Song at the end: "Hilda's Theme" by Ryan Carlson
Tropes:
- Affably Evil: The Yule Lads, nasty kidnappers and troublemakers who works for a child-eating ogre, are surprisingly friendly and socialwhile not "working". It is probably because they just want not to be eaten by their boss if they fail.
- Anti-Villain: The Yule Lads are only working for Gryla because she'll eat them if they don't comply. When Hilda suggests another solution, they readily take to it because they mention feeling terrible about sacrificing people.
- Artificial Limbs: One of the Yule Lads has two peg legs. Knowledgeable watchers will recognize him as Sheep-Cote Clod.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The Yule Lads are more willing to compromise over saving everyone versus sacrificing them because Hilda invited them to the festival and fed them soup out of Sparrow Scout tips. Though they also say that Hilda has a good heart and instinct, since they admit they don't want anyone killed.
- Big Brother Instinct: Before they kidnap Trevor and his mother, the Yule Lads immediately rise to Hilda, Frida and David's protection when Trevor and his friends pelt their stand with snowballs, spilling all of the soup.
- Black-and-White Insanity: The idea of what qualifies as "naughty" for the Yule Lads range from being a Jerkass to sometimes acting hypocritically, though a lot of that seems to be desperation to find anyone naughty to take their place as Gryla's next meal.
- Breather Episode: A decidedly frivolous Christmas Episode following the emotional rollercoasters "The Fifty-Year Night" and "The Deerfox."
- Chekhov's Gun: The vegetable soup is used as a sacrifice for Gryla in place of the people the Yule Lads kidnapped.
- Child Eater: Gryla is said to eat naughty children, though she does not limit herself to just kids.
- Christmas Episode: While Christmas itself is never mentioned, it is one.
- Comically Missing the Point: David, when responding to Trevor making fun of their stew.Trevor: Oooh, we're the Sparrow Scouts! Come buy our boring broth made of dirty roots and mold!David: Hey! Mushrooms are a fungus, not a mold! (Gives Hilda a "This guy just doesn't get it" look. Then gets knocked down by a snowball.)
- Damsel in Distress: Johanna is kidnapped by Kurt and his crew in the climax. Also, Trevor's mom is also this (not that anybody cares)
- Debate and Switch: The episode seems to take a look at what naughty and nice are. Hilda can't help but admit that Trevor and his mother are cut from the same cloth, who certainly don't make mistakes once and try not to do it again. In addition, the Yule Lads say that if they don't find a child to cut up into stew, then Gryla will eat them in turn. Then she accidentally gets her mother kidnapped when venting about the Double Standard, and Hilda realizes that she has to save everyone. It goes even further when it turns out vegetable soup is a viable substitute for human stew, meaning the Yule Lads don't have to sacrifice anyone anymore.
- Dramatic Irony: Trevor’s mother tells Trevor that Hilda is a witch, when in actuality Frida is the one who is a witch.
- Ear Ache: Trevor’s mom does this to Trevor when reminding him that Hilda is trouble.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Hilda's first holiday in Trolberg was the best one yet. She, Frida, and David were able to save Trolberg from Gryla, Hilda finally got the snowglobe for her mum, and David is able to let go of his tips. The final shot before the credits roll is Hilda, Johanna, Frida, and David watching the Sonstansil tree glow.
- Everybody Lives: No one is eaten in this episode. Hilda instead says she, David, and Frida will share the secret of the vegetable soup and help make it. By knowing the recipe, the Yule Lads can cook that every year for Gryla.
- Friendly Tickle Torture: Johanna briefly subjects Hilda to this while playfully warning her about Gryla.
- Glowing Flora: The flowers of the Sonstansil Tree glow with orange light.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Nonfatal example; the trio gives up their batch of vegetable broth to feed Gryla and save everyone. This means no tips, though David uses what's left to buy a snowglobe for Hilda's mother and giftwrap it for Hilda. He says it's Worth It.
- Horrifying the Horror: Even trolls are afraid of Gryla.
- I'm Standing Right Here: While Trevor’s mother is badmouthing Hilda, she and her friends are shown in the background to be hearing what she is saying, and give her dirty looks for this.
- Kick the Dog: Trevor and his friends tossing snowballs is one thing. Knocking over the giant pot of vegetable soup that the Sparrow Scouts were selling is another.
- The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday: The Yule Lads reside in a wooden cabin that suddenly appears in Trolberg the day before the holiday, and disappears after their work is done.
- Parental Hypocrisy: Hilda accuses her mother of being this for putting teabags on their countertops even though she criticizes Hilda for doing the same thing. But Johanna argues that she only does that once in a while, while her daughter has done that dozens of times (even hundreds, according to Alfur). Hilda is frustrated by her and him using that as an excuse while she can't.
- Save the Villain: More like save the Jerkass, but Hilda, being the All-Loving Hero she is, just can't leave Trevor and his mother to their karmic fate in Grila's tummy.
- Season Finale: While "The Stone Forest" is the final episode of the season, this was the final episode to be completed in production order, but it aired out of order to go with the story plot, so therefore, this is the concluding episode of Season 2.
- Secret Ingredient: The Sparrow Scout’s broth has one, and David is adamant about not sharing it with anybody.
- Shout-Out: An animated version of Black Christmas (1974) can be seen playing on the TV in the scene where Hilda reads the story of Gryla and the Yule Lads.
- Shown Their Work: The Yule Lads are a real group from folklore that are naughty boys who look for naughty children in turn.
- Snowball Fight: Trevor and Friends attack the Sparrow Scout’s broth stand with snowballs, but the Yule Lads quickly turn the tides on them.
- Special Edition Title: The closing credits normally start with Silvergate EVP, Kurt Mueller, credited first, but for this episode, all three EP's: Kurt Mueller, Luke Pearson, (who is both the author and creator of the Hilda series), and Stephanie Simpson, are credited together for the first time.
- Special Guest: Andy Serkis as Kertasníkir
- The Stinger: After the credits roll, we get one last scene where Gryla goes to sleep for another year after eating all the stew.
- Stealthy Colossus: Gryla is as big as a troll, yet somehow manages to get in and out of Trolberg without anyone except the protagonists (who knew she was coming) and a dog noticing her.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Hilda goes to talk to the Yule Lads on realizing they're scared of being eaten by Gryla. She tells them she knows how they feel, and You Are Better Than You Think You Are because they weren't really naughty. Instead, Hilda suggests an alternative solution.
- Was Once a Man: The Yule Lads used to be human children that Gryla was going to eat because they were naughty, but she spared them in return for them bringing her more children.
- What Have We Ear?: Kert performs this trick on Hilda, but produces nothing to underscore that he and his fellow Yule Lads have no money.
- You Are What You Hate: The Yule Lads are Knight Templars who insist on punishing naughty children, but Hilda finds out that the Lads were, in fact, naughty themselves, and many of the deeds that the Lads ask the kids if they did, the Lads did themselves, such as harassing innocent sheep. Justified because the Yule Lads admit they don't like sacrificing anyone but the other choice is to get eaten in turn.
- You Mean "Xmas": Trolberg has a festive holiday with customary gift-giving surrounding a coniferous tree with glowing blooms. The Yule Lads name really gives away the allusion. It even has its own Krampus figure in the form of Gryla, who is said to eat naughty children.
