The story of sister and brother, Kate and Teddy Pierce, whose Christmas Eve plan to catch Santa Claus on camera turns into an unexpected journey that most kids could only dream about.
Make some cocoa for the family, and spike yours if you have to, but remember what the holiday is about: watching mediocre, predictable movies with the people you love.
Russell, he of the shaggy mane and those twinkly, crinkly eyes, digs into the classic role with a sleighful of energy, humor and gusto, deftly making the character his own with guidance from Matt Lieberman's inventive, myth-bending script.
Between the atrocious green-screen work, the blatant stock footage helicopter shots of city skylines and painfully obvious Toronto-for-America locations, you would be forgiven for thinking this movie was made in 1992.
The whole thing is out-and-out tinsel-dunked tat, but oddly honourable with it - the Christmas spirit might be just a few steps up from bathtub grade, but it still packs a kick.
With its saccharine score, saturated cinematography, and trite platitudes, the film is formulaic and forgettable except for Kurt Russell's performance as the lovable legend.
There's a lot going on in "Chronicles," but the feature really finds itself when holding on Russell, who's having a blast in the lead role, gifted a chance to be funny, physical, and even sing.
It's as predictable as an Advent calendar, but thanks to Kurt Russell's grizzly charms, The Christmas Chronicles at least gives us one of the movies' best Santas yet.
