The Claus Family

Plot

Suzanne moves with her children Jules and Noor from the Netherlands to Belgium after finding work in a Belgian biscuit factory. While she is at work, her father-in-law Noël looks after the children. Jules accidentally discovers a magical snow globe among his grandfather's belongings that can transport him anywhere in the world. He also learns that Noël is the real Santa Claus, operating a secret workshop at the North Pole with the help of elves. When Noël develops health problems and can no longer deliver Christmas presents, Jules is compelled to take over. Jules hates Christmas because his father died the previous year on Christmas Eve, and he is reluctant to help. His reluctance grows when he learns that Santa Claus does not live forever and that the eldest child in each generation of his family must assume the role when the predecessor dies or becomes too old. Meanwhile, the biscuit factory faces bankruptcy because management refuses to invest in new flavors. Suzanne tries to bake her signature colorful cookies to bring light to dark times, but she is caught and loses her job after Jules fails to answer her calls. Still bitter over his father's death, Jules storms to his room. His babysitter Ella, later revealed to be an amputee who lost part of her leg, tells him that while no one can force him to move on, he must learn to let go of the past and stop terrorizing others out of self-pity. She encourages him to open a letter his father left him. Jules admits he fears that opening the letter would mean his father is truly gone and that it would be a final goodbye. Suzanne, ashamed of her outburst, talks with a friend from the cookie factory about the family's grief since her husband's accident. She and Jules reconcile, and she confesses she is also grieving but trying to find a way forward for the family. Inspired by Ella and his mother, Jules reads his father's letter, which says that although his father is dead, he lives on in his son. Comforted, Jules resolves to save Christmas and fulfill his destiny.