Grampa's Christmas Origins: Christmas Cards/References

References/Trivia

Cultural References

The "origin" portion of the story takes place in the same setting as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Various Springfieldians have been cast as characters in the story, including:
- Mr. Burns as Ebenezer Scrooge (called "Burnseneezer Scrooge")
- Sideshow Bob as Bob Cratchit
- Waylon Smithers as Jacob Marley (called "Smarmley")
- Nelson, Milhouse, Sherri, Terri and Martin as street urchins whom Scrooge hires to work in his greeting card factory.
Cratchit mentions his son Gimpy Tom (not seen in the story), a reference to Tiny Tim.
When Scrooge realizes the moneymaking potential of greeting cards, he calls them "the Ghost of Christmas Future", a reference to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
The story contains a couple of tongue-in-cheek references to Hallmark's product line including greeting cards for virtually any occasion:
- Cratchit makes a batch of Boxing Day cards.
- When he fails to finish the cards on time, Scrooge fires him, informing him of the sacking by giving him a greeting card that reads "So sorry for your loss of gainful employment."