Christmas is widely considered a time for family. The magic of the season most directly appeals to children, and many adults (especially parents) take the opportunity to make memories with the young bundles of joy in their lives. Watching a festive film is often considered a great way to do this, except not all so-called “family” Christmas movies are suitable for kids.
In some cases, the films contain Santa or a little Christmas magic, and are therefore marketed to a younger audience. However, they often feature narratives or ideas that simply aren’t appropriate for the young minds they seek to entertain, turning holiday family time into a somewhat traumatic experience. So, this Christmas, if you’re looking to enjoy a family film with the little ones, you’d probably do better to avoid these following Christmas movies, because we aren’t sure they’re entirely suitable for kids.
7. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)
In all honesty, there are a few films that could take this spot, because the biggest issue with The Christmas Chronicles is an issue that appears in multiple festive favorites. The film centers on a young child who has begun to question the existence of Santa Claus. In premise, that makes it not dissimilar to The Polar Express, albeit this film has Kurt Russell as Santa doing an Elvis-inspired musical number in jail. (In other words, it’s way cooler.)
The fundamental problem with The Christmas Chronicles as a family movie is the film’s core premise. By including a plot point about a child doubting the magic of the season, it potentially places doubts in the heads of otherwise unsuspecting kids who have never questioned Santa. Talk about getting yourself on the naughty list, right?
It’s perhaps one of the dumbest Christmas movie tropes to include in a film aimed at families, even if it attempts to reinforce the notion of Santa Claus’ existence. By trying to explain away the doubt of suspicious children, it draws attention to it, making it far less accessible for potentially younger viewers. In short, The Christmas Chronicles might rob your child of belief long before they’re ready, so it might be better to steer your sleigh clear of it.
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