SILVER SPRING, Md., Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. A time of giving. A time of good cheer. But there's something strange in the eggnog this holiday season and it's all on display in Investigation Discovery's new one-hour special, NIGHTMARE CHRISTMAS. A naughty husband pays the price for opening his gifts five days early. Then, a Christmas Day caper sends a congregation into chaos when greedy Grinches make off with the church donations. And a ruthless thug gives Christmas re-gifting a macabre twist when he bestows his mother with a lavish but bloodstained robe, brutally unraveled off a recent victim. Using Investigation Discovery's signature recreations and interviews paired with all the classic elements of a retro Christmas special – including a holiday score, wintery motifs, and a narrator that sounds like Kris Kringle himself – NIGHTMARE CHRISTMAS premieres Thursday, December 13 at 10 PM E/P.

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"With NIGHTMARE CHRISTMAS, Investigation Discovery puts its twist on an otherwise jolly holiday," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. "We're excited to see how this could pave the way for ID to explore other holiday specials. Just imagine what our creative geniuses could do with Valentine's Day, April Fool's Day, or Mother's Day!"

The stories featured in NIGHTMARE CHRISTMAS include:

• It's Not Christmas Yet!
  Newlyweds Shawn and Amber Johnson are excited about celebrating their first Christmas together. With the holiday still a week away, the couple already has presents for one another nestled under the Christmas tree. But not all is merry in this new marriage. One night, Amber and Shawn get into an argument. She storms out to find solace at a local bar. When she returns home, it's to their apartment in shambles and all of the presents ripped open. And there's Shawn, greeting her decked out in his new Christmas shoes, new coat, and new jeans! The already intoxicated, agitated Amber becomes downright infuriated. She grabs a butcher knife and stabs Shawn in the chest. But does it land a lump of coal in her stocking?
• Thou Shall Not Steal
  Hundreds of people are packed into pews at the Church of St. Mel in Queens for the annual Christmas Mass. As they listen intently to the holiday sermon, two young men disguised as elevator repairmen slip into the church's back halls without suspicion. They are looking for a lock box holding more than $20,000 of Christmas collection money. The thieves grab the box and make out the back of the building, feeling very jolly about their good fortune. They think they've gotten away with the best gift of all, but a street-savvy witness has been watching their every move. A bizarre twist in this Christmas crime eventually leads police to the suspects' front door.
• A Christmas Miracle
  Harold Donald's mother is surprised when he comes home one day with an early Christmas gift. She opens the box to find a plush green robe with an exotic cat emblazoned on the back. Not necessarily her style, but it's the thought that counts, right? What she doesn't notice is that the robe has something else on it… blood. The night before Harold got the gift, Seattle couple Sandra and Gordon McWhirter were awakened by a noise in the middle of the night. Gordon dons his robe and goes to check on the noise outside, where he encounters two men breaking into his Jeep. They viciously attack Gordon, leaving him pounded to the pavement then comatose in the hospital, where his wife hopes for a Christmas miracle. Police trace prints left at the crime scene to the home of Harold's mother. She's been enjoying her Christmas gift, even wearing the robe out to run errands, but now it's what police need to get their Grinch.

NIGHTMARE CHRISTMAS is produced for Investigation Discovery by Indigo Films with David M. Frank as executive producer, Stacy Waters as supervising producer, and Chris Leavell as vice president of content. For Investigation Discovery, John Terp is producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

About Investigation Discovery    
Investigation Discovery (ID) is America's leading mystery-and-suspense network. From harrowing crimes and salacious scandals to the in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries that result, ID challenges our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. ID delivers the highest-quality programming to nearly 80 million U.S. households with viewer favorites that include On the Case with Paula Zahn; Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda; Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?; Disappeared; Stalked: Someone's Watching; and Redrum. For more information, please visit  please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID. Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories.

Please visit the Press Website at http://press.discovery.com/us/id/programs/nightmare-christmas/ for additional press materials, online screeners, and photography.

SOURCE Investigation Discovery