I love this movie so much

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies! Sure there are some really negative reviews here, but they are by some people who have lost their make believe...their imagination...their belief in enjoying a movie...and that's what it is...a holiday movie for those of us who refuse to grow up and still believe that Santa is real, even though we know he's not...or is he? Which is what our heroine Ginnie finds out.What I like about it is that some Christmas' are not the best for a lot of people in the world, and bad things can happen. It reminds me a little of A Christmas Carol, The Little Drummer Boy, and The Bishop's Wife. It's too bad that some children were "scarred" but do we shelter our children from the realities of life? I love this movie! But that's me...you can judge for yourself.

Ginny Grainger is seriously depressed, simple as that. Her husband lost his job and the house months ago, but he's a kind, poetic soul who can't really be bothered with mundane issues like being poor and homeless. Ginny is not a Grinch or a Scrooge, literally the only reason why she values money so much is because her husband won't, and right now it's up to her to make sure her kids don't starve. How fair is it to be mad at someone who works her awful retail job until late at night on Christmas Eve, when the alternative is getting fired as well? Or for not letting her husband touch their very last meager savings to open the bike shop he vaguely dreams about? And still, she tries to be there for her family and not spoil the holidays for the little ones too much, no matter how hopeless and empty inside she is herself.A woman like that would need a lot more appreciation from her loved ones and some "me" time, stat. But no, according to old St. Nick what she needs is a serious lesson in Christmas Spirit! She won't even say "Merry Christmas!" How dares she be so bitter and disenchanted? Not on his watch! So he sends her Gideon, a "Christmas Angel" who wears a creepy black coat, never cracks a smile, looks all the time like he's really uncomfortable with his job, likes to stalk people, approaches children in secret at night (STRANGER DANGER!) and only ever does the bare minimum his job requires.During what is no doubt her worst Christmas Eve in the history of ever, Ginny finds out her husband is taking their savings behind her back, gets fired, faces her husband only to see him randomly getting shot and dying in her arms, has her kids kidnapped by the guy who already killed her husband only to see them fall off a bridge into the river. After believing for several, agonizing hours that the children are dead too, Gideon FINALLY decides to do something with his magic powers and returns them to her. At this point, after everything that already happened, poor Ginny has to find the strength to sit down and explain to her two small children that their dad was killed and he's never gonna come back.Gideon then straight up kidnaps the little girl and flies her to meet Santa at the North Pole (spoiler alert: Santa's workers are not elves, they're zombies!), thus making Ginny spend her Christmas night in a panic, frantically looking for her ONCE AGAIN missing six year old. But then the kid comes back bringing a letter from Santa, and suddenly all is fixed as Ginny realizes that magic is real and all she ever needed to do was to believe and smile and suck it up even more to her already unbearable family situation! She is magically taken back in time where her husband is still alive and she gets to relive Christmas Eve and make all the right choices, nominally saying "to hell with my job" and burning all their last savings too while she's at it. I guess if they end up homeless, at least they had one hell of a Christmas. Eventually a brand new, happy Ginny meets Santa under the tree, and finally gets to thank the man who just made an already depressed woman live through the most cruel, traumatic series of event ever, just to teach her a lesson about magic. Or, as I choose to believe, Ginny is so traumatized after seeing her whole family die that she hallucinates Gideon and Santa to give herself a happy ending and a little peace of mind before the years and years of therapy she will no doubt need.

Such a special, moving film. This really hit my heart. The acting is is really good, especially from the two children. The little girl is adorable and makes the film as spectacular as it is. There is more to this film than Christmas and getting presents. It really shows how much people should appreciate what they have in life; and this is what makes the film so special. It is really worth watching, simply for the storyline. So beautiful, and well played out. The portrayal of Santa is a little different in this film, and I have to say - I like it. It is more of a real life portrayal than in the other films. If you watch this film, I will guarantee it will touch your heart!

Despite being dark, this Christmas movie is a pleasant alternative to the usual fare that is warm and charming but fails to challenge us.It looks like the people who will be most disappointed by this film are those who tune in expecting to see stereotypical Disney fluff.Best viewed by older children who can handle the idea of tragedy sandwiched around non-idyllic home life. If your kids are still under 7 or 8 years old, probably best not to risk any emotional fallout.If you'd rather not have to think and be availed of emotions other than happiness, don't show this one to your kids. If you prefer something different and thought provoking, it's more than worth a watch.