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Now that Christmas Eve has arrived (and I made it through an absolutely insane work week in one piece, albeit by the skin of my teeth), it only seems fitting to do another Christmas meme.

And who better than the Big Guy in Red himself?

Ho-ho-ho, here we go!

1. Arthur Claus from Arthur Christmas. This one's an interesting twist because he's the third (fourth if you count his big brother Steve) in a line of "Santa Clauses," and despite being the youngest (not much more than a kid, really) and the most bumbling, he proves to have more Christmas spirit than the rest of the family put together.

While the rest of them focus more on doing Christmas their own way (and believing their way is the only right way), he focuses on what their job truly boils down to: making a child happy. He's the one to pay attention to all the "letters to Santa," to take the time to respond personally, and he's the one who cares enough to take action when they fail to deliver one present to a very expectant little girl. In his opinion, having this poor girl feel like "the only kid Santa doesn't care about" simply will not do.

There's a rather touching scene where he convinces the rest of the family to just hold still and look at the kids on Christmas morning, really look at them. One of them quietly confesses it's been a long time (too long) since he did this, and you can feel the realization of their misaligned priorities sinking in like a rock.

2. Santa from Frosty the Snowman. What I like about him is that, in spite of his busy schedule (with it being Christmas Eve and everything), he takes the time to pull his sleigh over and help out Frosty and Karen. I love this subtle but poignant portrayal that every child matters to him, that no problem is too small or too silly to bother with, that even a snowman has a place in the world.

3. Kris Kringle from the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street. You'll have to watch it and see for yourself if you can, but let me just mention that Edmund Gwenn holds the honor of being the only actor in history to win an Oscar for a Santa portrayal, and by golly, he earned it.

4. Santa from The Polar Express. Not a bad movie but not one of my favorites, mainly because it drags on a little too long and they're not too terribly subtle with the "you must believe" Aesop.

That said, I'm impressed with how Santa is portrayed here: quiet and wise, but gentle and warm. While I like a jolly, fun-loving, slightly goofy Santa just fine, I appreciate depictions of his more serious side; it makes him feel more fleshed out. There's something to be said about his design in this movie, too, especially his beard.

5. The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Yeah, we know he's just an impostor, but his change of heart is the highlight of the story and he becomes a bit more worthy of the red suit he's wearing. You could say he becomes a bit more Santa-like.

6. Santa from Elf. Again, I don't dislike this movie but I'm not overly crazy about it, though I must give Ed Asner (God rest his soul) credit where it's due.

He provides a wonderful balance of humor and solemnity, and at the climax, he gives Buddy a compliment that you can't get anywhere else from anyone else. Despite Buddy's understandable plummet in self-confidence, Santa tells him to his face with absolute seriousness, "You're more of an elf than anyone I ever met and the only one who I would want working on my sleigh tonight."

One critic noted, "Coming from Santa, that's high praise indeed."

7. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Kris Kringle in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. It does a rather lovely job of showing his origins and how certain traditions (wearing a red suit, going down the chimney, growing a beard, living at the North Pole, etc.) came to be.

Overall, he's just so darn sweet that you find yourself echoing the narrator's question at the end: "What would happen if we all tried to be like Santa?" What would happen, indeed?

8. North from Rise of the Guardians. He came as a surprise because I didn't expect to like him, due to his thick accent, slightly bolder behavior, and those huge tattoo-coated arms. He's as much the opposite of your typical Santa as it's possible to get, with one notable exception: he's fantastic with kids.

When I finally saw the movie for myself, I found myself growing quite fond of him and he made me laugh more than once. Goes to show you must never judge a book by its cover; sometimes the "rebellion" is a rather refreshing change of scenery.

9. "Sandy Claws" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Poor guy really gets put through the wringer but not once is he defeated, and he saves the day (or rather, Christmas morning) without breaking a sweat. As he put it himself, "Of course, there's time to save Christmas! I'm Santa Claus!" He even brings snow to Halloween Town at the very end as a sort of peace offering.

10. Santa from the 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. A lot of people rail against him for his poor treatment of everybody, especially Rudolph: openly shaming the little reindeer for his big red nose, dismissing the elves' song, scolding Rudolph's father in public, and only accepting Rudolph (and his nose) when it's convenient for him.

But I don't think he's that bad and he does learn his lesson at the end. After all, the narrator points out, "Even Santa realizes that, maybe, he was wrong."

And you can't knock the fact that he's a busy man with a lot on his plate, so it makes sense that the stress would get to him every so often. Goodness knows how I struggled to keep my cool at work this week alone, and I'm just a cashier. To me, Santa feels more real because of his flaws, and he doesn't exactly get off scot-free. Plus, he shows a few redeeming traits, such as his sincere concern for the children when Christmas is on the brink of cancellation: "Oh, the poor kids. They've been so good this year, too."

And there we have it, mates. Merry Christmas to all, and to Santa, a good journey tonight.

Template courtesy of Ezmanify : Top 10 Favorite Christmas Santa Clauses Blank Meme

All images property of their respective owners.

Description

Now that Christmas Eve has arrived (and I made it through an absolutely insane work week in one piece, albeit by the skin of my teeth), it only seems fitting to do another Christmas meme.

And who better than the Big Guy in Red himself?

Ho-ho-ho, here we go!

1. Arthur Claus from Arthur Christmas. This one's an interesting twist because he's the third (fourth if you count his big brother Steve) in a line of "Santa Clauses," and despite being the youngest (not much more than a kid, really) and the most bumbling, he proves to have more Christmas spirit than the rest of the family put together.

While the rest of them focus more on doing Christmas their own way (and believing their way is the only right way), he focuses on what their job truly boils down to: making a child happy. He's the one to pay attention to all the "letters to Santa," to take the time to respond personally, and he's the one who cares enough to take action when they fail to deliver one present to a very expectant little girl. In his opinion, having this poor girl feel like "the only kid Santa doesn't care about" simply will not do.

There's a rather touching scene where he convinces the rest of the family to just hold still and look at the kids on Christmas morning, really look at them. One of them quietly confesses it's been a long time (too long) since he did this, and you can feel the realization of their misaligned priorities sinking in like a rock.

2. Santa from Frosty the Snowman. What I like about him is that, in spite of his busy schedule (with it being Christmas Eve and everything), he takes the time to pull his sleigh over and help out Frosty and Karen. I love this subtle but poignant portrayal that every child matters to him, that no problem is too small or too silly to bother with, that even a snowman has a place in the world.

3. Kris Kringle from the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street. You'll have to watch it and see for yourself if you can, but let me just mention that Edmund Gwenn holds the honor of being the only actor in history to win an Oscar for a Santa portrayal, and by golly, he earned it.

4. Santa from The Polar Express. Not a bad movie but not one of my favorites, mainly because it drags on a little too long and they're not too terribly subtle with the "you must believe" Aesop.

That said, I'm impressed with how Santa is portrayed here: quiet and wise, but gentle and warm. While I like a jolly, fun-loving, slightly goofy Santa just fine, I appreciate depictions of his more serious side; it makes him feel more fleshed out. There's something to be said about his design in this movie, too, especially his beard.

5. The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Yeah, we know he's just an impostor, but his change of heart is the highlight of the story and he becomes a bit more worthy of the red suit he's wearing. You could say he becomes a bit more Santa-like.

6. Santa from Elf. Again, I don't dislike this movie but I'm not overly crazy about it, though I must give Ed Asner (God rest his soul) credit where it's due.

He provides a wonderful balance of humor and solemnity, and at the climax, he gives Buddy a compliment that you can't get anywhere else from anyone else. Despite Buddy's understandable plummet in self-confidence, Santa tells him to his face with absolute seriousness, "You're more of an elf than anyone I ever met and the only one who I would want working on my sleigh tonight."

One critic noted, "Coming from Santa, that's high praise indeed."

7. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of Kris Kringle in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. It does a rather lovely job of showing his origins and how certain traditions (wearing a red suit, going down the chimney, growing a beard, living at the North Pole, etc.) came to be.

Overall, he's just so darn sweet that you find yourself echoing the narrator's question at the end: "What would happen if we all tried to be like Santa?" What would happen, indeed?

8. North from Rise of the Guardians. He came as a surprise because I didn't expect to like him, due to his thick accent, slightly bolder behavior, and those huge tattoo-coated arms. He's as much the opposite of your typical Santa as it's possible to get, with one notable exception: he's fantastic with kids.

When I finally saw the movie for myself, I found myself growing quite fond of him and he made me laugh more than once. Goes to show you must never judge a book by its cover; sometimes the "rebellion" is a rather refreshing change of scenery.

9. "Sandy Claws" from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Poor guy really gets put through the wringer but not once is he defeated, and he saves the day (or rather, Christmas morning) without breaking a sweat. As he put it himself, "Of course, there's time to save Christmas! I'm Santa Claus!" He even brings snow to Halloween Town at the very end as a sort of peace offering.

10. Santa from the 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. A lot of people rail against him for his poor treatment of everybody, especially Rudolph: openly shaming the little reindeer for his big red nose, dismissing the elves' song, scolding Rudolph's father in public, and only accepting Rudolph (and his nose) when it's convenient for him.

But I don't think he's that bad and he does learn his lesson at the end. After all, the narrator points out, "Even Santa realizes that, maybe, he was wrong."

And you can't knock the fact that he's a busy man with a lot on his plate, so it makes sense that the stress would get to him every so often. Goodness knows how I struggled to keep my cool at work this week alone, and I'm just a cashier. To me, Santa feels more real because of his flaws, and he doesn't exactly get off scot-free. Plus, he shows a few redeeming traits, such as his sincere concern for the children when Christmas is on the brink of cancellation: "Oh, the poor kids. They've been so good this year, too."

And there we have it, mates. Merry Christmas to all, and to Santa, a good journey tonight.

Template courtesy of Ezmanify : Top 10 Favorite Christmas Santa Clauses Blank Meme

All images property of their respective owners.