A Different Kind of Christmas (1996)

When you're the city attorney you don't need the kinds of problems that her father was giving her. After her mother died, her father began doing his "Santa Schick," as she called it, much ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom McLoughlin

Writer:

Bart Baker

Stars:

Shelley Long, Barry Bostwick, Nathan Lawrence

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shelley Long	...	Elizabeth Gates
Barry Bostwick	...	Frank Mallory
Nathan Lawrence	...	Tommy Gates
Nancy McLoughlin	...	Susan
Michael E. Knight	...	Alan Schaefer
Bruce Kirby	...	Santa
Richard K. Olsen	...	Henry
Janell McLeod	...	Fran
Keith Flippen	...	Michael
Rebecca Koon	...	Marguerite
Troy Simmons	...	Lester
Wells Struble	...	Charlie
John Pontrelli	...	Homeless Father
Kelly Wilson	...	Receptionist
Larry Parks	...	Mover (as Barry Bell)

Storyline

When you're the city attorney you don't need the kinds of problems that her father was giving her. After her mother died, her father began doing his "Santa Schick," as she called it, much more intensely... which meant that he turned his home into a kind of year-round Santa Claus castle where children of all ages could come to see the wonderful presents and no child ever left without a gift. But what's wrong with this kind of philanthropic generosity was that it totally embarrassed her when, as city attorney, it fell to her to make him stop his 'commercial' enterprise in an area zoned for private homes. But there's more to it than that and the outcome is not quite what you'd expect.

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Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | five word title | holiday in title | reference to santa claus | santa claus suit | 

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Taglines:

Santa Claus - A Neighbor from Heaven or Hell?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Santa and Me

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carroll Newman Productions,Hearst Entertainment Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Biography Channel TV-Series, Celebrity Ghost Stories (2008), actress Shelley Long tells a story about a behind-the-scenes haunting experience which occurred at the Wilmington Courthouse in which she filmed at for this movie.

User Reviews

What if Santa Claus lived in your neighborhood?

Lots of people go overboard with their Christmas decorations. But in June? And the newcomer to this charming neighborhood has a white beard, wears a red suit and drives a bright red Cadillac. His name is Robert George, and he once worked as a barber in Nebraska, but he wasn't happy. Then he saw a vision of what he could do to make the world better. His goal: to give children Christmas year-round in a theme park. Shelley Long plays the pretty city attorney who is given the unfortunate job of shutting down this 'Santa Claus' after neighbors complain about noise, traffic and trash (as well as the outrageous decorations). Long is also running for mayor and dealing with a developer who wants to tear down the historic train station. And her son, whose father left years ago, doesn't like being neglected by his ambitious mother. He doesn't believe the man is Santa at first but later becomes one of the man's strongest supporters. Barry Bostwick is a cynical newspaper reporter who was fired from the New York Times and doesn't like being sent to do fluff stories. But this is the story that may advance his career. He later dates Long's character. You won't believe why this Santa Claus chose this town, and why he knows so much about the people. Later, the man has to get a real job, but he is so compassionate he loses every job he tries (well,almost). As with most movies like this, it takes a near-tragedy and a couple of miracles to make everything come out all right. A nice family film.