An excellent offbeat non-comics Christmas tale: Harlan Ellison's short story "Santa Claus -vs- S.P.I.D.E.R.", originally published in 1969.

Santa Claus is a secret agent, and being Santa Claus is the best cover he ever had. He fights an evil shadow organization that is possessing the minds of world leaders, and the story is also rife with biting humor and political commentary. It's one of Ellison's best. Anyone who enjoys Ian Fleming will immediately recognize deliberate and amusing similarities.

It can currently be found in bookstores in Harlan Ellison's omnibus collection EDGEWORKS: VOLUME 4.

"Santa Claus -vs- S.P.I.D.E.R." also appeared in the December 1979 issue of HEAVY METAL.