THE SANTA CLAUSES: Episodes 2.1 to 2.3

Here's the decision. The first three episodes of THE SANTA CLAUSES: Season Two are genuinely warm, funny, and heartwarming. Tim Allen's wisecracks as Santa and as a father are hilarious, and he exudes real warmth as he juggles crazy family situations and the quirks of the North Pole. The worldview is pro-family, with positive references to Christmas — including a brief nod to the original Saint Nicholas and the real meaning of Christmas.

But a subplot pulls the other way. Scott's daughter, Sandra, struggling with new magical powers her parents don't understand, turns to the local witch rather than to her mother and father. It's a minor thread in Episode Two and a major one in Episode Three. The show treats it comically — lightly mocking the powers — but not strongly enough, and it doesn't clearly denounce witchcraft.

So this is one to watch first, or watch together. There's real delight here, but the witchcraft thread deserves a parent's eye and a conversation. Wait and see.

Scott Calvin has named his son, Cal, to succeed him as Santa Claus. There's just one problem: Cal is afraid of heights — and has some crazy ideas about the future. As Scott tries to train him, his teenage daughter, Sandra, wrestles with strange new North Pole powers that let her hear every animal around her, and neither Scott nor his wife, Carol, understands what's happening.

Meanwhile, a set of accidents unleashes the worst Santa who ever lived: Magnus Antas, a 15th-century tyrant the elves once trapped away. Freed at last, the Mad Santa wants his power back — and the North Pole with it.

Three stars, and they're well earned. The comedy lands, the heart lands, and Tim Allen anchors both. His timing as a wisecracking Santa is as sharp as ever, but the show's secret weapon is warmth — the way he plays a father muddling through impossible family situations while running the North Pole. These first three episodes are full of funny, entertaining, heartwarming scenes.

The larger canvas helps too: a nervous heir, a daughter coming into powers she can't control, secretive elves, and a genuinely menacing villain in the Mad Santa give the season more to chew on than easy holiday filler. It's an accomplished piece of family television that would rate higher still without its problem subplot.

At its core, this is a warm, pro-family story. It honors marriage, parents, and children, and it points — however lightly — to Christmas, including a brief but positive reference to the original Saint Nicholas teaching the real meaning of the season and the birth of Jesus. That's the show's better instinct, and it's worth celebrating in a holiday series.

The trouble is Sandra's storyline. Overwhelmed by powers her parents can't understand, she turns not to her mother and father but to the local witch, La Befana, for lessons in witchcraft. The series plays this for laughs, and the comedy lightly mocks the use of such powers — but not strongly enough, and the show stops short of clearly denouncing witchcraft. Whether the season eventually condemns it remains to be seen.

That's the tension worth naming for your family: a story that rightly exalts home, faithfulness, and Christmas, while treating occult power as a source of help rather than harm. Scripture doesn't leave that ambiguous. It calls God's people away from such practices and toward Him alone: "There shall not be found among you anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes... or a sorcerer" (Deuteronomy 18:10). The deeper answer to Sandra's loneliness isn't a witch's lessons — it's the family, and the God, who made her.

There's a lot to love here — Tim Allen's warmth, real laughs, and a genuinely pro-family Christmas heart. But the witchcraft subplot, played for laughs and left unrebuked, keeps us from waving the whole family through. So watch it first, or watch it together, and talk it out: wait and see. Looking for something to enjoy in the meantime? Try our latest family-friendly picks.