This movie is pretty good. Most TV movies don't impress me much, especially if they're holiday themed movies, most of the holiday xmas movies just seem so stupid and completely cheesy. I tend to avoid them as if they were the black plague. So I was really surprised by this movie. I rented it from Blockbuster but you can buy it from Amazon.com.I think what makes this movie work is that they have a good cast. Jenny McCarthy is taking better roles. I remember Ivan from that old show "Jack and Jill." He is so gorgeous. Anyway, I loved seeing him together with Jenny. Yes the story is familiar, but it was just done so well, that its worth watching. I'd buy it on DVD.

I no longer think of Playboy when I hear the name Jenny McCarthy. I now think of Autism, and good acting. She does a superb job in this charming and funny Christmas story.Santa (George Wendt) is having heart trouble and so mom (Lynne Griffin) calls Mary Class (she changed her name) home. Mary (McCarthy) is a successful workaholic that has always had a rough time with dad (WHO HASN'T?). She wants efficiency, while he stick to tradition.She also left a beau (Ivan Sergei) when she left home and has new boyfriend in the big city. You can imagine the problems there when the two meet.So you have family struggle on a grand scale, relationship problems and lots of comedy in a great Christmas movie.Also stars Kandyse McClure, who will be familiar to "Battlestar Galactica" fans, who creates a little heat of her own.

Mary (Jenny McCarthy) is a high powered businesswoman who runs her own marketing and business advice company. However, her roots are at the North Pole...yes, she's Santa's daughter. When Santa has some health problems, Mrs. Claus calls Mary in to help get everything ready for the Big Day that is fast approaching. Mary obliges. But, can Mary's successful business techniques really work for the spirited but mentally infantile elves? We'll see. In the meantime, Mary has found her long lost love, Luke (Ivan Sergei), to be still employed as the area's mailman. And, he's still a doll, both in looks and demeanor. Is a repeat romance far away? This is a great movie, both for children and their parents. The elves are quite comical and should garner laughs from the little ones. Kids should also enjoy the enchanting village where Santa and his elves do their work. For grownups, McCarthy, Wendt, and company slyly draw forth mirth with their antics, as well. As for Sergei, this viewer would watch him recite a cereal box cover, a la Gigli, but, fortunately, this is not necessary. He brings charm, sweetness, and presence to his delightful character, Luke. What girl COULD resist? Kudos to the production company that brought this film to light. As a holiday gift to a family audience, it just does not get much better or more welcome than this.

This is not the first story about Santa planning to retire, and let a son/daughter take over the toy manufacturing and delivery business. The idea has been done before, often and better.Apparently, Santa's daughter Mary (Jenny McCarthy) was once as kind hearted and sweet as her folks and the elves that work for them. For whatever reason, she veered from her famous father's (George Wendt) path, and became a corporate junior exec with a big mouth and an attitude to match. When she discovers her dad is physically unable to perform his duties one season, she butts in, takes over, and embarks on a board room mentality approach to revamp the North Pole toyshop for greater "efficiency." The dialogue is needlessly negative, as she mocks generosity, Christmas cheer, elves, and her amiable father. Here's a typical line from the movie, as an example of the overall tone: "Here's a stocking....stuff it." Original and hilarious, isn't it?The acting rises above the script, and there's a sweet, sentimental romance in the later going of the film. It's a shame that the meanness early on may lead you to shut this thing off before it introduces this element. If you can make it through the first half of the film, you may find a dose of Christmas spirit from the movie near the end.