Creating New Holiday Classics: Exploring ‘That Christmas’ and Nutcrackers

I’ve been thinking about those old standbys lately, and a question has been sticking with me: When’s the last time we had a new holiday classic? A broadly admired standard that is welcomed into the Christmas canon? It sure feels like it’s been a while, and it’s not for lack of new stuff. Each year, the cable channels, movie studios, and streaming services offer up a bevy of seasonal titles seeking to tap into people’s holiday spirit. But for my part, I’ve struggled to identify any that have broken through or stood the test of time.

Two selections from this year’s holiday menu may offer a case in point, the animated Netflix film, “That Christmas” and the Ben Stiller-led Hulu film, “Nutcrackers.”

“That Christmas” could best be described as a kids’ version of “Love Actually” – itself among the younger holiday standards, having been released just two decades ago. Adapted from children’s books also written by Curtis, the story concerns an especially stormy and snowy Christmas in a small seaside village in England, and it has all the coziness and charm that setup would suggest. Directed by Simon Otto, an animator who worked on the “How to Train Your Dragon” films, it’s a treat visually, with lovingly composed environments and distinct, expressive characters, even if the budget and production quality are clearly not on the same level as you’d expect from a Dreamworks or Pixar release.

“Nutcrackers” is assuredly not the standard bearer to take on this tall task, but, much like “That Christmas,” it is a perfectly pleasant holiday film. Ben Stiller plays our Scrooge-like protagonist, Michael, a career-driven Chicago real estate man who must go to rural Ohio over the holidays to care for his recently deceased sister’s orphaned children. Like many stories of this sort, “Nutcrackers” lays it on super thick in terms of the culture clash between Michael’s urban life and the rural spaces he’s entering.

Ultimately, what carries the film is the relationship between Michael and his four nephews, and in that regard, it is an honest and heartfelt affair.