This enchanting Christmas movie, adapted from a children’s book, begins with a bedtime story told by “Aunt Ruth,” played by Dame Maggie Smith. The fairy tale, which is about the origins of Santa Claus, follows a young boy named Nikolas and his woodcutter father in a snowy forest in Finland.

Nikolas’s father, in an attempt to fulfill the wishes of the King and bring hope to their land, leaves young Nikolas in the care of his Aunt Carlotta and goes off in search of the fabled village of the elves, the magical realm of  “Elfhelm.” Back at their log cabin, Nikolas befriends a delightful and humorous little mouse, Miika, and the mouse and Nikolas set off into the vast unknown to find Nikolas’s father. Amidst the snow-covered trees, the pair encounter the injured reindeer Blitzen, and very quickly, the three of them realize that they all need each other.

Galloping across the snow on the back of Blitzen—where the three encounter “sleeping giants” and snow (and more snow), and experience adventures with the captivating truth-telling fairy, the “Truth Pixie”—Nikolas soon discovers his destiny.

“It’s always the way, the darkest night will end, the sun will rise, and Christmas mornings will come again, when anything and everything can happen.” ~ Aunt Ruth, A Boy Called Christmas

An underlying message from this magical, heartwarming Christmas movie for the entire family is that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

Watch A Boy Called Christmas on Netflix.

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A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig