Christmas Miracle

Part of SNL's recurring "Close Encounters" series featuring Ms. Rafferty (Kate McKinnon), Sharon (Cecily Strong), and Doug (Casey Affleck) sharing their experiences meeting Santa Claus with a theological panel. While Sharon and Doug describe typical, heartwarming encounters with Santa Claus during the Christmas season, Ms. Rafferty's experience involves a disturbing creature she calls Shart - who looked like Gollum, smelled like a hard-boiled egg, and behaved in bizarre and unsettling ways. The sketch parodies alien abduction testimonials while using the Christmas/Santa theme, with McKinnon's character delivering her signature deadpan delivery of increasingly absurd and traumatic details.

This is a Christmas-themed variation of the "Close Encounter" recurring sketch format. The "Close Encounter" series has 9 total installments as of 2025. Ms. Rafferty/Colleen Rafferty is one of Kate McKinnon's most popular recurring characters. The YouTube video has over 12.7 million views and 111,009 likes.