I have a problem with a (albeit recent) holiday classic, Christmas Chronicles, Starring Kurt Russell. That’s not to say Russell isn’t cut out to be Santa (he sure is jolly – and that beard!). The movie itself is very entertaining. This is also wrong. illustration: Christmas Chronicles A seed of unbelief was planted in my son’s heart that grew too early, too quickly, and raised a man of unbelief.
I will never forgive it.
I discovered this last month when I took my 7-year-old to coach his soccer practice. “Dad,” he asked thoughtfully, “do you believe in Santa Claus?”
“You?” I asked. I’ve been in the parenting advice business for a while. I’m ready.
“Gina* and I know. We know it’s the parents. Everyone believes it… to some extent. But there is no such magic.
I stayed like that (defeat) throughout the football game. But my heart is broken. Is a 7-year-old ready to give up on myths so easily? My daughter is now 13 and kept going until…well, now that I think about it, I don’t think she has let go of Santa yet. And my son, a sweet and innocent child, prone to strong feelings and sublime imaginations…. Who did this to my son?
This is not Gina (her name is not the real Gina, but was changed to protect the feelings of innocent people and their parents). The source of this effect is much more subtle, and I discovered it when I sat down to watch TV a few days after a football game. After seeing the recommended slides Christmas Chronicles On one of his favorite Netflixs, Netflix, he asked us when we could start watching Christmas movies. That’s when I started putting the pieces together.
My child’s view of Santa Claus was ruined by this movie, and in hindsight I now clearly remember the movie leading him deep into North Pole lore, asking misleading questions, and unraveling the magic. Amazing and crushing due to the obsessive attention to detail. In hindsight, my poor kid didn’t stand a chance.
chronicle In short, it’s about a family who loves Christmas and celebrates it like never before. They grow up, their father dies young, the teenager becomes bored and finds a gang of bad guys, and the schoolboy, a true believer, tries to bring him back. Then they saw Santa Claus. It’s at this point in the film that they begin to peel back the onion of the mythology. After falling into his sleigh, the film delves into the legend of Saint Nick, adds Hollywood flourishes, and brings it into a clearly defined world. The world is annoying, wrong, and detailed.
What we learned: Santa’s hat is where most of his magic resides. His bag has multiverse and Hogwarts dimensions – it leads to another strange place, and also has a huge magical capacity. His reindeer do most of the magical heavy lifting. Elves have a variety of powers, most of them unfortunate (I’m fine with elves, obviously for heartfelt laughs and comedic effect.) Santa’s only real natural powers are charm – and making a guitar appear And the ability to sing? This is all too specific, but not enough.
When the movie uses these magical things to answer a cynical teenage boy’s lack of faith, I can see how my sensitive little guy got involved. Rather than asking him to believe, or at least relax and enjoy the vacation, the film attempts to replace the boy’s doubts with facts. But the “facts” include a teleporting hat, a bag containing a wormhole, and possibly alien reindeer. My son has to realize the absurdity of it all. So, I can see his mind spinning How about our family’s Santa Claus story?
In storytelling, less is more. This is especially true for children’s stories. The outline of the plot keeps the story personal for kids and, yes, magical. Not everything needs explanation. Some things you just feel.
This problem exists with many big movies these days – especially children’s movies, and increasingly holiday movies (I’m looking at you, red number one). The sin of over-explanation is omnipresent, giving us details rather than struggling characters, a story that lets the audience fill in the blanks, or embrace the inexplicable and mysterious.
I sound like the jaded old man I am, but when it comes to movies, especially holiday movies, they just don’t make them like they used to.
wear Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version, if you will) Look at it for its restraint, good vibes and a spirit that transcends the need to explain. Is this movie derogatory? Not at all. It understands doubts better than the person trying to answer them directly. It tells us, “Oh, you don’t believe it? Well, I think you’re missing the whole spirit of faith. Because faith – whether directly tied to the idea of Christianity or as a pseudo-religion of Santa Claus Practice – means giving up questioning and surrendering to feeling.
There are a lot of holiday movies and books that have this restriction. polar express It’s all about faith. A fever dream of movies and wonderful children’s books, with minimal influence from magic. The nightmare before christmas It’s a cautionary tale about what can happen if you overthink the magic of the holidays. (You have a head in your sock.) home alone I always get scared when Santa doesn’t put a gift under Kevin’s tree. but He asked for nothing but his family and fellow villagers. The magic is still there.
And then there are Elf. A large part of the plot Elf It’s all about Santa needing a working jet engine to get his sleigh running – because the Christmas spirit naturally goes out the window. Thankfully, the film uses this as the most basic plot device, moving quickly forward once the laughs dry up and avoiding any further explanation of the Christmas magic. As Buddy makes the trek from the North Pole to New York City, the movie introduces the silliest claymation characters to guide him along the way. Don’t worry about how it happenedthe movie tells us, Worry about why. The film stars comedy genius Will Ferrell and leaves us imagining the rest.
So what should I do? The person holding the bag is no longer in the bag, so to speak, but I’m going to try and put it back in – mostly ignore it. I’m going to go through the motions – make a list, check it twice, and then go to Macy’s for a magical time with Santa. I would never reveal my own belief, but would retract it. Son, what do you think? Quite a magical time of year, isn’t it?
Of course I’m going to skip red number one and try to avoid Christmas Chronicles And play a movie that’s more appropriate for the season. Because, as Chris Kringle reminds us in Miracle on 34th Street, “Well, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a state of mind…and that’s what’s changing. That’s Why am I glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.
Tiger Trimble He is the editor-in-chief of Inverse magazine. Prior to joining Inverse, Tyghe served as editor-in-chief of Fatherly, digital director of Men’s Journal, and chief digital editor of Popular Mechanics, a 119-year-old Hearst publication. Prior to this, Tyghe was news editor at Discover, where he began developing a lifelong passion for science, health and environmental journalism. He is a father of two and lives in Brooklyn.
