Most of the episode is set thirty years (2041) into the future, when Bart and Lisa take their children with them to Homer and Marge's house over Christmas, while a pregnant Maggie goes into labor.

Bart has divorced his wife, Jenda, and is struggling to become a better father for his two boys, while Lisa has trouble connecting with her rebellious teenage daughter, Zia.

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening made a minor uncredited cameo appearance as a sports commentator shouting "goal!"

Lisa questions why Marge would assume they will even have children in the first place, while Bart confidently claims that he won't, desiring for the Simpson family's legacy of dysfunction to cease.

The episode jumps thirty years into the future (2041) via a compilation of Simpson Christmas cards accompanied by the song "Sleigh Ride" performed by The Ronettes.

[1] The photos finally settle on a future where Bart is a deadbeat, divorced father with two sons whom he does not see often; Lisa is a successful businesswoman who is married to Milhouse and has a rebellious daughter named Zia; and Maggie is the lead singer of a famous band and in the late stages of pregnancy.

In his apartment at the former Springfield Elementary, Bart is visited by his sons, who inform him that their mother, Jenda, teleported them to his place because she wants him to act like a proper father by having him spend time with them.

According to The Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma, as the episode was being recorded, "there were only sounds of crowd cheering during that shot and Matt said we needed to spice it up somehow.

[10][11] The episode was watched by approximately 6.43 million people during this broadcast, and in the demographic for adults aged 18–49, it received a 3.0 Nielsen rating and a seven percent share.

[12][13][14][15] "Holidays of Future Passed" became the most-watched broadcast in Fox's Animation Domination lineup for the night in terms of total viewers.

[16] Since airing, "Holidays of Future Passed" has received highly positive reviews from television critics, particularly for its humor and emotional scenes.

Club wrote that "Holidays of Future Passed" found "a sweet spot that combined a barrage of non-stop jokes with a tenderness often lacking in latter-day Simpsons episodes.

He noted that it was "the emotional side of things" that made the episode successful, such as the dissatisfaction Bart and Lisa feel because of their disconnection with the children, and also Homer's transformation into a "very wise, sweet guy after somehow surviving into old age.

"[20] In February 2012, "Holidays of Future Passed" was listed by Matt Zoller Seitz of New York magazine as one of "Nine Latter-Day Simpsons Episodes That Match Up to the Early Classics".

[24] A segment of "Holidays of Future Passed" was inspired by a controversy over the growing Islamic influence in the city of Dearborn, Michigan, which has "a significant Muslim community".

[26][27][28] In a news report about this segment that aired on WJBK, Gallagher noted that it "poked fun at the untrue and unfounded notion that somehow Muslim sharia law prevails in Dearborn.