While it's not the best SpongeBob Christmas special ever, it is a considerable improvement over "SpongeBob's Road to Christmas". It also does a better job portraying Sandy's family than the Sandy Cheeks Movie. I loved seeing Screen Novelties return too. The art style and textures they used was fantastic and far more detailed than before.
A highlight was Sandy's family performance at the Krusty Krab. In the words of Sandy Cheeks, "Christmas and Country music go together like a pig and barbecue sauce". It might be the stereotypical "Saving Christmas" plot, but it's still a considerable improvement over the "Roadtrip to the North Pole" episode. Don't judge this so quickly. Modern SpongeBob is really doing well and it's a great way to wrap up SpongeBob's 25th anniversary.
Only downsides, Santa's art style could be better and the townsfolk blaming Sandy for the problem when it was really Rowdy and Rosie's fault. At least the two helped Sandy fix the problem in the end.