When Rainbow Dash and Discord are in the woods searching for the perfect gift, Discord transforms them into longtime GI Joe characters Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. GI Joe and My Little Pony are both classic Hasbro franchises.
The three gift-giving reindeers are named Aurora, Bori and Alice. This is a play on the technical name for the Northern Lights - Aurora Borealis.
When Rainbow Dash invites Discord to the pony holiday celebration, Discord dresses up like uninvited guest Cousin Eddie in the classic holiday film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
This special takes place in between the eighth and ninth seasons of the series.
This is the second Christmas special in the franchise after the G3 special "A Very Minty Christmas (2005)".