The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
Where to watch
We haven’t pinned down where The Night Before the Night Before Christmas is streaming yet — check JustWatch.
The premise
When Santa sets off on his Christmas duties a day early, crashes into the Fox family's house, ends up with amnesia, and loses his magic sack of presents, he needs help. But the Foxes are a modern and broken family. Can they help him? The parents are preoccupied with work and the kids aren't very festive. But it's up to them to help Santa find his magical bag of toys or Christmas will be ruined--and the clock is ticking. Forced to set their own problems aside and work together, the Fox family rediscover how much they enjoy being together and realize that they might need to reprioritize their lives. The Night Before The Night Before Christmas is a crazy Christmas fantasy for all the family, brimming with festive spirit.
How unusual is it?
Very. Magic, santa is real, amnesia and Santa himself all turn up in one movie — the strangest 1% of everything we've logged.
Who’s in it
Alongside them
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Behind the camera
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Directed by
Written by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- Santa Claus literally falling off a roof and being kept on a couch like a stray pet
- A head elf named Nigel Thumb who gets into a physical altercation with a festival security guard
- The recurring plot point of a 'hamburger phone' being a disappointing Christmas gift
- Reindeer being hidden in a suburban Milwaukee backyard for an entire day without neighbors noticing
- The 'magic word' to make reindeer fly being the name of Santa's wife
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 28 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Time & season3
How it ends3
Why we’d put this one on
Weirdness 10, and the premise is total chaos: Santa goes out a day early, crashes onto the Fox family's Milwaukee roof, loses his memory and his magic sack of presents, and ends up parked on the couch like a stray. Jennifer Beals plays the work-obsessed mom. There is a head elf named Nigel Thumb who brawls with a festival security guard, reindeer hidden in a suburban backyard all day, and a hamburger phone treated as a tragic gift. At 5.6 it is a loud, busy family romp. Bring the kids and lean into the silliness.
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
The film begins at the North Pole on December 23rd, where Nigel Thumb, the head elf, accidentally sends Santa Claus out on his journey a full 24 hours early. Due to the lack of 'Christmas Magic' available before Christmas Eve, Santa crashes his sleigh onto the roof of the Fox family home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Santa falls from the roof and develops amnesia, while his reindeer and sleigh remain hidden in the backyard. The Fox family—consisting of workaholic father Wayne, stressed photographer mother Angela, cynical teenager Hannah, and young Toby—find the amnesiac Santa and take him in, initially believing he is a mall performer. Toby, however, is convinced he is the real Santa.
Nigel arrives shortly after, tracking Santa via GPS, and explains the catastrophe: without Santa's memory and his magical bag, Christmas cannot happen. The situation is complicated by the fact that the Fox parents are constantly distracted by their phones and work emergencies. Toby discovers that the magical bag was accidentally donated to the Christmas Hope Foundation. The family embarks on a frantic search for the bag, tracking it from a thrift store to a 'Fantasy Fair' festival, and finally to a homeless shelter called December House. During the search, the family's dysfunction reaches a breaking point when Toby runs away, feeling that his parents care more about their jobs than him. This serves as a wake-up call for Wayne and Angela, who both quit their work tasks to focus on their son.
At the homeless shelter, Santa regains his sense of purpose by handing out gifts from the recovered bag. The bag miraculously produces an altimeter needed to fix the sleigh, proving to Wayne that Santa is real. Back at the Fox home, the group struggles to make the reindeer fly because Santa cannot remember the 'magic word.' In a final emotional moment, Angela repeats a piece of advice Mrs. Claus gave Santa earlier in the film about staying warm. This triggers Santa's memory; he realizes the magic word is 'Mrs. Claus.' Santa and Nigel depart just in time for Christmas Eve, leaving the Fox family reunited and happy, as Toby’s wish for snow and a puppy finally comes true.
Beat by beat
Opening
Nigel the elf accidentally launches Santa's sleigh on December 23rd, leading to a crash in Milwaukee.
Inciting Incident
Santa falls off the Fox family's roof and develops amnesia; the family takes him in.
Midpoint
Nigel arrives and reveals that the magical bag is missing, having been donated to charity by mistake.
Complication
The family tracks the bag through a festival but Toby runs away when his parents prioritize work calls over the search.
Climax
The bag is recovered at a homeless shelter and provides the part needed to fix the sleigh, but the reindeer won't fly without a magic word.
Resolution
Santa remembers the magic word is 'Mrs. Claus,' regains his memory, and departs as the Fox family celebrates their new bond.
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
It scores a perfect 10 on our weirdness scale — 1 of just 15 movies in the whole catalog to do that.
It's 1 of only 8 Hallmark movies to combine supernatural elements and amnesia.
Top 1% weirdest
Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 1%.
The backstory
- Filmed in Ontario.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog The Night Before the Night Before Christmas belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
- Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 10/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
- Craziest Hallmark MoviesWild enough in premise to make the all-time list.
- Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
- Weirdest Hallmark Christmas MoviesA Christmas movie strange enough to make the weird list.
- Hallmark Supernatural MoviesHas a supernatural element.
- Hallmark Amnesia MoviesMemory loss drives the plot.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“The first rule of winter: put something warm on the inside... so you won't feel cold on the outside.”
— Mrs. Claus / SantaA recurring piece of advice that eventually restores Santa's memory. “Inside every cynical, self-absorbed teenager beats the heart of a little girl, who can't resist large furry animals.”
— Angela FoxObserving her daughter Hannah bonding with the reindeer. “If that's not Christmas Magic, Nigel, then I don't know what is.”
— Santa ClausReferring to the Fox family finally singing together and acting like a family again.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Santa Claus
LeadChristmas Icon
Guest/Catalyst
AmnesiacKindConfusedGentleWayne Fox
LeadAviation Parts Manager
Father of the family
WorkaholicSkepticalStressedAngela Fox
LeadPhotographer
Mother of the family
DistractedCreativeGuilt-riddenNigel Thumb
SupportingHead Elf
Santa's assistant
AnxiousTaskmasterLoyalShort-temperedToby Fox
SupportingStudent
Son
BelieverCharitableSensitiveHannah Fox
SupportingStudent
Daughter
CynicalSarcasticTeenager
Questions people ask about The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
How long is The Night Before the Night Before Christmas?
The Night Before the Night Before Christmas runs about 1 hour and 28 minutes, and was released in 2010.
Is The Night Before the Night Before Christmas a Christmas movie?
Yes. The Night Before the Night Before Christmas is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.
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Data and sources
Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .