Here's what I noticed in the Glee episode with the SWHS....

1) They show Chewbacca and mention the SWHS. That, pretty much, is a given.

2) At the opening of the "PBS Special" in the show, the opening credits are EXACTLY IDENTICAL as the SWHS. The title "The Glee Holiday Special" zooms into focu like the original, and after the credits, we see an ad for "Breadsticks" (a restaurant) with an announcer stating "The Glee Holiday Special, brought to you by Breadsticks, the place where people gather to visit people".

3) Much like the original Special itself, the characters come in dressed as Luke Skywalker & Han Solo out of nowhere, not fitting in at all.

4) The Character Rory Flanagan, portrayed by Damian McGinty, played an elf named "Itchy". If this wasn't an intentional reference, I'd be very surprised.

So, while subtle, there are a few references that people like us can easily recognize. Of course, the cheezieness factor in both was there too.

Hope this can help make clearer what exactly was referenced.

Mahjong123