SANTA CLAUSE

The episode begins on a snowy night with Marinette, Alya, and Manon walking into the bakery. Alya drops a coin in a collection box held by cardboard cutouts of Ladybug and Cat Noir. When she does, Marinette takes off her coat and begins singing.

Marinette and her parents singing "Merry Christmas" to everyone.

She grabs a Christmas log cake from her mother, almost dropping it when giving it to Alya. Alya boops her on the forehead and wishes her a Merry Christmas. Tom and Sabine wave as she leaves. Alix and her father come in next, followed by Rose and Juleka, Nadja (who takes Manon), Nino, and Sabrina, each of them leaving with a Christmas log. When Chloé and her father enter the bakery, Marinette freezes in the middle of her song. Sabine reminds her that it's Christmas, and Marinette begrudgingly gives Chloé the Christmas log. She has to shout "Merry Christmas, Chloé!" at her before Chloé takes it. André also reminds Chloé to wish Marinette a Merry Christmas, which she shouts back to Marinette before leaning in and reminding her that she hates her guts.

After Chloé and André leave, Adrien's bodyguard enters and drops a coin in the collection box. Marinette runs upstairs when she realizes who he is, asking him to wait a minute. She tears her room apart, searching for Adrien's gift. Tikki finds it on her desk and gives it to Marinette before she can make even more of a mess. She runs back downstairs and outside, following the bodyguard. Fumbling over her words, she asks him to take the present to Adrien and to wish him a Merry Christmas for her. He takes it and drives off. Marinette looks off into the sky, thinking of Adrien.

Adrien upset with his father.

At the Agreste mansion, Adrien and Nathalie are decorating the Christmas tree in the foyer when the bodyguard walks in. Adrien wants his father, Gabriel, to decorate the tree with them, but he doesn't come, upsetting Adrien. The bodyguard hands Adrien Marinette's present as he sadly walks up to his room.

Gabriel is in his atelier, staring at Emilie Agreste's portrait. Nathalie enters the room and asks him to spend time with his son, reminding him that not only is it his first Christmas without Emilie, but it's also Adrien's too. Gabriel agrees to spend Christmas with Adrien and tells Nathalie that he needs a little more time. She leaves him looking at the portrait. He closes his eyes with a sigh.

Cat Noir singing his thoughts about Christmas.

Adrien is in his room and is angry at his father. He decides that he hates Christmas. Dropping the present, he transforms into Cat Noir and leaves the room through a window. Using his baton to soften his landings, Cat Noir jumps over Paris' snowy rooftops, singing about being a pitiful cat in the night. He watches the Dupain-Chengs eat dinner through one of their windows before moving on to the Bourgeois family. He ends up outside the Hôtel de Ville and runs at the Christmas tree outside the building. He summons his Cataclysm, prepared to destroy the largest symbol of Christmas in the city out of anger, but before he does, an image of his mother flashes before his eyes and he stops. He realizes that he can't kill something he loved. Instead, he runs to a nearby Gabriel advertisement (displaying himself) and destroys it. He walks away and detransforms in the snow.

Adrien wishes Plagg a Merry Christmas.

Plagg flops on his back in the snow, singing about how tired and hungry he is. Adrien frets because he doesn't have any cheese on him. Instead, Adrien opens Marinette's present, which he had with him, hoping it can help. Inside is a Christmas hat. Adrien puts Plagg on the hat and opens the card Marinette left him. He smiles, appreciating her gift. He puts the card in his back pocket. Bells ring in the distance, signaling Christmas Day. Adrien wishes Plagg a "Merry Christmas", not realizing the card fell out. Plagg wishes him a "Merry Christmas" back.

At the Agreste mansion, Gabriel holds a present in his hands and walks up to Adrien's room. He calls out for Adrien first but begins panicking when he sees Adrien's window is open and Adrien is missing. Nathalie and the bodyguard rush in. Gabriel shouts at them to find Adrien immediately.

The bodyguard begins the search and leaves in his car. Nathalie makes phone calls to the police and Adrien's classmates. Nino, while eating a potato, says that Adrien isn't at his house. Alya answers the call while at her house and is surprised to hear that Adrien isn't home. Kim has no clue where Adrien is and thinks he may have been kidnapped. Max doesn't know where Adrien is, either. Roger and Sabrina search for Adrien in Roger's patrol car. Sabine and Tom set aside their presents and go out to look for Adrien, while Marinette says she doesn't feel good and goes upstairs to transform into Ladybug. She leaves from her balcony.

Santa gives Adrien a blanket.

Adrien, meanwhile, is wandering around Paris. He comes across a Santa Claus and two naughty children who are being rude to Santa. The kids knock the Santa over with snowballs. Adrien helps him up and scolds the kids for being mean. Their father tells them to apologize. Adrien hands Santa back his hat, receiving a blanket and hot chocolate in return. Adrien asks Santa if he has any Camembert, which Santa gives him from his sandwich. Adrien discreetly feeds it to Plagg, who is hiding in the fuzz at the end of Adrien's hat. Santa and Adrien drink the hot chocolate in Santa's sleigh, Adrien telling Santa about his family problems. Santa convinces Adrien to return home to his father and even gives him a free ride back. Before they leave, Adrien gives Santa the hat he received from Marinette as Santa's hat was soggy from the snow.

Ladybug singing about her feelings for Adrien.

Ladybug arrives in the Hôtel de Ville square and sees the damage from Cat Noir's Cataclysm and her letter to Adrien. She assumes that Cat Noir must be trying to protect Adrien from an akumatized supervillain. She sings about Adrien being the boy that she secretly loves. She follows Adrien's footprints, wondering who could've been akumatized on Christmas Eve.

Santa is driving the sleigh and waving to the people who pass by. No one sees Adrien because he leaned away from them unknowingly and the pink blanket disguised him slightly. Adrien and Santa talk about where Santa will spend his Christmas as they go back to Adrien's house. Since he will be alone and since there needs to be more Christmas cheer in the Agreste mansion, Adrien decides to invite Santa over for dinner. Outside the gates of the Agreste mansion, Adrien rings the doorbell, his father answering. Gabriel notices the Santa and angrily tells him to leave, assuming he had something to do with Adrien's disappearance and now wants money. Adrien tries to calm down his father, but Ladybug arrives on the scene and calls Santa an akumatized villain. She doesn't listen to Adrien when he tells her that Santa isn't a supervillain and chases after him, who runs away in his sleigh. Adrien moves to transform again, but Nathalie and the bodyguard call out to him and bring him inside.

Santa being akumatized.

Ladybug catches Santa, pulling him out of the sleigh and into the snow. Santa then yells at Ladybug about her hurting him. Hawk Moth, in his lair, senses Santa's anger and sends out an akuma. Santa angrily explains that he is not a supervillain. Ladybug apologizes and tries to help him up, but Santa just wants her to leave, as he's had enough of kids tonight. Ladybug leaves, feeling sad, while Santa trudges back to his sleigh, muttering about people no longer respecting the spirit of Christmas. The akuma then lands in his hat. Hawk Moth claims to have been good all year and that as a present, Santa should get him the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses, to which Santa agrees, turning him into Santa Claws.

Santa Claws approaches Ladybug, singing a song about how he is Santa Claws and how he will give everyone a horrible Christmas. He throws a present at Ladybug and it explodes, releasing several bats. Ladybug chases after him.

Santa Claws in Adrien's room.

Adrien is in his room, upset and playing video games, his bodyguard behind him. Santa Claws phases through Adrien's window, sings his song, and drops a present in Adrien's room. Adrien's bodyguard protects Adrien, the present exploding on him. Tarantulas crawl out of the present and onto the bodyguard, causing the bodyguard to flee while he tries to get the spiders off his legs. Santa Claws promises not to hurt Adrien, since he feels like he owes him since he gave him a gift and because Adrien has been nice to him. He leaves, promising to avenge both Adrien and himself. When his bodyguard runs away, Adrien transforms into Cat Noir.

Santa Claws bursts through the windows of the Le Grand Paris Hotel, sings his song and dances, and throws a present on Chloé, covering her in cockroaches, much to her disgust and dismay. The akumatized reindeer also eat some of her presents.

Ladybug and Cat Noir confronting Santa Claws.

Ladybug finds Santa Claws again after he leaves Le Grand Paris and chases him across Paris. When Cat Noir joins up with her, she questions him about Adrien and what happened earlier in the night. Cat Noir avoids the question and they both jump and land on Santa Claws' sleigh. Santa Claws throws a present at Cat Noir, knocking him off the sleigh. Ladybug jumps off after him, throwing her yo-yo around one of the sleigh's skis and grabbing Cat Noir with her hand. They dangle and run over Paris' rooftops before Ladybug flings Cat Noir back on the sleigh.

Cat Noir fights Santa Claws, baton to sword. Ladybug flings herself onto one of the reindeer, trying to stop it. This causes Santa Claws to fall over the back of the sleigh. Cat Noir grabs him by his wrist, but Santa Claws uses that to his advantage by climbing back on the sleigh and flinging Cat Noir off it again. Ladybug jumps off the sleigh after Cat Noir again, throwing the yo-yo around a lamppost. They swing wildly through the city and land in Alya's living room, Cat Noir on top of Ladybug. Alya asks for a scoop for the Ladyblog, but Ladybug says it's not what it looks like.

Ladybug getting her Lucky Charm object at the Césaire household.

Cat Noir moves to leave, but Ladybug grabs his tail and stops him. She then uses her Lucky Charm and summons a large box. Ladybug looks around the Césaire house for packing tape, scissors, and office supplies, pulling open drawers and cabinets to find them. Alya helps Ladybug find trash bags and packing tape. Marlena gives Ladybug scissors, sticky notes, and a pencil. Ella holds up crayons while Etta holds up a notepad. Ladybug writes on the sticky note and tells Cat Noir to go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery to get some items. She cuts down the Césaire's curtain and wraps the things they gave her up in it, leaving slightly after Cat Noir.

Cat Noir singing to fool Santa Claws.

Cat Noir signals Santa Claws from the Eiffel Tower. A black present dangles off of it from Cat Noir's baton. Santa Claws conjures up a large mace, preparing to destroy it, but the present turns, revealing his face. Cat Noir sings about surrendering to Santa Claws and that the present is their gift to him. Hawk Moth yells at Santa Claws to get away from the present since it's obviously a trap, but Santa Claws is so surprised to even be receiving a present that he ignores Hawk Moth. As Cat Noir finishes his song, Ladybug is nowhere to be seen: the Ladybug in the background is the cutout from the Dupain-Cheng bakery, but Santa Claws doesn't notice it.

Cat Noir handing the hat to Ladybug.

When Santa Claws grabs the box, the wind blows against him and knocks over the Ladybug cutout. Ladybug jumps out of the box, shouting, "Merry Christmas!" and wraps her yo-yo around Santa Claws and the sleigh. Cat Noir runs up and over his baton, Cataclysm in hand, and grabs Santa Claws' hat, turning it black. He throws it to Ladybug, who blows on it to make it dissolve and release the akuma. Ladybug catches the akuma and throws the box in the air, using Miraculous Ladybug. The ladybugs return Paris to normal and put Santa Claus back on the ground safely. They do not, however, fix Adrien's hat. When the hat was dissolved, the pieces came together to form the akuma.

In his lair, Hawk Moth decides to let Ladybug and Cat Noir have a Merry Christmas, but he swears that next Christmas, he'll have the best presents.

Cat Noir returns to his home and meets his father in his atelier. Gabriel tells Adrien that he cannot accept him disappearing, too, as he couldn't bear to lose him. The doorbell then rings. Nathalie picks up the phone on her desk and presses a button, telling Adrien he has a visitor.

Gabriel and Adrien stand in the foyer while Nathalie opens the doors. Adrien, in fact, does not have one visitor; he has several. Marlena, Rose, Mr. Kubdel, Juleka, Alix, Nino, Otis Césaire, Alya, Santa Claus, Marinette, André, Tom, Sabine, Sabrina, Roger, Chloé, Max, Kim, and the Césaire twins are all outside the Agreste mansion doors to see Adrien. Gabriel invites them in when Adrien asks if it is okay. The episode ends with everyone at the dinner table, wishing each other a merry Christmas. Adrien turns to the portrait of his family behind him, saying, "Merry Christmas, Mom."

Major characters

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug

Adrien Agreste/Cat Noir

Tikki

Plagg

Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth

Akuma

Santa Claus/Santa Claws

Minor characters

Alya Césaire

a fat guy

Manon Chamack

Tom Dupain

Sabine Cheng

Alix Kubdel

Mr. Kubdel

Rose Lavillant

Juleka Couffaine

Nadja Chamack

Nino Lahiffe

Sabrina Raincomprix

Chloé Bourgeois

André Bourgeois

Adrien's bodyguard

Nathalie Sancoeur

Butler Jean (background)

Emilie Agreste (mentioned)

Marlena Césaire

Otis Césaire

Ella Césaire

Etta Césaire

Max Kanté

Lê Chiến Kim

Roger Raincomprix

Unnamed maid (background)

Civilians

SONGS

Marinette & the Bakery

Cat in the Night

Brand New Day

The Boy That I Secretly Love

Bad Santa Claws

We All Have the Right