How to (not) End a Show in December

(This post contains some spoilers for DOCTOR WHO, ARROW, AGENTS of SHIELD, and ONCE UPON A TIME and Downton Abbey Season 3.- I tried to keep things cryptic, but if you're smart you'll probably figure stuff out. )

I am very annoyed by TV shows that leave their last December episode on a horribly sad note. Mid-season finale in November? Sure, kill someone off. Mid-season finale in December? HOLD OFF ON THE TEARS UNTIL JANUARY, DUDES! LET US HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS! Or, you know, have the tragic thing happen in the penultimate episode and give us another episode to decompress before the holidays. (Like Agents of SHIELD. That wasn't a pivotal death, but it was super emotional and unexpected and I was pretty mad for the week when I thought that was the finale until Tuesday rolled around and we got another episode. Joke was on me.)

Okay, OUAT gets a pass because it is so obvious the character is coming back next season (and he's the showrunner's special snowflake). I was more upset about the last scene character destruction than the actual death.

Doctor Who, of course, contained an actual death but ended up being the best character exit on New Who - almost, I must admit, better than Martha's. (I love Martha, but not everyone appreciates her the way I do. *sigh*)

Arrow, on the other hand, was horrible. Like, they wrote a list of "how can we best spoil Christmas" and ticked off a bunch of boxes so that for the rest of my life I will probably burst out bawling whenever "The Little Drummer Boy" plays. What's ironic about that one is that the character in question might actually end up being alive!  (no, the grave is still four months away and X is alive in the promos for January) But it had all the emotional punch of a death and it was so explicitly tied into Christmas that I just want to punch things.

So far everything else is giving me happy feels, but Arrow was so awful, I'm still bummed about it today.

No, a TV show isn't going to ruin my Christmas. But man, it can leave a sad taste in the mouth for a bit. I mean, that one Downton Abbey Christmas special still holds all the awards for worst timing ever, but some other shows are definitely trying to steal the trophy.

Seriously,  I'd far rather get a cliffhanger season finale in May and have to wait three months to see it resolved than have someone die (or appear dead) right before Christmas.

BTW - if you mention the ending on any episode for any show that has aired in the past few weeks, please tag your spoilers for the sake of other commentators. Thanks!