( CNN ) -- The big draw to this year 's `` Doctor Who '' Christmas special was the Doctor meeting Santa , but as usual , there ended up being a lot more to it than that . First thing 's first , Nick Frost was brilliant casting in one of the best portrayals of Santa ever . And the story -- which involved dreams within dreams -- was classic `` Who , '' slyly acknowledging the fact that it was also paying tribute to `` Alien '' and `` The Thing From Another World . '' ( `` There 's a horror film called 'Alien ' ? '' the Doctor asked in shock . `` That 's really offensive . No wonder everyone keeps invading you . '' ) But the biggest question hanging over all was where things stood between the Doctor and Clara . As showrunner Steven Moffat put it in a recent call with the press , `` As ( the last episode ) ended , they parted forever , having lied to each other , and that is where we find them again . We do n't just ignore it because it 's Christmas . '' Indeed , at one point , one of the parasitic aliens convinced Clara that her dead boyfriend Danny had been alive this whole time , and her encounter with the Doctor was the dream . Her final goodbye to a dream version of Danny was heartbreaking , but it still remained to be seen if she would ever travel with the Doctor . It certainly looked as though this was it -- following a terrific Christmas moment of the Doctor flying in Santa 's sleigh -- when the Doctor saved Clara from an alien , only to find that she had aged many years . Clara fans had to have been overjoyed to see that this too was a dream , and Clara was ready to continue her journeys with the Doctor , all thanks to Santa and his signature tangerines . Fans on Twitter reacted on Christmas night in a mostly positive manner . `` That episode of Doctor Who actually made me cry ! '' tweeted one fan while another tweeted `` # DoctorWhoChristmas restored my spirit and has me on the edge of my seat for season 9 . All of time and space in a big blue box . Do n't argue . '' Some were less than enthused . `` Alright # doctorwhochristmas , '' tweeted one viewer . `` My thoughts : eh . Was I the only one hoping this would be the end for Clara ? I just want a new companion for 12 . '' And yet another summed it all up with `` Recipe for # DoctorWhoChristmas : One part # Kafka , dash of # Kubrick 2 parts Ridley Scott & a side of # Capra . '' .
Nick Frost makes a smashing Santa in `` Doctor Who '' special . There was a heartbreaking goodbye involving Clara . Fans on Twitter reacted mostly in positive way , but some were less than enthused .