Holiday carols teach their audience that Santa Claus is a “jolly old soul” who makes children around the world happy with presents overnight as they celebrate Christmas. The red and white suit and a sleigh pulled by reindeer aren’t exactly universal though as different cultures have different ideas of Santa Claus. Those different ideas have also influenced pop culture as screenwriters have developed their own versions of Santa Claus for the big screen.
Different movies have depicted Santa Claus as an inherited family job, a powerful man who will even get violent to save Christmas, or a regular guy who gets pulled into a magical world he doesn’t expect. All of these ideas have created some unconventional versions of the character in holiday movies.
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Scott Calvin (The Santa Clause)
This ‘90s classic has two sequels and a Disney Plus series about Scott Calvin and his family. In the first installment of the movie series, however, Scott Calvin works for a company that is set on making the most popular toys for the holiday season. When the real Santa Claus falls off his roof though, the “Santa Clause” is enacted, making him the new savior of the holiday once he puts on the suit.
Scott starts as an incredibly selfish man who sees Christmas as a commercial holiday, not one that centers on celebrations of family. It takes him an entire year of slowly, and magically, transforming into a more traditional idea of Santa before he understands that magic is real and he really is Santa. Part of the fun of that first movie is him living in denial while the audience sees him slowly transform.TheSanta Clausefranchiseinvolves finding a Mrs. Claus, a robot-Santa, and battling Jack Frost, so they definitely put new twists on classic ideas as well.
Chris (Fatman)
Chris is a more jaded version of Santa Claus. He’s working for the government and trying to drink away his problems while still committing to one night a year of delivering gifts. Unfortunately for Chris, he finds himself the target of an assassination attempt when one little boy who has money and access decides to hire a hitman after he gets a lump of coal for his Christmas gift.
That makes Chrisa more adult Christmas hero, a gun-slinging fighter himselfas he makes for an impressive combatant. Making him an almost exact opposite of Santa, the assassin is known as “Skinny Man” and even collects objects like toys from his targets. The movie is darkly comedic and violent.
Nick And Noelle (Noelle)
UnlikeThe Santa Clausein which a stranger becomes the new man in a suit, Nick is set to inherit the Santa Claus position from his father. His little sister Noelle is there to ensure he does it exactly right since she’s the more jolly of the two and the one who actually knows every single rule about the position.
In a twist, Nick doesn’t even want to be Santa, and runs away, leaving Noelle to track him down. Along the way, the audience learns that Santa can speak every language, that he’s able to determine naughty/nice and the perfect gift just by looking at someone, and that most of his abilities are rooted in the magic of the season. All of that is showcased by Noelle, however, not her big brother, creating a new version of Santa Claus as Noelledons the suit herself on Christmas.
Grandsanta (Arthur Christmas)
For the movies that feature Santa as a job that can be passed on to a new generation, it’s rare to actually see the Santa Claus who is past his prime in action.Arthur Christmas, which gives the audience a family of Santas, allows the audience to see many different versions of Santa pitching in during the holiday though.
Grandsanta, who is long gone from the profession, has an interesting history. He was the Santa during World War II, and took heavy fire while delivering Christmas presents. Grandsanta was shot 12 times, drank heavily with his elves, and he also did the job without the newer technology the movie presents with the new generation. He can pick locks and provides support throughout the movie to save the day, demonstrating that even when someone is no longer a Santa, there’s still a place for them in the story.
David Harbor’s Santa (Violent Night)
The newest addition to unconventional Santas isDavid Harbour’s version of the character in the action movieViolent Night.There, a family finds themselves targeted by a real and violent Scrooge during their holiday festivities, and Santa Claus decides to do what he can to protect them from the threat to their lives.
This version of Santa Claus would be right at home in theDie Hardfranchise as he takes on a group of mercenaries on his own to make sure the holidays can still be perfect. He, after all, is close to losing his own faith in humanity as more people don’t believe in the magic of Christmas and prove themselves selfish during the holiday season. It’s one little girl in the dysfunctional family who makes him see the light and go to town on the mercenaries with a sledgehammer.
