In a similar fashion to "Starvin' Marvin in Space", the episode was dedicated to Mary Kay Bergman, the original voice of most of the female characters on the show up to that point, who had died by suicide less than a month earlier.
During the "Christmas Time in Hell" song, Satan is singing along with various celebrities in Hell, including Jeffrey Dahmer, John F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Diana, Princess of Wales, Gene Siskel, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Genghis Khan, Michael Landon and Jimmy Stewart.
After every commercial break, a live action segment featuring a news anchor is shown, saying "Fighting the frizzies, at eleven."
In the DVD commentary, Stone and Parker indicate this is a reference to a bootleg tape of Star Wars Holiday Special.
In September 2008, Russian prosecutors filed a motion to ban the series based on complaints received about this episode.