Santa Girl (2019)

Santa Girl tells the story of Cassie, the one and only Santa Claus's daughter, who is raised at the North Pole and expected to run the family business. Cassie's mom passed away years ago, prior to the events in the film, and Santa hasn't been the same ever since. On account of how absent-minded he is, he neglects to tell Cassie that she's actually betrothed to a stranger. Needless to say, Cassie is shocked when she finds out that she is to be married to Jack Frost's son, whom she has never met. As she ventures out into the real world, viewers will witness Cassie trying to fit in with her new peers while keeping her magical powers and her famous father a secret. The opening of the movie starts out with Cassie in bed, groaning about how she has to fulfill her duties in running the family business. She feels as if she is controlled by her famous father and is living in Santa Claus's shadow, as she is referred to by everyone as the "Santa Girl". She also suffers from isolation in the North Pole and has no friends. Like many young women, Cassie wants to leave the family's nest and be free to follow her own path and destiny. The acceptance letter she receives from the university that she secretly applied to symbolizes her key to unlock her destiny and represents the freedom to form an identity. Cassie feels torn between carrying on the family business and following her own path to find herself. Her companion, an elf named Pep, accompanies her on her journey into the real world, where she attends the school she dreamed to attend. Cassie's suddenly a fish-out-of-water, as she struggles with keeping her magic powers and her family a secret. She also fears that if people found out about Santa Claus and who she really is, they would only see her as the "Santa Girl". The school that Cassie attends with the regular humans symbolizes the mundane nature of the real world; the real world isn't as glamorous as it seems to be and Cassie has to learn how to take care of herself, as her father is not there to guide her. Cassie soon meets two young men: the sweet yet awkward Sam and the wealthy J.R. She's unaware that J.R. is actually the son of Jack Frost, and that Jack Frost ordered J.R. to pursue Cassie and convince her to marry him. Though Cassie doesn't love J.R., she is determined to honor her father's wish just to unite the two magical families. Cassie also struggles with finding true love as she is forced to choose one man over the other. The loophole that Sam and Santa find in the marriage contract symbolizes Cassie's right to make her own choices and form an identity. With this loophole, Cassie can admit that she really loves Sam and that she will marry whomever she truly loves, rather than carry the family business. Viewers can easily see that forming self-identity is important for Cassie's coming-of-age journey as she struggles to make difficult life choices, from an arranged marriage to finding new friends. This is relevant to the 21st century; in today's world, women have the choice of either getting married or staying single and living alone. In addition, young people can become self-conscious about their families and how they are brought up and raised, as this is part of forming an identity. This is evident in the scene where Cassie is allowed to attend the university she got into. Because Santa cares about Cassie's happiness, he allows her to set off into the real world. Cassie wants to be respected for who she is, and not because she is the "Santa Girl." With this holiday flick, families can discuss with young viewers what labels they relate to, and which they'd love to cast off and toss into the wintry winds.