(P.S. It’s crazy that we’re already at the seventh episode of the season. Remember when Fox would air new episodes so sporadically that it could be months until we got a handful of new episodes? Tell your grandkids of that dark time.)

You can tell that you’re going to be in good hands here when the episode’s opening conversation addresses all of the canonical Big Event Christmas episodes that the show has experienced. The Smiths’ plans this holiday season are even directly related to the chaos that so typically rains down upon them each December. They’re opting to just ignore the holidays this Christmas, going into cryo-sleep until the 26th. They even take it as far as setting up a decoy family in their home to keep the vengeful North Pole dwellers at bay. That is until they realize that Steve is out in the unrelenting hellscape that is Christmas, and they need to find him before they’ve got another disastrous holiday on their hands.

It might have been the residual “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” that was getting to me, but having Jim Rash as a disgraced (stretched out) elf named Puddin’ is a piece of casting that I can fully get behind. Networks: your impulse is going to be to get Jim Parsons voicing your elf scamps, but Rash is where it’s at. He’s a perfect addition to help the Smiths track down the child-napping Santa—that is until the episode wonderfully pulls the rug out from under the idea. Instead the rather clever decision is made to consult Krampus and use his Christmas Magic to get to the North Pole. It’s another example of the series using its existing Christmas mythology as a way to solve their problems that’s just too much fun for fans that have been around for the long haul (Krampus’ bus driving gig in Baltimore even gets a shout-out).

The episode’s plot is very singular but there’s more than enough non-sequitur nonsense to keep you laughing as the hunt for Steve intensifies. There are some strong, unusual gags here like the synchronized version of “No Kids” sung to the tune of TLC’s “No Scrubs,” the dude explaining the concept of a candy cane, Klaus’ porn preferences, and whatever is wrong with Stan’s taste buds and affection for plaster. I was laughing out loud plenty during this one and was surprised at how much “Ninety North, Zero West” manages to fit into its 20 minutes. It’s an incredibly full episode that never stops moving.

The final act of all of this revolves around Santa’s “Grand Design” after he acquires the necessary relics that he’s been expelling countless children’s lives to obtain. If you were finally waiting for American Dad! to pull the trigger on their big Gilgamesh and Hoon-Baba story, well it’s going to be a Christmas miracle for you. Santa’s end game here is so ridiculous, yet somehow fitting with the rest of the unrestrained mayhem that’s seasonally been experienced through the show’s 13 years.