it all off, a police officer dismisses Bob’s concerns while he’s trying to get help. At least Linda managed to enjoy her Dutch baby, though.

The Ending of “Christmas in the Car” Is the Real Horror of the Episode

Once they understood how dangerous things were, Bob felt even more anxious. He was already struggling to stay on the icy road – his car was small, didn’t have snow tires, and was being aggressively tailgated by a much larger truck – and to make matters worse, Linda insisted on bringing a Christmas tree home, which was strapped to the top of the car.

The family hides in the woods, believing the danger has passed. However, the bright lights of a passing semi-truck unexpectedly cause the children to dash out into the ankle-deep snow. They wouldn’t last long at all in a horror film.

Bob awkwardly confronts the truck driver and discovers the man is just a small, angry person upset about working on Christmas. Linda, feeling sympathy, offers him her Dutch baby and, surprisingly, the Christmas tree – the same tree the family almost risked their lives to get.

It’s baffling why anyone would need that, and where would they even keep it? It’s surprising Bob didn’t explode with anger at Linda and the children right then. After nearly being killed on Christmas Eve, they simply forgive the man who tried to harm them because he doesn’t seem threatening and has a difficult job.

CBR Report

CBR Report

Bob’s Burgers cleverly mixes moments of real danger for the Belcher family with funny situations, like when Teddy accidentally gets trapped in a booby trap designed for Santa. The animation of Teddy’s panic as he realizes he’s stuck is particularly well done. However, it’s amusing how quickly the Belchers forgive people who try to harm them.

The unsettling music before the driver exits the truck, the enormous candy cane dwarfing the car, and the children’s poor decision-making all contribute to why “Christmas in the Car” is notably terrifying.

You can watch new episodes of Bob’s Burgers on Fox every Sunday, and then stream them on Hulu starting the next day.

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2025-12-25 00:11