For many Christmases during my childhood, “The Santa Clause” movies were always a classic for my brother and me. Even now, at a much older age, it is still at the top of our Christmas movie marathon list. This set of films starred Tim Allen who portrays the infamous Scott Calvin who has to step into the shoes of Santa Claus. Over the course of these movies, Disney explores the balance of reality and Christmas magic, making it extremely enjoyable for both children and adults.

Now, Allen is back with a new comedy series on Disney Plus entitled, “The Santa Clauses”.  The series premiered on Disney’s streaming service on November 16^th and premieres a new episode each week. This is extremely common for Disney+ and was seen with series such as “Ms. Marvel” and “High School Musical the Musical: The Series”. It aims to target Gen-Z children while warming the hearts of Millennials who grew up with Tim Allen as their Santa Claus.  Scott Calvin returns as Santa Claus nearly sixteen years after the end of the last film, “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”. This time around, Santa is looking to retire from his job and is on the hunt for someone capable of filling his shoes. He wants to return to a normal life in the suburbs where he can raise his children away from the hustle and bustle that is the Christmas season and focus on being a good parent to them. However, the elves are in a panic about what to do because this is the first time in centuries that Santa Claus has retired. They interview many candidates including NFL Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning.

Although a light-hearted show, there are a few references to politics. Some take this as a way for the younger generation to educate the older generation on how to be more inclusive. Though, others tend to view this as the show making a mockery of those who are striving to create an inclusive and more thoughtful environment for children. In doing this, the show may be laying the foundation for Calvin to be learning from his mistakes and have more of a character development. However, everyone has varying opinions on TV shows and movies, which should not deter you from watching this series!

While creating an air of 90s nostalgia for many adults, the series also brings these movies into the modern world. While they retain much of the original cast, they have also created a more diverse cast along with it. Though meant as a comedy series, “The Santa Clauses” still touches upon the importance of family and the danger of commercialization. They demonstrate this through a parallel of Scott Calvin B.B.S.C (Before Becoming Santa Claus) and the addition of a new character, Simon Choksi.

The show itself is perfect for anyone who wants to get into the holiday spirit after exams and is perfect to watch with family! Though, I definitely recommend watching the movies before the show as there are numerous references to the movies. The movies and the miniseries bring an air of Christmas joy that many of us may have lost in exam season and is one of many ways to help yourself unwind. Personally, I would say that the movies are a great addition to any Christmas movie marathon, and following up with the series is great if you want more of Tim Allen as Santa Claus.