Christmas Story

Santa, from boyhood to legend
This Finnish film tells the story of Nikolas, who, as a young boy, is orphaned. The villagers, not knowing what else to do, decide that a different family will provide Nikolas his home for a year, and each Christmas, Nikolas will move to the next family. During this process, Nikolas begins carving wooden animals and other toys to repay his friends' kindness, and he leaves these gifts outside the recipients' doors on Christmas.

At one point, a local carpenter, Iisakki (the wonderful Finnish actor Kari Väänänen), discovers Nikolas's ability with carving and convinces the village that he should take Nikolas in. Gruff and bitter at first, Iisakki insists that Nikolas refer to him as "Master" and treats the boy as a servant. Eventually, though, Iisakki warms to the boy, and they develop a caring relationship as Nikolas continues his gift-giving.

The film is wonderful to look at, shot as it was in Finnish Lapland, and there is little to prevent fairly...

Tired of the commercial Santa? Share this origin story with your family.
Most people will skip this Finnish holiday film, dubbed in English, searching for something more familiar, something less challenging. That's a mistake.

This is an excellent family film about the origin of Santa Claus. This film transcends the commercial image of Santa and grounds him in a loving story that isn't afraid to make you cry.

The word "classic" is used too often to describe holiday films, each of lesser and lesser quality. Hollywood has a lousy record when it comes to holiday films over the past decade. For example, The Santa Clause 3 The Escape Clause (2006), Deck the Halls (2006), Christmas With the Kranks (2004), Surviving Christmas (2004), and, most recently,...

A Finnish interpretation of the Origin of Santa Claus worth adding to any Christmas Collection
Christmas Story is a unique interpretation of the origin of Santa Claus that is different from anything I have seen. Produced in Finland, the story begins with parents leaving their young son in a small house on the edge of a lake while they take his infant sister to the village to see a doctor. Tragedy strikes and the boy becomes an orphan. That boy becomes Santa Claus.

I won't mention anymore of the story because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but what is unique about the story is that rather than relying on elves and magic flying reindeer and a mysterious workshop in the North Pole the story presents a very human Santa interested in honoring his lost parents and sister and those who have been kind to him when he was in need. The magic of Santa is as much in who Santa is rather than his delivering of toys on Christmas Eve which he also does.

The movie was shot in Finland with a Finnish cast. The filming was done at times in frigid conditions. Some filming...

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