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25 December was the traditional date of Christmas Day, a time of celebration on Earth and throughout its colonised worlds. It was also a time when the planet was particularly prone to alien invasions.
Holidays and observances
25 December was the traditional date of Christmas on Earth and its colony worlds. It was also particularly prone to alien invasions on that day. A guide for time travellers identified it as a day for family and staying away from major cities. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"], PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Loading...["Time Traveller's Diary (novel)"])
Events
Early years
In 1066, following his victory at the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. The First Monk witnessed this. (PROSE: The Time Meddler [+]Loading...["The Time Meddler (novelisation)"])
In 1814, the Seventh Doctor and Chris Cwej became stranded on a small island in the Indian Ocean. (PROSE: No Room [+]Loading...["No Room (short story)"])
In 1851, the Cybusman attempted to conquer Earth after escaping the Void, but they were delayed by the interference of Jackson Lake, who had gained the Doctor's knowledge through exposure to a backfiring infostamp. Eventually, the Tenth Doctor arrived and set Jackson straight. The Cybermen then converted their accomplice, Mercy Hartigan, into a CyberKing, but she used her mind to assume dominant authority over them. After he and Jackson saved Frederic Lake from the Cybermem, the Doctor broke the connection between Hartigan and the CyberKing. She quickly went into a panic, causing an electrical overload that disintegrated herself and the Cybermen. rescuing from the Cybermen. Jackson also invited the Doctor to Christmas dinner after some coaxing. (TV: The Next Doctor [+]Loading...["The Next Doctor (TV story)"])
20th century
In 1914, the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler visited a World War I battlefield and participated in a football match between the British and German soldiers during the Christmas truce. (COMIC: The Forgotten [+]Loading...["The Forgotten (comic story)"]) Elsewhere on the Western Front, the Fifth Doctor witnessed another such football match while temporarily separated from Peri Brown. (PROSE: Never Seen Cairo [+]Loading...["Never Seen Cairo (short story)"]) The First Doctor, Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom likewise visited the Western Front at this time. (PROSE: The Little Drummer Boy [+]Loading...["The Little Drummer Boy (short story)"]) The Third Doctor, travelling with Tobias Philby and Thomas, also witnessed a football match shortly before being captured by the Germans. (COMIC: The Amateur [+]Loading...["The Amateur (comic story)"]) The First and Twelfth Doctors also witnessed this at Ypres shortly before their respective regenerations. (TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"])
In 1915, some soldiers of World War I attempted to organise another Christmas truce with the opposing armies. Superiors quelled the idea, going so far as to execute some of the men responsible. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)"])
In 1935, the Seventh Doctor and Melanie Bush visited England. (PROSE: 24 Crawford Street [+]Loading...["24 Crawford Street (short story)"])
In 1938, the eight-year-old Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was given a box of toy soldiers by his namesake grandfather. (COMIC: The Warkeeper's Crown [+]Loading...["The Warkeeper's Crown (comic story)"])
In 1957, the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe met the Cracker family. (PROSE: The Crackers [+]Loading...["The Crackers (short story)"])
In 1965, the TARDIS materialised outside a police station in Liverpool. The First Doctor, Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom were arrested. (TV: "The Feast of Steven" [+]Part of The Daleks' Master Plan, Loading...{"namedep":"The Feast of Steven (7)","1":"The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)"})
In 1981, Sarah Jane Smith, Brendan Richards and K9 had Christmas dinner in the home of Howard and Juno Baker in Moreton Harwood. (TV: A Girl's Best Friend [+]Loading...["A Girl's Best Friend (TV story)"])
In 1995, the Seventh Doctor and Melanie Bush visited England. (PROSE: 24 Crawford Street [+]Loading...["24 Crawford Street (short story)"])
21st century
In 2004, at the strike of midnight, the infant Ruby Sunday was found outside the church on Ruby Road in Manchester after being left there (TV: The Church on Ruby Road [+]Loading...["The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)"]) by her mother. (PROSE: The Church on Ruby Road [+]Loading...["The Church on Ruby Road (novelisation)"]) Later that day, the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Vicki Pallister became trapped in a time loop in the home of George Smythe, his wife Patricia and his children Josie and Mark. (PROSE: Every Day [+]Loading...["Every Day (short story)"])
In 2006, the newly regenerated Tenth Doctor stopped an invasion of Earth by the Sycorax. (TV: The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"]) The Third Doctor, Jo Grant, and Mike Yates responded to a signal for help from Harriet Jones. (PROSE: The Christmas Inversion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Inversion (short story)"]) After the invasion, Harriet Jones had Torchwood attack the ship , killing every Sycorax on board. The Tenth Doctor was so disgusted he asked her personal assistant "Don't you think she looks tired?", which was the start of her downfall. UNIT also released a press briefing about the attack after the invasion. (PROSE: Alien Life [+]Loading...["Alien Life (short story)"])
In 2007, the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe celebrated Christmas with the Cracker family. (PROSE: The Crackers [+]Loading...["The Crackers (short story)"]) The Tenth Doctor prevented an attempted incursion to Earth instigated by the Empress of the Racnoss. (TV: The Runaway Bride [+]Loading...["The Runaway Bride (TV story)"])
In the 2000s,[nb 1] Astrid Peth sacrificed her life to kill Max Capricorn onboard the spacegoing replica of the RMS Titanic, also called the Titanic. The control of the Heavenly Host passed to the Tenth Doctor, and they helped him narrowly avoid a planned collision with Buckingham Palace. (TV: Voyage of the Damned [+]Loading...["Voyage of the Damned (TV story)"])
In 2013, after an absence of two years, the Eleventh Doctor finally reunited with Amy Pond and Rory Williams at their home in London, joining them for Christmas dinner. They saved a place at the table for him every year. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe [+]Loading...["The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)"])
Sometime in the 21st century, the Eleventh Doctor pretended to be Clara Oswald's boyfriend, and helped her with the turkey for the Christmas dinner. The two went to Trenzalore, but he later abandoned her again on Earth, leading her family to think he dumped her. Later the same day, the TARDIS materialised near Clara's house, piloted by Tasha Lem. (TV: The Time of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Time of the Doctor (TV story)"]) Following his regeneration, the Twelfth Doctor tried to return her home on this date, but they instead ended up in Glasgow, (TV: Deep Breath [+]Loading...["Deep Breath (TV story)"]) where the Doctor went off to find coffee. (TV: Deep Breath [+]Loading...["Deep Breath (TV story)"], Into the Dalek [+]Loading...["Into the Dalek (TV story)"])
In 2015, Erimem, Andy Hansen, Ibrahim Hadmani, Helena and Matt Hansen celebrated Christmas together in Ibrahim and Helena's flat. (PROSE: In Search of Doctor X [+]Loading...["In Search of Doctor X (short story)"])
In 2016, the attempted Harmony Shoal invasion of Earth occurred. (PROSE: Time Traveller's Diary [+]Loading...["Time Traveller's Diary (novel)"]; TV: The Return of Doctor Mysterio [+]Loading...["The Return of Doctor Mysterio (TV story)"])
In 2017, the Chelbil invaded Earth. They were scared away from the planet by the Eighth Doctor and Goilin B. After the departure of the Chelbil, the Doctor planned to invite Jason Kane, Bernice Summerfield, Ace and Grace Holloway to Christmas dinner. (PROSE: Not in My Back Yard [+]Loading...["Not in My Back Yard (short story)"])
In 2034, the Eleventh Doctor and Decky visited England on Christmas Day. (COMIC: Decky the Halls [+]Loading...["Decky the Halls (comic story)"])
In 2058, the crew of Bowie Base One celebrated their first Christmas on Mars. They ate dehydrated protein for Christmas dinner. (TV: The Waters of Mars [+]Loading...["The Waters of Mars (TV story)"])
Later years
In 3060 and 3090, the Seventh Doctor and Mel visited the human colony planet Puxatornee during Christmas in two versions of the timeline whilst searching for Leptonite crystals so they could defeat the Quarks. (AUDIO: Flip-Flop [+]Loading...["Flip-Flop (audio story)"])
Alternate realities
In a parallel world, on 25 December in the 2000s, because the Tenth Doctor had died, the collision of Titanic into London was not stopped and the city was destroyed in a nuclear blast, caused by the ship's nuclear storm drive exploding. (TV: Turn Left [+]Loading...["Turn Left (TV story)"])
Births and deaths
In 1976, Leslie Laughland, a future passenger of the SS Elysium on the trip where it would meet its demise to Cybermen, was born. (PROSE: Iceberg [+]Loading...["Iceberg (novel)"])
In 1980, Professor Edward Travers died. (HOMEVID: Downtime [+]Loading...["Downtime (home video)"])
Other
According to a calendar on the Snowcap base, 25 December 1986 was a Thursday. (TV: The Tenth Planet [+]Loading...["The Tenth Planet (TV story)"])
Behind the scenes
Doctor Who: Legacy
In the story of Doctor Who: Legacy, the Doctors and their companions encounter a time storm focusing on 25 December, leading them to face foes who struck at Christmastime.
