'Pretty Little Liars' Season 5 Spoilers: Was the Christmas Special Worth the Hype?

The Christmas special episode of "Pretty Little Liars" that aired on Tuesday brought back Mona in the form of a ghost, who tortured Alison into reliving some of her worst memories.

This includes Alison recalling her first ever lie, which gave viewers an idea of why Alison would want to harm Bethany. The flashback took viewers back to the days when Alison was just a little girl and she finds two gifts for Christmas. When she questioned her mother about it, Mrs. DiLaurentis made her lie and asked her to say that she only saw one dress.

Sadly, the episode does not explain who was to get the second gift, drawing many to conclude that it could have been for Bethany.

Mona also gave Alison a glimpse into a future Christmas where Alison is shown dead with no legs. She is approached by a veiled vision of Mrs. DiLaurentis who tells Alison that "they're coming."

Elsewhere, the Liars have a tryst with "A" when they break into Alison's house to find proof of her involvement in Mona's murder. There Hanna has a near-death experience with "A" and also finds a letter Alison previously wrote to Bethany.

The Christmas-themed episode also brought back two familiar faces -- Sydney and Jenna -- who told the Liars that they joined Alison's army because they fear her. They also said that they believed she was behind the murder of Mona.

While Tuesday's episode did leave a lot of clues as to what to expect when the show finally returns after its hiatus on 6 January, not everyone is happy with "The A Who Stole Christmas." Reactions have been split, with many feeling there was a lot of hype over nothing.

"The pretty little liars christmas special was disappointing as always. But I've already wasted 4 yrs with this show so what's another hour," wrote Twitter user Sarah, while Hayley added, "This Pretty Little Liars christmas special is a disaster! #hohoNO."

Meanwhile executive producer Marlene King told The Hollywood Reporter that the second half of the season is going to be interesting, as it will finally lead to the Liars finding out the hands behind Mona's murder.

"In season five, we're going to see more of Mona in flashbacks, and she's going to help us put together the puzzle of her demise. That's really exciting. We're going to see more of Jason, which is really exciting. Lots of familiar faces coming back — Cindy and Mindy, the twins, who I love," King told The Hollywood Reporter.