I went to see this movie like I did the second one because I am a very nostalgic person and I wanted to relieve happier parts of my childhood by watching this film in which it's predecessor or The first one was a great delight in my young years. It was one of the few Christmas movies that still holds up for me. About the only other ones that do so are Home Alone, Home Alone 2, A Christmas Carol(1984), and It's A Wonderful Life. I was sad to see though that when I went to see this my childhood images and memories were reduced to a glitzed out pop film with no substance. They spend nearly hour just in the toy shop in this film and never show Tim Allan as Santa interacting with kids on the level he did in the first or for that matter the way he did in the second one either. And Martin Short an actor I really like has been reduced to an overacting buffoon that is only a carbon copy of baddies that have come before him. I also hate the way the returning supporting cast is treated. They never reference that Allan's son should be in college. This is twelve years later and the kid is still in high school. I know this because they say something like at least you did not buy him a car or something to that effect. But I can see where this film would play well to kids who never say the original they would just see it as another movie and one the can hold in their hearts to be destroyed later when they remake it our some garbage like that. The only good thing about this movie for someone of my age (20) and generation is the fact that it brings back Judge (The MAn) Reinhold to the screen. He is the best and has been gone from cinemas for far too long. I say to Judge, get Eddie to make Beverly Hills Cop 4 and forget this career killing dribble. Only watch this if you have small kids, not if your trying to rekindle memories of youth because there are none of those moments here.