Skinner's Sense of Snow

Synopsis
While the Simpsons attend a French Canadian circus called "Cirque de Purée", a freak blizzard (specifically, a "classic nor'easter meeting a classic sou'wester") hits Springfield, turning it into a winter wonderland overnight. However, Springfield Elementary School stays open regardless of the storm. Only some students, including Bart and Lisa's classes show up while Skinner and Willie are the only faculty members to show up for work while the rest of the faculty is at an emergency caucus (which turns out to be a party at a ski lodge). To pass the time, Skinner plays his professed favorite film, a very low-budget, long-running holiday movie "The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, But Then Was," which angers the students, who had expected The Grinch. The movie gets wrecked and Principal Skinner lets the children out early. Snow has piled up, trapping the kids with Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie. Skinner fixes the DVD, much to the student's horror.

Skinner tries to keep the children under control, forcing them to stay together in the cafeteria and eat apples, relish and (only if they behave well enough) mayonnaise and won't let them go home until the snow melts (which is in the spring). After a botched escape attempt, Skinner unearths his U.S. Army memorabilia and is reminded of the days when he commanded respect from his troops.

Meanwhile, Homer, with the help of Ned Flanders, Flanders' car, and a sawed-off piece of Flanders' roof tied to the front of said car as a makeshift plow, sets out to rescue Bart and Lisa, but crashes the car into a fire hydrant, which sprays water that freezes Flanders' car in place. Homer's repeated gunning of the accelerator causes carbon monoxide to flood the front of the car. Flanders and Homer get high from the fumes and wildly hallucinate. The kids go wild with power.

Skinner uses the school hamster, Nibbles, to roll in his ball to get a message to the outside world. Nibbles makes it to Ned and Homer: they crash into a salt silo, melting the snow around the school and badly rusting the car. The kids are freed. Before the credits roll, Lisa as a camel (for Homer is still hallucinating) wishes everyone a Merry Christmas.