Holidays of Future Passed

"Holidays of Future Passed" is the ninth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 11, 2011. Most of the episode is set thirty years into the future, when Bart and Lisa take their children with them to Homer and Marge's house over Christmas, while a pregnant Maggie goes into labor. Bart has divorced his wife Jenda and is struggling to become a better father for his two boys, while Lisa has trouble connecting with her rebellious teenage daughter Zia. The Simpsons creator Matt Groening made a minor uncredited cameo appearance as a sports commentator shouting "goal!" during a soccer game.

Originally written as a potential series finale, the episode has received highly positive reception from television critics who often cited it as the best episode of the season. It has been particularly praised for its humor and for its emotional scenes, such as one where Bart and Lisa sit in their old treehouse and talk about how difficult parenting is. During the original broadcast, "Holidays of Future Passed" was watched by about 6.43 million people. Since then, it has garnered attention in the media for a segment taking place thirty years in the future in which it is implied that the city of Dearborn, Michigan is "still under sharia law". Commentators have had mixed opinions on what the segment is mocking, whether it is the increasing Islamic influence in the US, specifically in Dearborn, or rather those who are thinking that Dearborn is under sharia law in December 2011, the time that the episode aired.

After stuffing themselves with turkey on Thanksgiving, it is time to take the annual Christmas card family photo, and when Bart and Lisa complain about it, Marge notes that they will grow to appreciate the photos when they become older and have children of their own. Lisa questions why Marge would assume they will even have children in the first place, and the episode jumps thirty years into the future via a series of Simpsons Christmas cards. The photos finally settle on a future where Bart is a deadbeat, divorced dad with two sons whom he does not see often; Lisa is a successful businesswoman who is married to Milhouse and has a rebellious daughter named Zia; and Maggie is the lead singer of a famous band and in the late stages of pregnancy. In his apartment at the former Springfield Elementary, Bart is visited by his sons, who inform him that their mother Jenda teleported them to his place because she wants him to act like a proper father by having him spend time with them. However, he plans on dropping them off at his parents' house instead. Meanwhile, Lisa fears that Zia is spending too much of her time going into the "Ultranet", a digital world that people enter with their consciousness by plugging themselves into a laptop. Milhouse suggests to Lisa that she spend time with Zia in order for them to have a better connection, so Lisa decides to take Zia to her parents' house. Meanwhile, Maggie flies home from London to Springfield to celebrate Christmas with her parents.