touched on all the requisite holiday bases but that felt perfunctory", and added that it was "generally ho-ho-hum". Robert Canning of IGN gave it a "great" 8 out of 10, but stated that "the episode as a whole was lacking just a bit to turn it into an absolute classic", and The A.V. Club Emily VanDerWerff gave the episode a "B−" and wrote, "I guess I'd say that I thought the episode worked moment-to-moment, without working as an overall narrative", but also stated that it was "positively filled with stupid moments". Joel Keller of AOL TV wrote that "the linchpin of the hour was Brittany's belief in Santa Claus." The New York Post Jarett Wieselman called it "adorably realized by actress Heather Morris", and Canning said she "perfectly played up Brittany's innocence and joy surrounding everything Santa". Brown was less enthusiastic, and wrote that she was tiring of the "look how dumb yet kind-hearted Brittany is" plots. Keller approved of the Artie and Brittany coupling, and said it was "way more fun to watch than Rachel and Finn and all their angst", and Canning felt that the episode's heart was Artie working to keep Brittany from becoming disillusioned about Santa. He also wrote, "shining in this storyline was Dot Jones as Coach Beiste. Her scene as Santa, and then her knowing expression as she watched Artie walk, were the best moments of the episode." Burns agreed: "Coach Beiste's performance as the Santa Claus bearer of harsh reality was quite moving. It's nice to see her get to show her acting chops and refreshing to see her character's vulnerability." Poniewozik also agreed, and said Jones "has been remarkable", "taking every ridiculous moment Glee has thrown at her and finding the true emotion at the core of the absurdity, which is what Glee at its best does." However, he was disappointed by how the storyline played out: "it didn't feel right that after the story the episode built around Brittany, it then felt that we needed to see Artie on his feet for it to be a truly happy ending." Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle was critical of the "really tedious Rachel/Finn back and forth", and Canning wrote that the "only thing that really dragged the episode down was Rachel trying to win Finn back". Keller asked rhetorically, "Do we still care about Rachel and Finn at this point?", and later