Christmas has finally arrived in Rosewood and it’s just as beautiful and terrifying as we hoped it would be! Find out what happened on tonight’s special Pretty Little Liars episode How The ‘A’ Stole ChristmAs! Ooooo Christmas opening credits!

With two lawyers for parents and a membership to the country club, Spencer was able to make bail after being charged with Bethany Young’s murder. Understandably, she’s not in the holiday spirit. Hanna feels the same, though her lack of ho-ho-hoing is from guilt over Mona’s death. They used to be besties and now Mona is missing and presumed dead. That’s heavy.
Speaking of Mona, she continues to be the smartest person in Rosewood even in the afterlife. Before her untimely death, she had the foresight to contact a lawyer, instructing him to deliver a package to Hanna 30 days after her death. At any point did this lawyer think it was strange that a teenager was worried about being murdered? Well, I guess he is a Rosewood lawyer. Those stories are a dime a dozen.

The package contained a detailed map of the DiLaurentis house showing all of Alison’s hiding spots. Mona made the map while she was working for the ‘A’ team, but I don’t know why she didn’t use it earlier or why Alison would keep using the same hiding spots knowing that Mona was out for revenge. Anywho, the girls decide that the DiLaurentis Ice Ball being held Christmas Eve gives them the perfect opportunity to break into Alison’s house and search for clues that she killed Bethany Young in hopes of getting Spencer off the hook. Maybe they could look for something Mona-related too. She has been very helpful, afterall.

Speaking of helpful Mona, she’s going for a very different look in the afterlife. Alison is being visited by Mona, who is showing her the ghost of Christmas past.

We see a young, not-yet-evil Alison playing the piano when she finds two presents. They contain identical yellow dresses, but when Jessica DiLaurentis sees her daughter open the boxes, she makes Alison promise to say she only found on present. Or else daddy will leave. Mother of the year award! Mona explains that this was when Alison went from actual human being to evil monster. Was the second dress for Bethany Young?

Except for Spencer, who I would think is on some kind of house arrest but doesn’t seem to be, the girls are trying to get into the holiday spirit. Hanna and Caleb hand out presents to kids. When Hanna sees a mini-Alison bullying another little girl, she informs her that in Rosewood ‘bitches get buried’. Little harsh for an eight year-old, but effective.

Ezra grabs Aria on a break from her duties of giving out what I assume are very soft, low-sugar cookies to the elderly to remind us that he comes from a ton of money. Aria opens HUGE diamond earrings and a beautiful dress, which may seem a bit much for the girl who likes to wear skulls on everything, but I like that he attempted to buy his girlfriend clothes and jewelry. Bold move.

It’s time for the Ice Ball and Alison arrives with her new army of followers. Aria’s job is to follow Alison, which she does until she sees Alison kissing Santa Claus. Then she runs around the dance trying to find Emily, losing Alison in the process. You had one job, Aria!

Emily, meanwhile, follows two of Alison’s ‘masked’ followers, who reveal themselves as Sydney and Jenna. They also think Alison killed Mona, but feel like it’s safer to stay close to Ali than to continue seeing her as an enemy. Welp, can’t blame them for that.

Caleb and Ezra spot Detective Holbrook dressed as Santa and think he may have been the jolly fellow making out with Alison. Ezra raises a good point, which is when, if there is a fling going on, did it start? Emily remembers Alison helping Cece Drake escape the country the night they were in New York and realizes that Holbrook may have been helping Alison then. Seriously, what is the screening process for Rosewood cops? You have to only be attracted to underage girls and have no moral compass whatsoever?

Speaking of Cece Drake, guess who’s at the Ice Ball?! Yeah, it’s Cece. She wanted to wish Alison a Merry Christmas. Gurl, you’re on the run for murdering a cop. Send an email. Cece also wanted to warn Alison against letting her guard down around her old friends and then mentions Mona being dead. So did Alison kill Mona, or did Cece, or someone they’re working with? Emily and Aria try to follow Alison and her hooded friend (Cece), but instead they end up following two of Alison’s decoys. Honestly, one job Aria!

Spencer and Hanna are using Mona’s map to search the DiLaurentis house while everyone is SUPPOSED to be watching Alison at the dance.

Toby and his broken leg are doing their best ode to Rearview Window and watching Spencer and Hanna from the Hastings house next door, reading with his long lens camera and warning flash light in case Alison comes home early.

Spencer finds newspaper clippings that show Alison using the same method she did with Mona and communicating with someone through personal ads. Hanna finds a passport with Alison’s picture and the name Holly Varjak, a play on Ezra calling Alison Holly Golightly. Does that mean she wants to run away with Ezra or is she just out of fake names?

Hanna heads upstairs to continue searching and forgets her phone, which means she misses texts from a very terrified Spencer who is hiding from ‘A’ and their giant knife.

Hanna finds a letter from Bethany to Alison proving that the girls knew one another and that Alison invited Bethany to Rosewood the weekend she disappeared, which would explain why Bethany was in town. This could be enough evidence to help Spencer beat the murder rap, but first Hanna has to be attacked by ‘A’ and knocked unconscious. Why didn’t ‘A’ stab her? It’s not exactly easy to get away in a ball gown.

Alison, who may or may not have been the person knocking Hanna out in her attic, arrives home from the ball in time to fall asleep and have more Mona nightmares.

Mona takes the funeral home so that Alison can see herself in the casket. She’s then visited by Jessica DiLaurentis, who pretty much tells Alison she’s going to hell. Well, stop being such a jerk, Alison!

There’s a blizzard in Pennsylvania and everyone is snowed in at Spencer’s. The boys and Paige, who all suspiciously had Santa outfits on hand, give their girls a bit of Christmas cheer.

The cheer is short lived when Paige tells Emily that her parents want her to move to California ASAP because Rosewood is unsafe. DUH! Finally some parents with common sense! Take everyone with you, Paige!

Back to holiday cheer. Ezra makes Christmas dinner because he’s the only adult in a room full of teenagers and all is merry and well.

Until the inevitable. How did ‘A’ get all their lights to work on the first shot? I can barely get mine untangled!