History Main / SavingChristmas

** The sequel, ''Film/TheSantaClause2'', has Scott/Santa to find and marry a MrsClause in order to keep his Santa magic. He also has to face [[AIIsACrapshot a toy Santa gone made who takes over the North Pole and wants to punish every child in the world]].

* ''Film/TheSantaClause'' features Tim Allen as a divorced man who must become the new Santa when the old one is killed falling off the roof of his house. It's a slight variant: He has an entire year to transform.
** ''The Santa Clause 3'' has the other kind of Santa flavour: Santa is betrayed by Jack Frost, who proceeds to turn the North Pole into a theme park and hotel.

-->'''Santa:''' Bunny is right. For once, [[LampshadeHanging Easter IS more important than Christmas.]]

* '''The Apocalypse with Bad Timing''' -- The local area, or even the entire world, is in danger of being hit by an asteroid, consumed by an ApocalypseHow, destroyed or taken over by some super villain, etc... and to add insult to injury, it just so happens to be Christmastime! The heroes, possibly with Santa and his helpers assisting, have to save the day, and by extension save Christmas.

* ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'' is an inversion - the Grinch is out to *wreck* Christmas and fails, despite his plan working perfectly, because the Whos show that Christmas isn’t something that can be stolen and this isn’t in need of saving. Even returning all the stuff he stole doesn’t save Christmas, it saves himself. Of course, the approach became so iconic that [[HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas it codified an entire subtrope]].

* ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'' is an inversion - the Grinch is out to *wreck* Christmas and fails, despite his plan working perfectly. Returning all the stuff he stole doesn’t save Christmas, it saves himself. Of course, the approach became so iconic that [[HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas it codified an entire subtrope]].

* ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'' is an extremely iconic example, where the Grinch has to bring all the Christmas paraphernalia back after stealing it. [[HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas To the point where it codified an entire subtrope]].

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' has the bonus mission 'Operation Claws'. In it the [[IncrediblyLamePun Zer]][[Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas grinch]] kidnaps Santa, and the entire mission is based around rescuing him.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "Baby's First Christmas" involved the Smurfs working to save Christmas after their Santa Expy Mr. Nicholas had his heart poisoned by hate when Chlorhydris the evil witch kissed him under mistletoe that was used with an evil spell.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'''s episode, "Holiday Hi-Jynx", has the characters going to return Santa's lost Jynx to the North Pole. The Team Rocket trio follows them and tries to steal all of Santa's presents because Jessie wants to get back at Santa for stealing her dolly. This turns out to be a misunderstanding; Santa's Jynx took the broken doll to be fixed and couldn't bring it back because Jessie no longer lived in the same place.

* In the last third of ''Film/{{Elf}}'', the engine on Santa's sleigh falls out, and Buddy and his family must make Manhattan believe in Santa -- without a sighting -- in order to re-power the sleigh.

* The ''VideoGame/AloneInTheDark'' GaidenGame ''VideoGame/JackInTheDark''. You play as Grace Saunders -- a young girl who would be important in the then-upcoming ''Videogame/AloneInTheDark2'' -- and have to rescue Santa Claus from a [[LivingToys Living Toy]] version of the BigBad of ''Alone in the Dark 2''.

* ''Merry WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' begins when Santa and his sleigh crash-land on the island, giving the jolly gentleman a case of amnesia. So it falls to Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria -- along with the ever-inventive Penguins -- to deliver the presents and save Christmas.

* ''LightNovel/MagiciansAcademy'' had a Personal Santa and a SecretTestOfCharacter scenario. The episode involved finding a toy Takuto wanted as a kid through a ChainOfDeals, culminating in a high speed explosive car chase.

* Music/Hinatazaka46's Christmas concerts in 2019 and 2020 have a loosely-connected storyline about saving the ChristmasTown in the WorldAboveTheClouds.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "A Christmas Carol", Lola attempts to restore the town's Christmas spirit after a heatwave hits town by staging a production of ''A Christmas Carol'', while Foghorn Leghorn attempts to save Christmas by installing a giant fan at the North Pole in order to make it snow (ItMakesSenseInContext).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "A Christmas Carol", Lola attempts to restore the town's Christmas spirit after a heatwave hits town by staging a production of ''A Christmas Carol'', while Foghorn Leghorn attempts to save Christmas by installing a giant fan at the North Pole (ItMakesSenseInContext).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "A Christmas Carol", Lola attempts to restore the town's Christmas spirit after a heatwave gits town by staging a production of ''A Christmas Carol'', while Foghorn Leghorn attempts to save Christmas by installing a giant fan at the North Pole (ItMakesSenseInContext).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "A Christmas Carol", Lola attempts to restore the town's Christmas spirit by staging a production of ''A Christmas Carol'', while Foghorn Leghorn attempts to save Christmas by installing a giant fan at the North Pole (ItMakesSenseInContext).

** This is how Joe became a wheelchair user. [[spoiler:Yes, it had [[Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas a certain Dr. Seuss character]] cameo.]]

** The first one is where Timmy wishes for Christmas everyday, ending in an overworked Santa, powerless fairies (they give most of their magic to Santa) and peeved mascots of the other holidays. Timmy has to save Santa from the wrathful folk before convincing the other kids to wish for the day after Christmas.

* ''Film/ErnestSavesChristmas'' was probably the first film to use the Legacy Character Santa plot; Ernest is helping the current Santa contact his successor, a doubtful children's performer. At one point Santa ends up in jail and Ernest has to break him out; the latter's worried what will happen to Santa locked in a cell with a bunch of hardened criminals. IronicEchoCut to Santa leading the hardened criminals in singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Also contains one of the most badass lines ever said by Santa:

* ''Film/SantaClausTheMovie'' (1985) was made by the producers of the original run of live-action ''Superman'' films and critics noted its similar structure: it first presents Santa's {{Backstory}}, then moves on to what was then ThePresentDay as a CorruptCorporateExecutive solely interested in making money off of the holiday draws upon the talents of a well-meaning but naive elf who ran away from the North Pole to prove himself. While Santa does get upstaged for one Christmas, the story ends with things put to rights for the future. Thus it counts as Santa's Origin Story and Taking Over Christmas, is probably the first use of The Elf That Tried Too Hard (hence the name), and for bonus points works The Sleigh Is Broke! into the climax (which takes place a few weeks ''after'' Christmas; two reindeer have come down with the flu, making Santa's race to rescue the elf and a homeless boy harder).

* The TV movie ''The Night They Saved Christmas'' combines a visit to the Pole with the sabotage plot. The sabotage is unintentional on the part of oil prospectors who are dynamiting the nearby area and don't know/believe Santa and the gang exist, so the family of a company employee is brought to "North Pole City" so they can understand the problem and prevent the city from being destroyed.

** '''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero The Elf Who Tried Too Hard]]''' -- An elf, Mrs. Claus, etc. '''knows''' their abilities but feels unappreciated if not unwanted by Santa (whether they actually ''are'' varies). To prove their worthiness to Santa and the world they set out to ''improve'' Christmas in some way but ends up -- sometimes with the "help" of a villain who sees an opportunity to cause trouble -- causing a holiday-threatening crisis that they and/or Santa need to fix.
** '''How TheAntiGrinch Spoiled Christmas''' -- A third party wishes to have a beautiful Christmas or provide it to everybody, unfortunately their zeal, their bumbling and whichever methods they choose all assist in bringing disaster. SubbingForSanta ''by force'' is an occasional application of this trope, although something as dumb as injuring Santa with their OverTheTopChristmasDecorations or wronging someone with their stupidity (which tosses them and those they love into the Naughty list head-first) is much more common.

Compare AnAsskickingChristmas (for when "messing with Christmas" and "saving Christmas" both involve the gratuitous application of firepower). See also SubbingForSanta (for when saving Christmas means literally walking a mile in Santa's shoes).