Ever wonder how your letter gets to Santa Claus? Well, in 1912 the U.S. Postmaster General came up with ‘Operation Santa’, authorising United States Postal Service employees to open letters addressed to the North Pole. Big charities and corporations got in on the act, doing their best to make sure the big guy could receive and respond to requests from the most needy of children. In recent years, regular folks have also been able to get in on the Christmas spirit by volunteering to “adopt” a letter and anonymously participate in making someone’s festive dreams come true. 2020’s delightful Dear Santa, from director Dana Nachman invites us along to see what goes on in some of these ‘Operation Santa’ centres, following a few letters all the way through the process right up to a surprise gift arriving on Christmas morning. It’s a thoroughly heartwarming affair, the film doing its darndest to make me cry.
The secret to Dear Santa’s magic spell is that it treats the whole endeavour completely seriously, as though Santa is a real guy, who delegates important missions to humanitarians all across America. It’s a masterstroke, with everyone involved talking to the camera about how Mr Claus is their boss and referring to themselves as his “elves”. It works excellently and is a sweet, excellent counter-argument to What Would Jesus Buy’s anti-materialistic message. Yes, there is too big a focus these days on giving and receiving presents, but when it’s fortunate folks giving all that they can spare to the needy? Well, you’d have to be frosty frozen not to appreciate the sentiment of this lovely movie.
I freely admit I cry a few happy tears all the way through, with the film celebrating proper altruism in the face of some seriously hardcore crappy times for many Americans. We spend time with victims of the 2018 California wildfires that saw thousands of people suddenly losing their homes and everything they ever had. It’s uplifting to see the spirit of these poor folks who have no option but to push on and try to make the best of their first uncertain Christmas as marooned, uprooted victims. When much-needed gifts from Santa appear, well, there’s not a dry eye in the house.
This one’s a gratifying reminder that there’s still a lot of wonderful goodness in the world, though it also brings to mind the fact that Donald Trump, in desperate attempts to save his faltering re-election bid, had tried his best to defund the US Postal Service. It’s awful to think that a fantastic operation like this could disappear forever, just so that the ultimate capitalist could go on being a gigantic jerk.
As lovely as the film is, though, I can’t help but notice how deliberately manufactured much of it is. The fact that the documentarians' cameras are present, not just for the ‘surprise’ arrival of the presents, but also the actual writing of the letters to Santa leaves little doubt that most of the film is staged and a deliberate set-up. We instantly know that these kids are going to get exactly what they asked for and I can’t shake the feeling that ‘Operation Santa’, shown in this light, seems like more of a lottery or a ‘casting call’ for cute kids, rather than a genuine charity. However, it’s still an incredibly adorable, moving film.
We also spend some time with an ‘elf’ named Damian, a once impoverished child who was helped by O.S. and who wants to give something back. It’s an emotional admonition of how hard some people have it when Damian talks so enthusiastically about O.S. delivering him a modest clock radio as a kid that made his Christmas. It’s a film celebrating the concept and spirit of ‘pay it forward’, working hard to make you cry happy tears, and you most likely won’t mind one little bit.
Nachman’s film also excellently captures a childlike sense of wonder. I laugh hard at a letter from a little girl who asks for a “pink dragon in Wonder Woman costume” and the boy who asks for “ten rabbits.” One lucky kid just wants a ride in a limo, to feel special even if only for a few minutes. Of course, Santa duly obliges, though the pink dragon kid is probably left disappointed. The whole film is a little reminiscent of Jim’ll Fix It but done very tastefully and in a satisfyingly uplifting manner with some pleasant, bouncy Christmas background music to help things along. Nachman, smartly, is careful not to linger too long on people’s misery, preferring to focus more on the joy that one successful, happy Christmas can bring them. Despite its manufactured appearance, Dear Santa remains an irresistible little film that brings joy to my world today.
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