This story has previously been adapted in a segment in the 1972 film version of the comic.
In Lethal Weapon 2, Roger Murtaugh's daughter has her television debut on a TV commercial that airs during this episode. You can see the family watching it with the sound off as they wait for their daughter's ad. Interestingly, Mary Ellen Trainor made appearances in all four Lethal Weapon films.
In the season one episode "And All Through the House," the radio announcer warns the "Gaines County Area" of the escaped maniac in a Santa suit. This is a reference to William Gaines, publisher of the comic books in the 1950s. Also, when the police officer calls the wife, he says his name is "Feldstein," a reference to Al Feldstein, one of Gaines' top EC Comics employees.
This is the second time Larry Drake plays an escaped psych patient that goes on a killing spree. He played one in Dr. Giggles.
The title is the first line from "A Visit from St. Nicholas" first published anonymously in 1823 by Clement Clarke Moore.