Scott Calvin is back where he belongs—at the North Pole, and more importantly, in the Santa suit.
The Santa Clauses wrapped up its six-episode run with a rather joyous episode that reignited the magic of the holidays at the North Pole and around the world.
But before the celebrations could truly begin, Scott and his family had to stop Simon Choksi from ruining everything… unintentionally, of course.
Simon, who was hand-picked as Scott’s successor, was totally unaware that he was the bad guy in the narrative. You would think that the disappearance of all the elves and Christmas cheer, in general, would’ve been a red flag, but he was so laser-focused on making Christmas accessible to everyone all the time that he lost sight of the true meaning. He didn’t feel the elves’ absence because he’d already replaced them with drones!
While the series made an effort not to label Simon as the bad guy—he was just a dad who lost his way—Simon was kind of embracing his inner villain by the end when he unleashed the “foot soldiers” to stop the intruders, shooed Grace away because he was on the brink of getting everything that he’s ever wanted, and tried to light the Santa coat on fire. I mean, his behavior was borderline unhinged, but thankfully, seeing all the pain and hurt that he caused through the eyes of his daughter snapped him back to reality.
Simon never meant to cause so much destruction, he simply didn’t recognize it for what it was until it was almost too late and the Christmas spirit orb turned pitch black signaling the end of times. Okay, that was bleak, but it didn’t bode well for operation save Christmas.
Scott didn’t point fingers at Simon—though he did question how he managed to remain convinced he was “the nice guy”—but instead, took the blame onto himself for shirking his responsibilities in the first place when things got tough. Instead of stepping up to the plate when things got hard, he stepped down. And Santa himself let go of the Christmas spirit, how could anyone else hold on?
The scene underscored exactly why Scott was the right fit for the role; his priorities are in order and he understands the true meaning of Christmas that goes beyond the gifts and the presents. It’s about the spirit of giving and spreading hope and joy, which gave him the idea of what might reignite the Christmas spirit around the world.
If it wasn’t for Scott’s experience in Chicago, he likely would’ve never been able to step back and reflect or see that the way out is through. But by distancing himself from the North Pole and the responsibilities that come with the red coat, he was able to appreciate it all and see it through a new lens.
It’s almost like Scott Calvin was feeling burnout, which is normal in any job. We’re human—we don’t always get it right, but when we’re reminded why we do what we do in our chosen field, it helps us reset and see the necessary steps.
His family also felt the burnout, so the break also gave them a new perspective of just how lucky they are to have this connection to the North Pole. When the coat found its way back to its rightful owner, Carol, Sandra, and Cal couldn’t be more supportive of Scott’s decision to re-embrace the role. After all, it’s why the coat hid itself from Simon as it never wanted to make this change permanent.
This might be a good time to suggest that Santa and his family be allowed to take a vacation from their version of Christmas every day. Maybe they can write that in as a new clause in the contracts now that the North Pole and the elves, including Betty, are loosening up on the rules a bit?
Credit: The Santa Clauses/Disney+
During Scott’s hiatus as Santa, the Calvin family also realized that they aren’t just bystanders at the North Pole—they are crucial to the whole ecosystem. Carol finally embraced her role as Mrs. Claus when she singlehandedly took down those life-size nutcracker foot soldiers. She went from a timid, “unknown” character to an action-movie heroine. And she’s right, it is the Chicago way.
Sandra found that talking to animals came with a handful of benefits, including learning that the reindeer don’t actually like their given names.
As for Cal, his magical powers manifested in a similar way to his father’s, which means that when the time finally comes for Scott Calvin to retire, he’ll be able to pass on the coat to his son. Cal may not be the brightest, but he has a knack for this Santa stuff! Did you see the way he connected with the drones who truly opened up when you got to know them? And hopefully, through his Santa-in-training apprenticeship, he’ll only get better.
With the Santa business becoming a full-blown family affair, Noel decided to hang back and spend time catching up with Betty while Scott and his family got to work on Christmas Eve. It was the first time that they spent Christmas together as a family in 20 years, and it couldn’t have been more special. And honestly, it’s how it always should have been. No offense to the elves, who do a fabulous job keeping the whole thing afloat, but since the holidays are all about families coming together, it only makes sense that Santa’s little helpers for the evening would be his closest family.
Disney+ may have only planned for a limited series run, but I think there’s potential here for an additional few seasons—within reason, of course. We don’t want to burn out the concept, but there’s definitely potential into making this something that generations to come can look forward to. When Tim Allen no longer finds the joy in this, audiences will already be primed to accept Austin Kane as his successor.
The last stop of the night was Riley’s house where Cal could prove to her that he wasn’t lying about his father being Santa. The poor girl’s reaction was sheer disbelief, but when Cal handed her the gift for her brother and her favorite flower, a poinsettia, it was clear that he was telling the truth. And that kiss leads me to believe that we may have found our future Mrs. Claus!
As for Simon and Grace, they both got the best gift of all—each other. All Grace ever wanted was her dad, and all Grace’s late mother ever wanted was for Simon to be present in her life. Simon lost sight in his attempt to give Grace, and himself, the world, but when he was finally shown her favorite Christmas memory that hinged on togetherness, he realized that he had gone slightly overboard.
Though the North Pole’s protocol has always been to erase the memories of outsiders, it definitely seemed as though they allowed the father-daughter duo, who are now like the Calvins’ extended family, the keep theirs intact. Honestly, since it helped Simon turn over a new leaf and reign himself in from his dreams of taking over the world, it’s probably for the best. This is a Christmas that they’ll always remember.
In the end, Scott, er, Santa, and his family needed to infuse the world with a little Christmas magic, leaving everyone on the nice list a snow globe that, upon shaking, unearthed their favorite Christmas memory. The only way to help someone remember is to remind them through a personal connection—just like the series did for all the ’90s kids!
Other Thoughts
- There’s a little Le Befana in all of us, especially when it comes to soup season.
- I also loved her outrage upon finding out that the Yule-verse was a boys-only club.
- Scott has been at the North Pole for 20+ years and he didn’t know that the jail cell bars were made of licorice? Oh, boy.
The series received mixed reviews, but I think we can all agree that while there was never any credible threat to the North Pole (it was obvious that a solution would be reached before it was too late), it was nice to catch up with the Calvins and go on yet another adventure with them. No sequel or limited series will measure up to the innocence and playfulness of the original 1994, but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable.
In the end, the whole point was to sprinkle in some magic through nostalgia into our everyday lives—and that it did.