This episode is sometimes excluded from syndication packages because it is set on Christmas Eve and is therefore "seasonal".
In the previous episode, A Matter of Vice-Principal, Bob's office had the redesigned elevators with the mail slot in the middle. The mail slot was missing in this episode.
When Bob returns to his room immediately following his surgery, there is a gold chain around his neck under his hospital gown. This is an error in authenticity as patients are required to remove all jewelry before surgery.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) also featured an episode ('HI'), where Mary had to have her tonsil (singular) removed. Both shows played the idea of a grown-up having their tonisl(s) removed as a joke, and both shows are MTM Productions, as well.
When Dr. Bicknell is in Bob and Emily's bedroom, there is a poster on the wall for the Brandywine Museum of Art. It is a museum that is still open today on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania on the banks of the Brandywine Creek. The museum showcases the work of Andrew Wyeth, a major American realist painter.