"Arnold's Christmas" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of the American animated television series Hey Arnold!. A Christmas episode, it first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on December 11, 1996. The plot revolves around Arnold's efforts to find Mr. Hyunh's daughter, who was separated from him during the Vietnam War, in his role as Mr. Hyunh's secret Santa. The episode is considered one of the show's most memorable and is often included in lists of TV's best Christmas or holiday episodes. Plot For the secret Santa gift exchange at the Sunset Arms boarding house, Arnold (Toran Caudell) draws Mr. Hyunh's (Baoan Coleman) name. Arnold wants to get him something special, but realizes that he does not know Mr. Hyunh very well. Arnold pays him a visit and Mr. Hyunh recounts the story of how he came to Hillwood. Mr. Hyunh lived in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and had to give up his infant daughter Mai (Hiep Thi Le) to American soldiers so she can live a better life in the United States. It was not until twenty years later that Mr. Hyunh was able to leave Vietnam to come to the United States as a refugee to search for his long-lost daughter in Hillwood, the city where she was taken to. Arnold enlists the help of his best friend Gerald (Jamil Walker Smith) to help Mr. Hyunh find his daughter for Christmas. Despite their efforts, they are unable to overcome the bureaucracy they encounter along the way. Arnold gives up in despair. However, due to Helga's (Francesca Marie Smith) secret help, Hyunh and Mai are soon reunited in time for Christmas. Production Steve Viksten came up with the idea of exploring Mr. Hyunh's backstory and got the approval from show creator Craig Bartlett. He then pitched the idea to Mr. Hyunh's voice actor Baoan Coleman. Coleman, a Vietnamese refugee, responded by saying "I was there". However, getting the episode approved for the network proved difficult. Network executives objected to the "heavy" subject matter as well as the depiction of a specific war, and rejected the episode when it was only halfway complete in production. However, an executive at Nickelodeon brought it home and showed it to her son. The boy's reaction after watching Mr. Hyunh's story of his separation from Mai prompted the executive to approve the episode. Due to the episode's sensitive nature, the