Original air date: 12/17/2003
In this parody of The Wizard of Oz, the boys head to Canada to get Kyle's brother, Ike, back from his biological parents, all the while meeting with strange characters and having to put up with Cartman who thinks Ike's kidnapping is a conspiracy cooked up by the Jews to cancel Christmas.
"It's Christmas in Canada" contains examples of:
- Beware the Silly Ones: All of the Canadian Prime Minister's new laws are trivial and strange at face value, but destroy several livelihoods and make most of Canada miserable. Given he turns out to be Saddam Hussein this makes perfect sense.
- Boisterous Weakling: A livid Cartman repeatedly demands a brawl with Kyle for costing him his Christmas. After several instances, Kyle relents and very meekly taps him on the cheek. Cartman instantly starts bawling.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: The Canadians want horses back for their Mounties, wine for the French Canadians, and sodomy for the Newfoundlanders.
- Bring It: Cartman repeatedly when blaming Kyle for missing out on Christmas. When Kyle reluctantly obliges in the end, a minor slap leaves Cartman bawling like a baby.
- Call-Back: The 2001 Okama Gamesphere is seen in the store window, or 2003 model if you will, considering when the episode aired.
- Continuity Nod: Mr. Garrison suggests that they get rid of all the Mexicans, just like in "Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo".Mayor: Mr. Garrison, every Christmas you suggest we get rid of all the Mexicans, and every Christmas we tell you NO!
Mr. Garrison: Rats!- Once Saddam Hussein is exposed, one of the Canadians present references his previous attempt to take over Canada in "Terrence and Phillip in Not Without My Anus".
- The Dreaded: Scott to all Canadians. Everyone hates running into him because he's a dick, and most actively flee in terror.
- Everybody Cries: Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny all start crying after a guard denies them permission to see the Prime Minister of Canada to retrieve Ike. Immediately, the guard also breaks down and relents.
- Failed a Spot Check: Stan wanted to have a Christmas adventure as his present, and doesn't realize that he just had one with his friends while trying to get Ike back.
- For the Evulz: It is revealed the reasoning behind Prime Minister of Canada's strange and crippling laws was because his true identity was Comedic Sociopath Saddam Hussein.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Completely by accident. At the time the episode aired, "bullshit" was a word that still wasn't allowed per network standards, but the French-Canadian mime says it aloud while he's singing, completely uncensored.
Word of God guesses this might've just been confusion on Comedy Central's part on what the word was, given that it was pronounced with a French accent. - Great Offscreen War: The "Cola Wars" — in real life, a term to describe the Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi rivalry
— apparently devastated Canada, forcing Ike's biological parents to give him up for adoption. - Hoist by His Own Petard: The callousness of Cartman — and to a lesser extent Kenny, who sides with the former — when Ike is taken away bites him in the ass when the parents suggest spending their present money on finding Ike, ultimately forcing Cartman to help to avoid losing their own Christmas. Downplayed with Stan, who was more reluctant to help because he didn't think appealing to the PM of Canada was realistic (and in a sense, he was technically proven right).
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: A parental example regarding Ike. When Ike’s biological parents learn that his adoptive brother, Kyle, came all the way to Canada to get him, they decide to let Ike be with his adoptive family knowing that he would be happier with them.
- I Want My Mommy!: Cartman screams "Meeeem!" after Kyle punches him.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: When it's first suggested that the townspeople pool their present money to help the Broflovskis, Cartman openly scoffs at such a suggestion and doubts anyone would agree. Then his mother says that sounds like a great idea, leading to other adults agreeing.
- Jerkass Ball: Downplayed with Stan and Kenny. Stan is at first apathetic to Kyle worrying about Ike, but he is the first of the boys actually willing to help him, even risking missing Christmas (though he does say they ought to get back in time for it). Kenny, for his part, isn't exactly encouraging or helpful to Kyle, but it's suggested that he's worried about some force of nature endangering him again.
- Jerkass Has a Point:
- Stan is a little passive-aggressive about Ike's re-adoption by his real parents at first, but he does give the notion to Kyle that flying all the way to Canada in one Christmas, much less appealing to the Prime Minister there, is far easier said than done.
- Cartman ended up being exactly right that Lu Kim's plane was a safety hazard. The boys are lucky to survive the crash.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: The boys initially refuse to help Kyle, due to how close it is to Christmas. After Stan and Kenny leave, Cartman hangs back to assure Kyle that he wouldn't help him at any time of year.
- Kick the Dog: Saddam makes Canada miserable by creating detrimental laws — and murders Kenny — just to prove how evil he is.
- Kindness Ball: The South Park adults feel awful for the Broflovskis and decide to give all the money they were saving for Christmas to the family so they can use it to appeal to the Canadian Prime Minister and get Ike back from Canada.
- Little "No": When the guard initially refuses the group entry and says the Prime Minister isn't there, Kyle has this reaction.
- Lovable Coward: The Canadians reacted to the plane crash by hiding. One pokes out to ask the boys if this is an invasion.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: Saddam as the Prime Minister.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: Cartman challenges Kyle to fight him near the end of the episode. Kyle lightly punches Cartman and he starts crying like a baby.
- Mood Whiplash:
- After the adults agree to use present money to help the Broflovskis, a depressed Kyle is shown walking the streets to the sound of somber Christmas music. All of a sudden Cartman runs up and screams, "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
- Kyle gives a speech about how Ike is his true brother, despite them not being related. The Prime Minister says that's a nice speech before angrily refusing him.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Scott brings the Gintses to the Canadian Prime Minister at the same time as the Boys in the hopes that it will convince the Prime Minister to keep Ike in Canada. Instead, the Gintses are moved by Kyle's pleas and decide to allow Ike to return to America.
- No, You: As ever, Scott has this reaction to people calling him a dick.
- Not in This for Your Revolution:
- The Prime Minister of Canada insists his laws are sticking, but not at all for Scott's argument about loyalty to Canada (which he seems to ignore completely), but simply because "he's the Prime Minister of Canada and he can do whatever he wants".
- Cartman helps Kyle not because he cares for him, but because he wants to ensure his mom doesn't blow the money for his presents on it instead. Kenny's reason for helping Kyle isn't elaborated on, but he does side with Cartman mid-way through the episode, and even Stan at certain points seems oddly focused on getting a Christmas adventure out of the whole thing, rather than Ike's safety.
- Oh, Crap!: Saddam's reaction to being outed."Uh-oh."
- Plane Awful Flight: Tuong Lu Kim, owner of the local Chinese restaurant City Wok, also operates City Airlines, which consists of a very poor miniplane.Cartman: Aw, dude, it smells like kung pow chicken in here.
- Properly Paranoid: It's implied that Kenny's real reason for not wanting to help Kyle is because he'll end up dying, and while it doesn't happen on the plane like he thought, it's instead at the hands of the Prime Minister of Canada's Eye Beams.
- Race Against the Clock: Ahead of the flight, Cartman calculates they have 52 hours before Christmas. He reasons they have 28 hours to succeed in order for their parents to have enough time to buy presents, so he sets his watch accordingly. The clock runs out immediately after Kyle and Ike are reunited, leaving Stan and Cartman thinking Christmas is ruined.
- Ripped from the Headlines:
- This episode aired not too long after the real Hussein's capture by the U.S. military on December 13, 2003.
- Canada has a controversial new Prime Minister during this episode, which seems to mirror the arrival of the new real-life Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, less than a week before the episode aired. However, Trey and Matt later admitted that the timing of this was completely accidental.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- What is the first thing Lu Kim does when he realizes his plane is crashing? Jump from the plane with the only parachute.
- When Scott first appears, all the Canadian locals in sight (save a doctor) flee in a panic.
- Take That!: The boys are told to get where they're going by following the road.Cartman: Which road?
Canadian: This is Canada. We only have one road. - Tempting Fate:
- Gerald talks about togetherness on the first night of Chanukah and says nothing can tear his family apart. Then the doorbell rings...
- Before the flight, Kyle promises Kenny he won't die during their trip, but the Canadian Prime Minister decided otherwise.
- They Killed Kenny Again: This is the first time Kenny has died since his return, courtesy of the Prime Minister of Canada blasting him into Ludicrous Gibs with Eye Beams.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Despite finding them annoying (not to mention setting them back on their adventure), Kyle calls out the New Canadian Minister's laws that hurt his Canadian Companions in this episode.
- Volumetric Mouth: Cartman's pathetic, shrill whine when Kyle nudged him in the cheek required the animators to draw the first new mouth for him since the series began.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Canada itself is a pastiche of The Wizard of Oz.
- Wimp Fight: Cartman starts bawling after Kyle meekly gives him a little punch on the cheek.
- With Friends Like These...: Kyle's friends are either apathetic (Stan) or flat out don't give a crap that Ike might be gone forever (Cartman). Even when everyone decides to give money to the Broflovskis for Christmas, Cartman blames Kyle for ruining Christmas even though it was Chef's idea. Zig Zagged later on, as Stan does show that he cares about getting his best friend's brother back to a greater degree as the episode moves forward, while Kenny's feelings are left somewhat ambiguous.
