Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special recap: Thor's unusual gift leads Sam to an alternate reality

'Tis the season for another hour-long Christmas Special (Episodes 9-10) in Ghosts Season 5, titled “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Carol,” which aired on CBS on December 18.

Continuing the tradition from the past seasons, Christmas Special 2025 featured another exciting possession, where Flower entered Sam's body after Thor used his ghost power. While possession is an annual event for the spooky element, Ghosts Season 5 Christmas episode was special as it took Sam on a journey to understand the role Woodstone ghosts have had in her life. Drawing inspiration from classic Christmas tales like It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, the episode reframes familiar themes to help Sam understand the true value and purpose of her ability to see ghosts.

After a chaotic episode, when Sam wished she had never developed the ability (to see ghosts) in the first place, her wish is granted as a miracle by Carol, Pete's widow, who got sucked off. Elsewhere, Trevor and Patience bond over their mutual hatred for the holiday, which results in their passionate kiss.

Here is the complete Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special recap.

Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special recap: Thor's unusual gift of Possession for Flower

It was Sam's favorite time of the year again. However, she was extra careful this Christmas in Ghosts Season 5 as the Holiday was the perfect time for the Woodstone Spirits to possess a living. While it takes away the fun of the Holiday season, she could not afford a possession this time as she had a live interview about her Vampire book at the Mansion. Despite taking adequate measures, she ended up being possessed by Flower after Thor used his ghost power to surprise his girlfriend.

Longtime fans of the spooky sitcom can only imagine the chaos when our perpetually forgetful and naive hippie ghost possessed Sam in Ghosts Season 5. While the interview team arrived at the Woodstone mansion to interview Sam, she was getting special Christmas candy from Jay's p*t-smoking employee, Gabe. Unaware that her wife had been possessed by a hippie ghost, Jay took Sam for her interview, which took a disastrous turn. Not only did a possessed Sam weirdly answer all the questions in the interview but she also destroyed Mark's beautiful gingerbread house, making a fool out of herself on national television. After the damage was done and Jay drove Flower out of Sam's body, she expressed her disappointment in the Woodstone spirits. In a fit of rage, she called her power a 'curse' and wished that she had never developed the ability to see ghosts in the first place.

Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special recap: Carol makes Sam's wish come true

In a surprising twist, Sam wakes up to an alternate reality where she's unable to see ghosts. After Carol makes a grand entry, Sam learns that it is a Christmas miracle and her wish is granted by her very own 'Christmas Carol.' Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special takes an exciting turn when Sam is taken on a tour by Carol, an alternate reality where she never had the accident and developed the ability to see ghosts. She sees how the Woodstone spirits' lives have taken a turn for the worse. While Pete and Thor never met their family, Issac is still in the closet and about to get married to Hetty.

Sam sees how her social life flourished with no ghost babysitting, but this alternate reality took a toll on her marriage as Jay took a job in the city. Sam's time in the alternate reality takes a harrowing turn in Ghosts Season 5 when she learns that she is secretly texting with a man on a dating app in Jay's absence, who is none other than Trevor. This was the final straw that made Sam realize her power was not a curse but a blessing. After begging Carol make things as they were, Sam is given her power back.

However, the Christmas Special concludes with a shocking twist. Sam was never transported into an alternate reality but it was just a fever dream, a result of Gabe's Christmas candy dr*g, which sent Sam into this weird alternate reality. However, she still had a live interview with Flower still inside her body. As a true Christmas miracle, all the Woodstone spirits combined their ghost powers to delay the interview, which gave Jay time to drive Flower out of Sam's body and she gave a spectacular interview.

After a chaotic day and learning the importance of her ghostly roommates, Sam finally apologized to the ghosts and celebrated the festival with them. Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special reiterated the symbiotic relationship between Sam and the spirits, which is truly the heart of the sitcom.

Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special concluded on an exciting cliffhanger, where Patience introduces her people, 'The Others', to Trevor and Sass. After a steamy kiss, the Puritan is ready to take the next step with our Finance bro, which will surely take an exciting turn when the sitcom returns with new episodes in February 2026.

You can stream Ghosts Season 5 Christmas Special on Paramount+.

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