Guest star Zooey Deschanel (Margaret Whitesell) is the real-life sister of series star Emily Deschanel.

Ryan O'Neal returns as Max Keenan. He was last seen in "The End in the Beginning."

Booth: You know what, Bones? Sometimes I think your heart muscle is bigger than people give you credit for.

Daisy: Oh one more thing. I found this in Santa's twelfth rib.
Hodgins: I'm never gonna make my flight.
Daisy: I recommend celebrating in March.
Hodgins: Thank you, Ebenezer.

Margaret Whitesell: I'm Margaret.
Brennan: There's no resemblance.
Booth: What do you mean? You're both ... very beautiful.
Margaret Whitesell: "Beauty and folly are old companions."
Brennan: Told you! Benjamin Franklin.
Booth: Right, right. Hey hey! Good old Ben, you know, he invented electricity and the 100-dollar bill.
Margaret Whitesell: Neither one of those things is true.
Booth: You're right, there's no resemblance whatsoever. Nice meeting you, Maggie.

Angela: I'm talking like Maverick and Iceman reaction times.

Maverick and Iceman are both characters from the film Top Gun.

Hodgins: Thank you, Ebenezer.

Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character of Charles Dickens' novel, A Christmas Carol.

While discussing not spending Christmas with their families, Hodgins tells Angela "there is more than one type of family." In "Judas on a Pole" Booth tells Brennan the same thing.