The Santa Class (2024)
You’re telling me this was filmed in Gibsons, BC, one of the most picturesque places in the world, and THIS is what we got?!?
I am also almost 100% certain that the tinseled trio that is Kimberly Sustad, Paul Campbell and Russell Hainline just used this movie as time to also work on Three Wiser Men and a Boy.
Kate North (Sustad, with a Christmassy character name, naturally) is the heir to her father’s second tier Santa training organization, the Santa Academy. Dan, meanwhile, is the “best Santa trainer in America.” When he is inexplicably fired, they team up to try and win the annual “Christmas Cup,” a thoroughly mediocre Santa competition. Aiding them on their quest is an old man in a Santa suit they find wandering in the woods who doesn’t know that he’s the real Santa. Rounding out the gang is Campbell, playing what is (hopefully) a fictionalized version of himself researching Santa for a movie. How meta of you, Hallmark.
With an assortment of Santa wannabes competing on the Santa Academy’s behalf, this is full of random Christmassy events and activities of debatable enjoyment. The highlight? Christmas trivia. I am always down with a trivia event.
There’s random magic, lots of Santas (obviously), and many of the usual tropes. Overall just ok.
