The Missing Christmas Decorations

"Christmas is a time for being kind - and giving presents!"

- Percy

The Missing Christmas Decorations is the nineteenth episode of the seventeenth season.

Plot
It's Christmas and Tidmouth Sheds is beautifully decorated with festive decorations. The Dieselworks has a few decorations, but nowhere near as many as the steam engines have at Tidmouth Sheds. This infuriates Diesel 10, but the diesels do have one very special decoration; Sidney who is still hanging from the ceiling waiting for his new wheels. Diesel 10 decides that the Dieselworks still needs more decorations and orders Paxton to accompany him on a mission. Paxton is worried; the Fat Controller has ordered him to collect a truck from the shunting yards and bring it to the Dieselworks.

That evening, the Steam Team all arrive at Tidmouth Sheds to discover that their Christmas tree is missing. Percy thinks the tree may have been knocked over, but Emily suggests that it may have been stolen. Percy is deeply saddened by this thought; Christmas is a time for giving, not taking things that don't belong to you.

Unbeknownst to the steam engines, Diesel 10 has taken the tree and put it in the Dieselworks. Diesel 10 suggests that they need some festive lights and a large decoration to put on the top of the tree. Once again, Diesel 10 orders Paxton to accompany him on another mission.

That night, when the steam engines return to Tidmouth Sheds, they quickly notice that all of their lights are missing. Gordon is outraged that someone is stealing all of their decorations, but Percy still finds it hard to believe that someone could be so cruel at Christmastime.

Back at the Dieselworks, the diesels have covered Sidney in the bright lights that they had taken from Tidmouth Sheds. Sidney is not very happy, but Diesel 10 laughs and says that Sidney is their biggest decoration. Norman thinks that they still need something to decorate the tree. Diesel 10 knows where they can get some garland from and orders Paxton to be his henchman again. This time, Paxton plucks up the courage to tell Diesel 10 that he doesn't want to steal any more decorations and he sets off to collect the truck from the shunting yards as the Fat Controller had instructed.

The next day, while all the steam engines are out working, Diesel 10 sneaks into Tidmouth Sheds and grabs hold of some garland with his claw. Diesel 10 doesn't notice Percy watching him. Percy calls out and Diesel 10 races away with the garland. Percy races after him. Diesel 10 and Percy race across the island. On the way, Percy recruits his steam engine friends to help him chase the devious diesel.

By the time Diesel 10 speeds into the Dieselworks, all of the Steam Team are chasing him. Once inside, the steam engines immediately notice all of their missing decorations and are not at all happy. Diesel 10 tells the steam engines that the Fat Controller likes them more than diesels as they were given far more decorations. Then, Paxton rolls up pushing a truck packed full of festive decorations which the Fat Controller had given to the diesels. Diesel 10 feels rather guilty and very embarrassed.

The steam engines leave with their decorations, but Percy stays behind to chat to Sidney. Percy asks how long Sidney has been waiting for his new wheels. Sidney isn't sure, but he doesn't think it's been long. Norman informs Percy that Sidney has actually been waiting for two years. Percy is very surprised that Sidney has been waiting for so long. Sidney concludes that the order must have been misplaced at some point.

This gives Percy an idea and he travels to Knapford Station to have a word with the Fat Controller.

At Tidmouth Sheds, the engines are very glad to have their decorations back, even if some of them are very battered. Then, they hear a diesel horn which annoys Gordon, but Percy knows who it is. Suddenly, Sidney pulls into the yard with his new wheels. The steam engines are surprised to see him. Sidney thanks Percy for giving him the best present of all. The steam engines are shocked; why has Percy given the diesels a present after all the bad stuff they'd done? Percy reminds his friends that Christmas is a time for giving. Then, all of the other diesels arrive with truckloads of decorations. The diesels all agree that they should give their decorations to the steam engines by way of repaying them for all their deviousness. Thomas wonders what decorations will be left for the dieselworks, but Sidney insists that they still have him still covered in bright lights and his new wheels. As Sidney lights up, all of the engines have a good laugh together.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Emily
 * Diesel
 * Diesel 10
 * Dart
 * Norman
 * Paxton
 * Sidney
 * Sir Topham Hatt (does not speak)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford
 * Sodor Dieselworks
 * Kellsthorpe
 * Wellsworth
 * Dryaw
 * Town Hall

Trivia

 * The working title for this episode may have been "New Wheels for Sidney".
 * Going by production order, this is the twenty-fifth episode of the seventeenth season.
 * This episode marked the first of several things:
 * Diesel 10 and Sidney's first appearance in a television series episode.
 * Sidney and Norman's first speaking roles.
 * The first to have Steven Kynman as Dart, as he took over from Rupert Degas.
 * The first in which Diesel 10"s horn is heard.
 * References to Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Day of the Diesels are made.
 * This is the final episode where Henrietta does not have a face.
 * A fade effect is missing in the UK version.

Goofs

 * When Percy pulls away from Tidmouth Sheds to chase Diesel 10, some trucks appear on the siding behind Percy in one shot.
 * When the Steam Team enter the Dieselworks, Thomas is beside Percy, but in the very next shot, he is next to Emily.
 * When Emily reverses into Tidmouth Sheds, the berth next to James is empty, but in the next shot Henry suddenly appears in it.
 * When Diesel 10 says "Make me!", he is leaving the turntable on the track next to Percy, but in the next shot he is back on the track he arrived on.
 * When Diesel 10 is leaving Tidmouth Sheds, he starts to run before the turntable stops.
 * In one of the close-ups of Gordon and Emily near the end, the Christmas lights at the sheds are missing.
 * In the Latin American dub, due to an error when Edward says "Where are all our lights?" Javier Olguín says that line instead of Herman López.
 * When the Steam Team enter the Dieselworks, Gordon is on Emily's right, but when Emily says; "Wow, look at all those decorations!", Gordon is behind Emily.
 * When Diesel 10 arrives at Tidmouth Sheds, only 2 berths have a ribbon on top of the doors, but when Percy starts chasing Diesel 10, all 7 berths have ribbons.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Sidney's Holiday Special