Saara Aalto spreads some Christmas cheer in a less than festive X Factor semi-final

Christmas came early on The X Factor as the remaining four acts picked their favourite festive tracks for the semi-final.

Matt Terry, Saara Aalto, 5 After Midnight and Emily Middlemas went head-to-head for the seasonal sing-off, performing two songs each.

And with a Christmas theme the offerings were even cheesier than last week's Louis Loves inspired song choices. There was snow, a sleigh, dancing Santas, a choir of cherubic children and angels with wings.

It's any wonder Nicole didn't turn up in a sexy Santa outfit and Louis Walsh didn't put on an elf suit. Simon did his bit though, bringing his inner Scrooge.

But while there were all the trappings of Christmas, what the semi-final lacked was some much-needed festive cheer.

Dermot O'Leary set the tone as he arrived on stage only to be pelted with snowballs before treating us all to another dodgy dance routine.

Louis Tomlinson look-a-like Matt Terry kicked off the show with a sleep-inducing rendition of Silent Night that left Simon Cowell resorting to some rather un-festive food metaphors.

Who's feeling the Christmas vibes? @radioleary is getting us in the mood! #XFactor pic.twitter.com/DYgUiYm5bI

— The X Factor (@TheXFactor) 3 декабря 2016 г.

"I thought it was a bit predictable," said Simon. "It was like having a sandwich without the butter".