Merry Christmas is the thirtieth episode of Ben 10.
Plot
It's a hot day in the middle of Death Valley, as Ben turns into Grey Matter to increase the air conditioner's output, only for it to be blown apart and overheat, prompting Max to pull over and vent out the smoke and dust. The gang sees something in the distance of the desert, prompting them to check it out. When they get there, it turns out to be a large wooden building, flanked by two giant wooden soldiers that has a cool breeze coming from inside. Max said that it was probably an abandoned holiday theme park. Upon entering, Ben, Max, and Gwen come upon a winter wonderland village that had real snow in it. After having a brief snowball fight, the three of them walk into town to discover that it is entirely Christmas-themed, with people looking like elves, reindeer pulling sleds stacked with Christmas presents, a Christmas tree being decorated in the town square with a star on top, and a toy band marching around, playing horns. Max then says that this reminds him that their family never really had a proper Christmas together due to familial issues, and that he hopes that it'll end so the Tennyson family can celebrate underneath one roof like he always wanted.
As Ben goes bobsledding and Gwen goes ice-skating, Max goes into a store for some hot chocolate where he encounters a group of elves, asking him to come with them. Max, believing that he was being taken somewhere to pay for his drink as another elf looks at him, with his eyes blue instead of the usual green like everyone else'. Max was then taken into a building where he meets Mr. Jingles, the mayor of Holiday Village, who claimed that Max was really Santa Claus, and that the village was made specifically for him and did not want him to go. Mr. Jingles then ordered the elves to dress Max up as Santa Claus, as he pressed a button that magnetized Max to a chair that was behind him after he was dressed. Mr. Jingles then pulled out a joystick remote that controlled Max as he was brought into the workshop and presented to the elves working inside, causing them to cheer happily now that "Santa" had arrived. Mr. Jingles said that he was happy that Max brought his grandchildren along, claiming that he could always use more elves.
Out in the town square, Ben and Gwen were busy looking at some of the presents underneath the tree as they turned and saw several nutcracker soldiers, similar to the ones outside the front gate, arrive and begin to fire candy canes at them. Ben turned into XLR8 as the two of them escaped and encountered the blue-eyed elf again, Elsgood. Elsgood then told the cousins that Holiday Village was underneath a curse, and that Max was believed to be Santa. He goes on to say that if the Tennyson children stay in the village, they will turn into elves. They don't believe it until their eyes turn solid green, their cheeks turn rosy and their ears become pointy.
The village was frozen at Christmas time in the 1930s, and time had stood still ever since then.
All the villagers were turned into elves by a mysterious machine that made everything in the village magical by warping reality. After learning this, Elf Ben transforms into Grey Matter and sneaks into the machine and deactivates it, Mr. Jingles tells them that happiness from perfect gifts is the only solution to end the "village curse". Max explains that the spirit of Christmas isn't about giving the perfect gifts, it's about the spirit of giving. When Stinkfly delivers all the gifts that have been made, the "village curse" was lifted, causing the Village to change into a modern holiday resort with people in it. Mr. Jingles is gone, but a statue of him remains, which, according to a plaque, was created in 1928.
Noteworthy Events
Major Events
- Elsgood and Thomas Jingles make their debuts.
Minor Events
- This episode marks the one year celebration of Ben 10.
Characters
- Ben Tennyson
- Gwen Tennyson
- Max Tennyson
- Elsgood (first appearance)
- Elves (first appearance)
Villains
- Mr. Jingles (first appearance)
- Giant Panda Plushes (first appearance)
- Nutcrackers (first appearance)
- Snow Phantoms (first appearance)
Aliens Used
- Grey Matter (x2; second time selected alien was Four Arms)
- XLR8 (selected alien was Heatblast)
- Wildmutt
- Stinkfly
Quotes
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Naming and Translations
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Hungarian | Boldog karácsonyt! | Merry Christmas! |
| Portuguese (Br) | Feliz Natal | Merry Christmas |
| Spanish (HA) | Feliz Navidad | Merry Christmas |
| Spanish (Spain) | Feliz Navidad | Merry Christmas |
Allusions
- The way Grey Matter jumped around from box to box inside of the Jinglelator and the music are similar to a Super Mario Bros. level.
Trivia
- This episode celebrates the one year anniversary of Ben 10.
- It is the only Christmas special episode in the franchise.