Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas

Yes, faith-based films have religious themes, but they should also have a plot, actors, dialogue, and a story; by that measure, Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas can barely be considered a movie. There's no real plot; almost the entire movie boils down to one long conversation in which Cameron decides to "take back" Christmas traditions from their historical context and imbue them with more strictly religious symbolism. For example, Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas, and he kicked heretic butt during the Council of Nicaea, even if it wasn't "politically correct" for him to do so. Or, the Christmas tree can be a reminder of the crucifixion -- the tree on which Jesus willingly gave his life. And a pile of wrapped presents under a Christmas tree can remind Christian shoppers of the skyline for the New Jerusalem, where believers will spend an eternity with God.

The most surprising thing about this movie is that Cameron isn't taking on or debating the secular humanists who believe that, as a religious holiday, Christmas shouldn't be thrust upon them during the post-Halloween, pre-New Year time period. Instead, Cameron hopes to gently correct other believers into understanding that, as he sees it, God wants them to spend lavishly on one another, party hard, and go full Pinterest-mode on decorations every Christmas. In other words, he's saying there's nothing wrong with a big, fat, material celebration of the holiday, and those within the faith community who'd rather focus on charity and austerity are just party-pooping curmudgeons who are missing the point entirely. Why anyone would pay to hear Cameron preach about why Christmas should be full of presents, hot cocoa, and Santa photos is indeed a Christmas miracle.