Parents and perpetrators of the great Christmas lie need to get your stories straight. First of all, the spirit of Christmas in our home is all about giving to one another. The magic of Santa Claus is really just a bonus but is not the only source of gift giving. So this story fits easily into that cosmovision, and if anything, the spooky elf made Santa even more convincing to my 7 year old. So, I'd tone down your overprotective helicoptering and trust your kids to embrace the complexity of real life. Secondly, this story packed several classic holiday elements into a tight package and reminded me of the way classic movies like The Christmas Story told stories from the kids point of view. And that is exactly what made the story fun and relatable to my kids. And lastly the story made classic holiday magic by combining a tumultuous naughty kid story with a family coming together against the odds and triumphed with a transformation from fear to acceptance and finally to genuine benevolence. So it actually was my family's favorite holiday movie of 2023.
