It’s easy to love the typical, rosy-cheeked, ho-ho-ho-ing Santas, but what about the ones who march to the beat of their own drum? This list of Santa Clauses all end up good-hearted, but some of them take a roundabout way of getting there. Or maybe they have bigger things on their plate to deal with than the job as traditionally presented. Each of them has something that makes them stand apart from the typical Santa, whether it's tattoos, their snarky attitude, or something a little more subtle. Join us as we take a minute to highlight these offbeat Santas and why they are so much more fun to watch on screen.
Kurt Russell in ‘The Christmas Chronicles’
Let’s start with a Santa who is just a tad bit off center. Kurt Russell’s Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles has a lot of the qualities you look for in a good Santa. He’s eager to get the presents to children, dedicated to making sure every child gets their own very Merry Christmas, and has the jolliness down, even if it is with a little more attitude than you’d expect. It's that last thing that sets Kurt’s Santa apart. He’s a little more rock ‘n roll than your typical Santa. He isn’t afraid to freestyle a bit if that’s what gets the job done. Not to mention, he is willing to go off book and give a pair of siblings a Christmas adventure they will always remember, nudging a possible naughty-lister permanently back to the nice side. At least for the foreseeable future. And he does it just for them. As you make your way through The Christmas Chronicles, you learn that Santa had everything well in hand the whole time, but knew this sister and brother needed an adventure like this to find their way back to loving each other. While we all know Santa is all about the joys of giving, who would have figured that the big jolly guy would go to these lengths?
Leslie Nielsen in ‘All I Want for Christmas’
Now, we don’t get to spend oodles of time with Leslie Nielsen’s Santa Claus in All I Want For Christmas since most of the movie revolves around the kids and their parents, but when we do see him, he comes off just a little more dotty and random than the traditional Santa. Not to mention his costume is a little off-kilter. He’s every bit as Leslie-Nielsen-y as you want him to be, but that also sets him on course to be a little bit unconventional. Not to mention he means big Christmas business. Not only does he help the kids with their mission to reunite their parents just in time, but he also helps return a beloved little white mouse to a young girl that adores him -- a feat that is far above and beyond his duties. But none of this is what makes him different from every other movie Santa. What makes Nielsen's Santa a bit of an oddball is how he typically avoids the North Pole and doesn't seem to care much about keeping his existence a secret. This Santa Claus takes shifts at Macy’s, shows up at a girl’s front door on Christmas, and basically throws the whole secret thing out the window.
Bill Nighy as Grandsanta in ‘Arthur Christmas’
There are a couple of Santas to choose from in Arthur Christmas, as you’ve got at least three generations and a couple of brothers at play. But the most unconventional of them is Grandsanta, a two-generations-retired Santa who is as kooky as can be. He’s more than happy to show Arthur the ropes, especially how to fly the sleigh, but he goes a step farther. When Arthur is insistent that no child be left behind and needs a little help to get the last remaining child her wish, Grandsanta is happy to help. Even if by the time they get to the girl’s house, Grandsanta is down to his skivvies. Grandsanta has the heart of a traditional Santa, but he’s well beyond his prime Santa years. So his demeanor is a bit less than ideal. His role as a mentor though is well in hand, as Arthur just needs someone willing to help him fix this oversight, especially since his older brother is more focused on the other billion children instead.
Jim Carrey in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’
Okay, you might think this choice is a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but think about director Ron Howard's live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas for a second and what the green guy brings to the Whos. While he doesn’t deliver them presents (taking them instead), he does provide them with a valuable lesson in the meaning of Christmas. You see, the Whos had lost all track of what Christmas was supposed to be about and fell headfirst into measuring their happiness against their friends and neighbors. It isn’t until the Grinch takes it all away, while donning his iconic red-and-white Santa disguise, that the Whos remember Christmas arrives whether or not there are presents, decorations, feasts, eggnog, or any of the other seasonal favorites. Instead, they lean heavily into singing carols together and enjoying each other’s company, at least until the Grinch shows them their consumeristic Christmas isn’t as gone as they thought. The Grinch is chock full of Santa-like goodness by the end of the movie, proving that How the Grinch Stole Christmas is indeed nothing more than an unconventional Santa origin story.
Alec Baldwin in ‘Rise of the Guardians’
Rise of the Guardians isn’t exactly a Christmas movie, but it has one of the most unconventional looking Santas in movie history. You see, rather than donning his bushy while beard and jolly demeanor, we see a gruff, buff, tatted up dude that calls himself North. Now, while his look is a little off center for a Santa Claus character, the heart of him is dead on. Early in Rise of the Guardians, North shows Jack Frost that there are many layers to him, but that his center, his most base impulses, are rooted in wonder. In a youthful exuberance to learn and experience and see all kinds of new things, and to marvel at their uniqueness. North goes on to prove that throughout the movie, as he never gives up the fight to restore every child’s belief in all the legendary creatures. You can see it as he watches Jack Frost attack Pitch Black. You can see it as the children begin to believe again. He never loses hope, and when his hope is proven worthwhile, you can see the relief and passion for delighting children all over the globe right there on his face. So, while some of the other Santas on this list got there because they act a little different, North is more aesthetically unconventional.