Christmas movies that lie about Santa Claus

Some Christmas movies get Santa Claus right, telling the truth about the man with the red suit and white beard, who delivers presents to children all over the world. But some festive flicks tell lies, with the following three of the very worst examples.

Filled with magic, wonder, and joy, the Santa story is amazing. So-much-so that it has been used in scores of Christmas flicks, from Santa Claus: The Movie and Elf, to The Santa Clause and The Christmas Chronicles.

Some have added to the legend, with Get Santa sending him to prison, and Violent Night turning Father Christmas into a deadly warrior. But Santa’s story – featuring reindeer, a sleigh, the North Pole, and a huge toy workshop – has remained largely the same.

Some films have made up lies about Santa however, through the shocking claim that Saint Nick doesn’t actually exist. Bah humbug!

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins isn’t a movie aimed at kids, but thanks to the adorable Gizmo – and a cute marketing campaign – it was watched by pretty much every child in the 1980s. And this scene certainly messed with my 8-year-old head when I caught the creature feature on video.

The lie in question happens when Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells Billy (Zach Galligan) how she “found out” there was “no Santa.” Here’s the shocking speech in full, ending with that big fib.

“It was Christmas Eve. I was 9-years-old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple of hours went by. Dad wasn’t home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went and still nothing. So the police began a search.

“Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. And that’s when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird.

“Instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He’d been climbing down the chimney on Christmas Eve, his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that’s how I found out there was no Santa Claus.”

Black Widow (2021)

You wouldn’t expect a superhero movie – about a trained assassin – to try and debunk the Santa story, but in 2021, Black Widow did just that.

The scene happens midway through proceedings, during an awkward family dinner. Sitting around the table are Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena (Florence Pugh), Alexei (David Harbour), and Melina (Rachel Weisz). Talk turns to the lies Alexei told his children when they were kids.

Melina says: “It’s like when you told them that they could stay up late to catch Santa Claus.” To which Alexei responds: “What? That was fun. You know, ‘He come down the chimney, girls. Look out, where is he?’ You wait for him, and then when the cookies are gone, then you see he’s there… I want them to follow their dreams.”

Melina says that such a falsehood is “No good.” While Natasha calls it a “fantasy.” A lie that’s made all-the-more ironic by David Harbour playing the real Santa in Violent Night just one year later.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Christmas Cabin Fever (2023)

The new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie caused controversy this week, and rightly so, as in a roundabout way, the movie suggests that there isn’t any Santa.

The animated sequel is set during the weeks leading up to Christmas, with ‘Wimpy Kid’ Greg stressing about whether or not he will receive a game console on the big day.

Santa appears on a calendar, in a TV special that plays during the movie, and Mom even introduces a toy elf that she states is watching the boys on behalf of Father Christmas, to see if they are being naughty or nice.

But then Greg finds his MegaStation 9000 in the linen closet. Suggesting that his parents – and not Santa – buy his presents. This plot device enables Greg to generously give his present away on Christmas Eve. While the elf appears to come to life at the very end of the movie, which somewhat confuses the issue.

But by then the damage is done, in a movie that’s officially aimed at children aged six years and up. Making Diary of a Wimpy Kid the most heinous offender on this list.

For far better celluloid Santa tales, check out our list of the 25 greatest Christmas movies.