AllMovie

Supermodel Kathy Ireland (Alien from L.A., Necessary Roughness) co-stars with newcomers John Dye and Mary Donnelly Haskell in the heartwarming, family-oriented fantasy drama Once Upon a Christmas, originally produced for and aired on television during the holiday season of 2000. The picture finds Santa Claus growing jaded and disgusted with the selfishness of mankind. He is ready to give up on the world altogether and head off to a vacation in Hawaii, until his daughter, Kristin, convinces him to give humans one final opportunity to prove that they can be caring and selfless. She must, it seems, find a selfish, dysfunctional family and turn them around. Kristin selects The Morgans - a seriously troubled brood. The dad works nonstop and the children amuse themselves by playing outrageous pranks, such as smearing peanut butter in the au pair's undergarments and putting glue on the whistle of the local high school coach. For Kristin, it will be a long, uphill battle, and if she fails, Christmas joy just may disappear for good.