"How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" is the third and final Christmas episode of the FOX sci-fi drama The X-Files, aired as the sixth episode of the show's sixth season (though it is the season's eighth episode in production order).
Synopsis[]
Fox Mulder calls Dana Scully on Christmas Eve to investigate a haunted house in Maryland. He tells her that during Christmas 1917, a young couple was faced with death from both war and an epidemic. They agreed to a lover's pact, one killing the other and the remaining one committing suicide. He explains that they could not stand the thought of being alone after the other died and during the afterlife; they wanted to experience it all together. That was 81 years ago. Now, Mulder explains, they want to make couples who venture into their mansion have the same fate.
Scully is hesitant and not interested in exploring the house because it's Christmas Eve and she has wrapping to do, but she eventually relents. Once inside the house, strange things happen: the door slams shut, there are creaks heard in the ceiling from the upper floor, there are gusts of wind, a shadow in the form of an old woman in a nightgown, and the house has a clock which keeps perfect time and starts dinging at exactly midnight. They fearfully and hesitantly decide to investigate the floor above them. Scully calls their fear an irrational one that all humans face. Mulder does not listen to her analytical view; instead, he tries to find a door that will open. One finally does and Scully marches bravely into the room to discover a massive library.
Mulder and Scully investigate the room, along with its eccentric features. The floor boards start shaking, and upon cracking open a few boards, they discover two corpses that have the same clothes and hairstyles as them along with two gunshot wounds. They decide to go search other rooms, only to find that every door they walk through is the same room they first entered. They then decide to split up, hoping to find a way out of it.
While separated, Mulder and Scully meet the inhabitants of the mansion, Maurice and Lydia. They soon turn Mulder and Scully against each other. Scully is told that Mulder will kill her. She meets back up with him, only for him to pull out a gun and shoot her. She, completely confused, loses consciousness, and the perspective shifts. It is revealed that Lydia is actually the one carrying out these actions and, through her ghostly ability to create apparitions, causes Scully to see Mulder instead. Meanwhile, he comes upon her lying on the floor bleeding. When he leans over her to try and help her, she shoots him in the stomach. Again, the audience sees that it is Lydia pretending to be her, manipulating him.
Mulder and Scully stumble down the stairs in hope of just getting outside to die. They meet up by the door, both crawling on the floor, covered in massive amounts of blood. Scully claims Mulder shot her, while he claims vice versa. He realizes that that could not have happened and stands up. The illusion is broken, and they leave the house. Maurice and Lydia sit by the fire, holding hands, saying that they almost had Mulder and Scully. Meanwhile, at Mulder's apartment, he and Scully exchange gifts, even though they told each other they would not.
Song[]
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (uncredited) - Bing Crosby
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character |
|---|---|
| David Duchovny | Fox Mulder |
| Gillian Anderson | Dana Scully |
| Lily Tomlin | Lydia |
| Edward Asner | Maurice |
See also[]
- "Christmas Carol"
- "Emily"
External links[]
- The X-Files Wiki: How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
- "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" at the Internet Movie Database