Even though he was born on a planet in a distant galaxy, and traveled billions of years and visited thousands of planets, Doctor Who manages to spend quite a few Christmases on Earth, usually near London. Whether it is the emergence of the 10th doctor (and the destruction of Harriet Jones’s political career), a fight with an arachnid queen from the center of the earth, or a retelling of A Christmas Carol on a planet where sharks fly, Doctor Who nearly always delivers a Christmas-themed episode.

The Doctor isn’t the only one. Many fantasy writers celebrate a holiday close to the December solstice in their fiction. It may be Christmas, Hanukkah, the birth of the Prophet, or it may be a completely made-up holiday. If it is on another planet it may not even be connected to the idea of solstice, but it still shows up.

What is your favorite fictional midwinter holiday celebration? Tell us which one you love the most, and why. One random commenter with a USA address will win a book from our Stacks.