I’m only sharing my personal experience, of course, but this is a really good Christmas movie! This review might reveal some plot points. *The Santa Box* took me by surprise, quite a bit. I didn't know anything about it before watching and just picked it because the cover made it look like one of those typical, cheesy holiday movies – which my mom, who watched these films with me, really loves. And initially, the first few scenes, aside from the opening sequence, seemed to confirm that’s exactly what it was. *I also mistakenly thought it was John Malkovich on the cover, which I only saw in a tiny version. Just me? Probably. Anyway, it wasn't him.* However, by the time the credits rolled, I was almost shocked at how enjoyable it turned out to be. It still has cheesy moments, certainly, but there’s also a more emotional depth than I anticipated – it genuinely touched me several times. If they had stuck with the ending originally planned, I would have been completely invested. I understand why they chose a different direction for the story though; it makes sense that things ended as they did. It's an unusual film in that it feels somewhat unpolished overall, almost like everything – the camera work, the acting, the dialogue, the music (which is still pleasant) – has a slightly amateur quality. And yet, somehow, all of these elements come together really well, impressively so. I liked every member of the cast. Cami Carver gives what I consider to be an excellent performance for someone relatively young. She and Tatum Langton have good chemistry as mother and daughter. Shawn Stevens is also great, even though I hardly recognized him outside of his character online. There haven't been many ratings so far, so it’s a very small sample size, but it seems opinions are divided across different websites. As mentioned at the beginning, this is just my opinion, and I lean toward the positive side. I was incredibly close to giving it 4 stars; I think it just misses the mark, mainly because if they had gone with that original ending, I would have rated it higher – for what it's worth. It certainly doesn’t end badly. It's a very good film, one I’d happily watch again. Would you like it? It’s hard to say, but I do recommend it.

Source on TMDB