Help For The Holidays

Directed by Bradford May and released in 2012, Help For The Holidays is a delightful, feel-good family movie that uncovers the spirit of Christmas in an unlikely encounter between a real magical elf and a family who has lost their touch with the festive season. This enchanting seasonal film stars Summer Glau, Eva LaRue, and John Brotherton, who deliver performances brimming with warmth and charm.

Summer Glau plays the character of Christine Prancer, none other than one of Santa's magical elves with an unprecedented passion for gift-giving and spreading heart-felt cherishment associated with the festival. She is full of enthusiasm and brims with the joy of living at the North Pole, dedicating herself to the integral task of preserving the essence of Christmas across the world.

However, the trail of the story takes a turn when Santa assigns Christine a special mission far from the snowy wonders of the North Pole. She's given the task of bringing the magic and spirit of Christmas to the VanCamp family living in sunny California. The VanCamp family, headed by Sara VanCamp (Eva LaRue) - a successful businesswoman and owner of a bustling holiday shop - and her boyfriend Dave Gabriel (John Brotherton), have found themselves engrossed in life's routine hustles and bustles, losing touch with the true spirit of Christmas.

The children of the family, Ally and Will, yearn for a festive family holiday with traditional experiences rather than commercial hustle. Despite all the success and business acclaim Sara owns, she struggles to juggle her parental duties and her thriving holiday business duties, thereby starving her family of the quintessential holiday experience.

Christine takes the role of a nanny in the VanCamp family to not only help Sara manage her responsibilities but to also bring back the wonder and magic of Christmas into their lives. But her job is not as simple, as she must take great care to hide her real identity as an elf from the North Pole. The challenges are many, and she has a lot to learn about human culture, but the most significant challenge for her is the growing affection she feels for Dave, the boyfriend of Sara, and the family's loving bond.

As she works her way into the hearts of the family, she helps each one majorly reflect and rediscover the joy of togetherness, love, and the magic of Christmas, adding a new perspective to their lives. But in her heart, she knows she must return to the North Pole once her job is done, leaving behind the connections she built in the human realm.

Help For The Holidays is a fascinating and heartwarming tale of a magical entity coming to life in the real world. It’s an ode to the essence of Christmas, and a substantial reminder of the importance of family and togetherness amidst life's persistent challenges. This enchanting family drama, sprinkled with magic, love, and reflection, perfectly captures the spirit of Christmas, with Glau, LaRue, and Brotherton offering engaging performances that make the story all the more memorable.

The film takes the audience on a magic-filled journey packed with laughter, tears, and countless heartwarming moments, simultaneously making them cringe, chuckle, and tear up in the most delightful ways. Underlying the main plot is a secondary thread of self-less love and its bittersweet consequences that add further depth to the narrative.

In all, Help For The Holidays is an enchantingly gentle and magic-laced family film that effectively stirs an array of emotions, encapsulating the truest essence of the festive season. The film reasserts the age-old belief in Santa and his magical elves, making for wholesome family entertainment and reminding viewers that the magic of Christmas is never truly lost.