The Santa Clause (1994)

Rated PG

On Christmas Eve, divorcee Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) hears an unexpected visitor on his roof. Scott sneaks outside and calls out to the man, who is dressed in full Santa garb. The figure falls and mysteriously disappears, leaving only the Santa suit with instructions to "put on the suit, climb into the sleigh and the reindeer will know what to do.” Scott does, and is whisked around town delivering gifts until he's taken to the North Pole. He is then informed by a group of elves that he is now Santa Claus. Scott’s son Charlie (Eric Lloyd) is excited about his dad's new job, though Scott's convinced it's all a hallucination. That is, until his bushy new beard is unwilling to stay shaved, his hair turns white, and he gains weight inexplicably…

This fun Christmas story draws on many elements which work together to make it a great movie. There is the fish out of water comedy factor, which keeps you laughing as Scott is trying to deal with his new role as Santa.

The other aspect of this movie that makes it a great Christmas story is the heartbreak of the broken family. At the beginning of the movie, it is apparent that Scott irresponsibly neglects his son from time to time, and through his experiences becoming Santa, he develops a closer relationship with Charlie, and eventually renews the Christmas spirit of his skeptic ex-wife and her husband.