When it comes to Christmas films many are packed with elements of fantasy. Reasonings for how Santa achieves his annual worldwide delivery, and keeps the North Pole hidden, introduce sci-fi leanings with increasingly futuristic ideas. Delving into imagination has long been a big part of many fictional festive films, no matter what genre. However, this year’s Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar switches focus to look at documentaries which follow real world Christmas stories and figures, each with their own strand of imagination, festive spirit and occasional fantasy.
To bring this year’s Alternative Christmas Film Advent Calendar to a close, my favourite of this year’s selection. 2024 saw the release of another film called Dear Santa. In the straight-to-streaming comedy Jack Black stars as Satan, answering a child’s letter intended for Santa. In this 2020 documentary the letters go the opposite way. Maybe not to God, but to people who are doing his work.
Dear Santa is a film full of warmth and joy as it shows people from all over America taking part in the US Postal Service’s Operation Santa scheme. Whether adopting a letter, being assigned one or taking part in a group effort or work drive the responses to multiple letters to Santa are full of kindness and caring. This is a film of people being nice, and right now that’s a truly wonderful thing to see. The generosity on display created for me the joy and emotional overload, particularly in the final half hour, that many may well get from their favourite festive re-watches.
Dana Nachman and Chelsea Matter’s documentary observes a very familiar theme in most Christmas films, and yet sees it come to life in the real world. A sense of generosity and kindness to and from strangers. Helping children and families at this time of year by responding to their letters to Santa – whether it be a child asking for a particular gift or a parent struggling to afford essentials for their family they find out in some way that someone is listening and someone cares. In fact, many people care as the documentary shows the different responses to letters depending on how they come to be written and read, and indeed what the request is. That impactful final half hour sees wishes coming true, and the many smiles they bring, an emotional punch stemming from a quiet hook.
But mostly, this is a film of kindness and caring. Of a team effort through the Operation Santa scheme and the individuals who play a part in it. To be a cliche of myself and quote Paddington “if we’re kind and polite the world will be right” and Dear Santa powers ahead with this making for a documentary that truly restores your faith in humanity and reminds you that on the whole people are good. People are caring. And people are kind. Even towards strangers who may be on the other side of the country. It’s a wonderful thing to be reminded of at any time of year, but especially makes an impact in a Christmas film such as this.
Dear Santa can be watched in the following places:
Amazon
Apple/ iTunes
Microsoft Store
To see where else the film is available to buy, rent or stream, particularly in your own country, JustWatch should be helpful in finding a list of places.
Just A Little Bit Random 