Even vampires need some time off to enjoy the Christmas holidays and that's exactly what Damon, Stefan and the rest of their friends are doing in "The Vampire Diaries" midseason finale.

The Salvatore brothers lost an unlikely ally in episode eight when their mother Lily (Annie Wersching) drove a stake into her heart in a bid to kill Julian (Todd Lasance). But her sacrifice was in vain as Julian had apparently found a way out of their link.

Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) are once again on a hunt for Julian in the midseason finale of "The Vampire Diaries" season seven. In the synopsis for episode nine found in the "Carter Matt" site, the search for Julian leads Damon and Stefan to a rustic town just outside of Mystic Falls.

The trailer for the episode, "Cold as Ice," does show a picturesque town in the midst of holiday preparations. Damon appears to have gotten into a Christmas-y mood, wishing his brother a Merry Christmas and offering him an eggnog. But the Christmas spirit suddenly dissipated when the two entered a restaurant and saw all the Santas are dead. Damon said it best when he commented that "there will be a lot of disappointed faces on Christmas morning" at the end of the short clip.

The rest of Mystic falls residents are also gearing up for the holidays. Bonnie (Kat Graham) has organized a toy drive at Whitmore College and has asked Nora (Scarlett Byrne) for help. Meanwhile, Caroline (Candice King) is trying to adjust to the strange situation that she finds herself in, that of a pregnant vampire. Alaric (Matt Davis) is growing concerned that Caroline's pregnancy is affecting her more than she knows.

The synopsis ends on an ominous note, with a warning that Stefan will "take matters into his own hands" and set off a chain of events that will change all their lives. What Stefan will do is still unknown but it's clear that the series is getting ready to answer some of the mysteries that the first half of season seven has hinted at.

Episode nine of "The Vampire Diaries" is set to air on Dec. 10. The supernatural drama will go on a short break and will return in January 2016.