I hope RTD returns to Christmas specials instead of these New Year/Holiday/Festivus episodes.
I am an atheist and there is nothing wrong with a Christmas special.
Eve of the Daleks literally opens with Christmas lights, jazzy Christmas-like music ... and a woman shouting NEW YEAR'S EVE on the phone (as in THIS IS NOT AN UNINCLUSIVE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL).
Cannot wait until Chibnall exists.
Apparently, now that Chinballs lost the slot on the BBC schedule for DW Christmas specials it is lost forever. Moffat knew to never lose that slot.
shareI don't when its on but it kind of became a tradition to watch it on Christmas day.
I also wasn't keen on their reason, that they where running out of Christmas themes. They didn't need a theme really. It could just air on Christmas day.
Yeah, I didn't like that. They basically said that they were running out of Christmas ideas. Didn't exactly fill me with confidence in Chibnall as a writer.
Also, as you say, it didn't really need Christmas themes. Just have a regular episode and put it on Christmas Day. No need to make the plot/enemy have some kind of Christmas theme. He could've set it on Christmas Day, if he had wanted to have Christmas Trees and Sparkly Lights everywhere without having to have that affect the plot in an way.