The Night Before Christmas (audio story)

 was the thirty-third Subscriber Short Trips audio story. It featured the Seventh Doctor and was available to subscribers of Big Finish's main Doctor Who range whose subscription included Static.

Plot
Clement Clarke Moore wakes up in his mansion in a state of terror. He once again had a nightmare in which he saw horrible monsters and evil otherworldly forces, typical of the damned festival that is celebrated at this time of the year - Christmas. He hears a noise in another room and meets the Doctor there by the fireplace. During the conversation, the Doctor realizes that he is in the presence of a famous American writer, but when he tries to remember his poem about the joys of Christmas, only distorted version of this poem comes to mind, which describes the horrors of Christmas. The Doctor puts Moore to sleep using his pocket watch.

The next morning, Moore wakes up in an empty mansion - his servants have left the house, as they do not wish to stay in the frightening place anymore. Moore reads a letter from the Doctor, with an invitation to meet him in town. When Moore arrives there, he sees that the city is heavily damaged from monster attack - as it was in his dreams. Instead of snow, the ground is covered with white glaze. The Doctor and Moore go to a coffee shop, where the Doctor explains that Moore's mind has been invaded by psychic parasites - the Drephin - which have turned Moore's nightmare into reality, as he disliked Christmas since childhood, believing he was a "bad boy".

The Doctor and Moore go outside, where they come face to face with a terrifying giant manifestation of Krampus, whose body is made from various Christmas sweets. The Doctor convinces Moore to face the monster and to believe that it is fake, as well as his memories of bad Christmas. Moore reworks his poem about a nightmarish Christmas, making up new happy verses on the spot. The Drephin weaken and leave Moore's mind. Krampus shrinks to a tiny size and disappears. Reality is restored and the usual Christmas returns, which Clement Clark Moore celebrates with his wife Beth.

Characters

 * Seventh Doctor
 * Clement Clarke Moore

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor uses a pocket watch to send people to sleep.
 * The Doctor plays the spoons.
 * Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas".
 * Moor suffers from nightmares which become reality, influenced by the Drephin parasites.
 * The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to scan Moor's body and mind.
 * Krampus appears as a manifestation from Moor's nightmares.
 * Santa Claus is confused with Satan in the nightmare version of reality.
 * In augmented reality snow is made from sugar.

Continuity

 * This is not the first time the Doctor encounters monsters made from sweets. (TV: The Happiness Patrol)