Warning: spoilers for Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles 2 are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, consider this your warning to turn back before you spoil your Christmas presents.
Another dose of holiday cheer hit Netflix recently as The Christmas Chronicles 2 premiered over the Thanksgiving weekend. Seeing the return of Kurt Russell’s Santa, along with the addition of Goldie Hawn’s Mrs. Claus being brought back as a more substantial character, means that the beginning of holiday movie season is definitely upon us. Not to mention, the results of The Christmas Chronicles 2’s ending mean that a new Christmas tradition could be in the works.
Most importantly, this latest entry in the hit franchise that co-writer/director Chris Columbus has helped put together sees the Christmas spirit alive and well. This is a good time to remind you, the audience, that we’re about to unwrap what happens in the ending of The Christmas Chronicles 2. So if you don’t want to be spoiled, you’re now doubly warned. And with that, we can now get into the latest adventures of Santa Claus and the Pierce family, and how they set up a bright future for The Christmas Chronicles saga.
What Happened At The End Of The Christmas Chronicles 2
The mischievous elf turned human Belsnickel (Julian Dennison) fails to take over Christmas for himself, despite leading to the destruction of what hides and powers the North Pole, the Christmas Star. As Santa (Kurt Russell) and Kate (Darby Camp) restore the star, as well as order to the workshop, Belsnickel turns out to be more apologetic than we thought. He misses being an elf, despite consciously causing the mischief that turned himself human in the first place. But Santa and Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn) still believe in a second chance for their former elf.
As a symbol of their belief, Santa gives Belsnickel the first toy they ever built: a miniature butterfly. Through the urging of the Claus family, as well as Kate and her potential step brother Jack (Jahzir Bruno), Belsnickel finds the faith to believe in his inner elf, and transforms back into a holiday helper. Taking to heart the message of, “Christmas isn’t about where you are, but who you’re with, ”he’s allowed to be reunited with the Claus family.
Delivering Kate and Jack back to their potential future family, as her mother (Kimberly Willimas-Paisley) and his father (Tyrese Gibson) are currently dating, the two heroes are more bonded than ever. While initially afraid that their parents’ relationship would mean they’ve forgotten the spouses they’ve both lost in the past, Kate and Jack learn that the potential future isn’t so upsetting. As Kate and Jack’s family start to sing “O Christmas Tree” on a sunny beach in Mexico, the Claus family and their elves, including Belsnickel, start to sing the song in the village square.
How The Christmas Chronicles 2 Brings The Pierce Family Together
An adventure is a sure fire way of turning potential enemies into friends. Kate Pierce and Jack Booker initially were not huge fans of their parents dating, and potentially forming a family together. But just as The Christmas Chronicles saw Kate and her older brother Teddy (Judah Lewis) reconnecting through the spirit of Christmas, The Christmas Chronicles 2 gives both Kate and Jack closure with their departed parental figures.
For Jack, it’s his adventure on behalf of Mrs. Claus that helps him move past the grief over his mother’s passing. His mother always told him to “be my hero,” so when Mrs. Claus invokes that very same message before his quest, he finds the courage he needs to get the job done. The usually nervous Jack actually becomes a hero, saving the day by harvesting the antidote to the Elfsbane that Belsnickel drugged the elves with.
Meanwhile, Kate gets to go back in time and properly say goodbye to her father… even if it’s the younger 1990 version of his self. Through her talk with the child version of her father, she learns to work through her feelings and be open to the family that might be forming right in front of her. All it took was a little bit of childlike mischief with her dad, and another big musical number to bring it all home.
How The Christmas Chronicles 2 Reunites Belsnickel With The Claus Family
Usually in these sorts of adventures, it’s the Claus family that’s teaching the world how to reunite. But this time, Santa and Mrs. Claus get a reason to be thankful through a Christmas reunion of their own. The rift between the North Pole operation and Belsnickel was never one that the Claus family enforced. While he was a bad elf, and engaged in enough mischief to turn human; Belsnickel was still missed by the Claus family. They didn’t even kick him out; as he exiled himself, and let his thoughts turn to evil.
While he tried, and failed, to pull off the ultimate plot against the Christmas establishment, Santa and Mrs. Claus still keep their arms open to their former elf’s return. Never failing to believe in him, they even do this shortly after another attempt to destroy the newly forged Christmas Star. Accepting their love, as well as his own personal fault, is all that Belsnickel needed to become an elf again. Reconciling with his own family, he’s allowed to rejoin the elves at the North Pole, smoothing things over once and for all.
Where Could The Christmas Chronicles Franchise Go In The Future
Interestingly enough, The Christmas Chronicles 2 looks to have seeded some clues as to where the series overall could be headed. There’s certainly not a shyness about the fact that Kurt Russell and Chris Columbus have ideas of what to do in the future. Otherwise, Goldie Hawn’s Mrs. Claus would have never been set up at the end of the first film, as the first big step towards the future. Though this time, the future seems to be in the hands of none other than Kate Pierce.
Once again, the fact that the Pierce family is made of true believers comes into play, as Mrs. Claus mentions it in the big dinner table scene at the North Pole. There’s a power to this that seems to be hinted at, but never truly explained in The Christmas Chronicles 2, and it only became more of a candy cane striped flag as that particular scene went on. Kate seems to think that she’s fated to be up at the North Pole, and she lays out the following evidence in support:
I already speak Elvish, I’ve been on the Big Ride, and I could bring a fresh perspective to the whole operation.
To have gone through not one, but two different Christmases where Kate Pierce gets to save the day feels like all the proof you’d need. But the fact that the entire Pierce line has been “true believers” seems to be the window into the future that The Christmas Chronicles 2 needs to open for any of its potential sequels to walk into the future. Actor Darby Camp, who returned to not only that holiday chaos, but also the role of Kate, couldn’t agree more. During our recent interview on behalf of the film, Camp had the following to say about Kate’s potential future, and whether or not Kate Pierce is destined to become a North Pole regular:
I think she is, and I hope she is, because that’d be a blast. And I really do think that she’d thrive in the North Pole.
Much like the Christmas Star is reforged by the magic of Santa in The Christmas Chronicles 2, the Claus family knows how to weave an adventure that can bring a family back together with what they need to hear. With a bond stronger than anything the holidays can throw at them, the Pierce/Booker families could be headed into a bright future together. But of course, that’s a story for another day, in another movie. The Christmas Chronicles 2 is currently available for streaming on Netflix, as well as The Christmas Chronicles; just in time to kick off (or continue) your holiday movie season.
