In honor of the upcoming Winter Break, I have decided to rank one of the most iconic Christmas movie series: “Santa Clause.” These three movies, starring Tim Allen as Santa himself, have been a staple in my childhood. I will be spoiling certain parts of the movies as I discuss, so read at your own risk.

Starting off strong, in first place, we have “Santa Clause Three: The Escape Clause.” Typically, as movie series progress, the later releases seem to disappoint their predecessors immensely, letting down the audience with horrible acting and storylines. However, this series defied this stereotype by only getting better with time. The third movie starts off with Mrs. Clause (also known as Carol Calvin) convincing Santa to take her parents to the North Pole for the holidays. While this sounds fine and dandy, Santa (Scott Calvin) is tasked with keeping his true identity a secret while enjoying Christmas with his in-laws. As exciting and funny as these turn of events are, the true star of the show is Jack Frost, played by Martin Short. Jack Frost plays the antagonist, while providing comedic relief in multiple aspects. He wants to steal Scott’s beloved job of Santa, and with Scott’s in-law stressors, he sees a perfect opportunity to commence his plan. The movie will take you through ups and downs, leaving you wondering if/how Scott will ever become Santa again. For these reasons and more, the movie gets a 10/10.

Next up, we have the original “Santa Clause.” This movie is a spin on Christmas Movies that many audience members hadn’t seen before, given that the movie was released in 1994. It all starts when Scott and his son, Charlie, hear something on the roof in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. Charlie suspects that Santa and his reindeer have arrived, however, Scott is skeptical. When they go outside to investigate, they find that Charlie’s suspicions were correct. They accidentally scare Santa, causing him to fall off of the roof. The two are then magically transported to the North Pole where the head elf, Bernard, explains to Scott that he must take on the role of Santa before next Christmas. While first in disbelief, Scott eventually accepts his duties with pride and Christmas lives to see another year. I love this movie and it will forever hold a special place in my heart. However, I found the character of Jack Frost to be a very welcome and hilarious addition to the series, causing this movie to fall to number two.

Last, but certainly not least: “Santa Clause Two.” Scott has been Santa for over eight years now and he has excelled in the role. Everything is going smoothly for the upcoming Christmas until Charlie gets put on the naughty list. If that weren’t enough of a crisis, Scott was also informed that he must get married by Christmas Eve in order to retain his beloved role as Santa. While navigating both situations and trying his best to overcome them, Charlie ultimately changes his ways and Scott finds a wonderful woman to marry before Christmas Eve, allowing him to keep his job. Although the movie is heart warming and definitely something my family will be watching during the holidays, it doesn’t compare to the others, hence the third place rating.

Sitting around my family members with hot chocolate and the fireplace roaring while watching these movies and countless others will forever hold a special place in my heart. If you haven’t seen these movies, your homework over the break is to watch them immediately.