 " Grift of the Magi " originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 19 , 1999 . It was viewed in approximately 7 @.@ 76 million households that night . With a Nielsen rating of 7 @.@ 7 , the episode finished 39th in the ratings for the week of December 13 – 19 , 1999 ( tied with an episode of the American Broadcasting Company ( ABC ) ' s 20 / 20 ) . It was the second highest @-@ rated broadcast on Fox that week , following an episode of Ally McBeal ( which received a 9 @.@ 9 rating ) . On October 14 , 2003 , " Grift of the Magi " was released in the United States on a DVD collection titled Christmas With the Simpsons , along with the season one episode " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire " , the season four episode " Mr. Plow " , the season nine episode " Miracle on Evergreen Terrace " , and the season thirteen episode " She of Little Faith " . On October 7 , 2008 , the episode was released on DVD again as part of the box set The Simpsons – The Complete Eleventh Season . Staff members Martin , Scully , Meyer , Matt Groening , Ian Maxtone @-@ Graham , Matt Selman , Tim Long , and Lance Kramer participated in the DVD audio commentary for " Grift of the Magi " . Deleted scenes from the episode were also included on the box set . 
