Made at the University of Colorado and shown at the December student screening in 1992.
The character that would normally be recognized as Eric Cartman from South Park (1997) (fat, with a red jacket and blue snow cap) is actually called Kenny in this precursor, and, as attached with the name, dies in the short. The character normally recognized as Kenny (the one with the orange parka) also dies, but goes unnamed. For Trey Parker's and Matt Stone's next short with the same characters, The Spirit of Christmas (1995), the characters are named as they are commonly known from the popular TV show. The reason for the name switches is unknown.
Executives from the American Fox Network saw the film and commissioned Matt Stone and Trey Parker to make another short to be sent out to celebrities as a Christmas card.
Based on the earlier short cartoon called "Jesus vs Frosty".
In the episode kids' animations are being produced in Korea. In 1990s, many popular shows like South Park and The Simpsons actually used animation teams located in Korea to produce their animations.