Though its not supposed to be released till next month on DVD, a friend of mine was able to get me a copy of Arthur Christmas .. shhhhh
I was gonna wait a couple weeks to watch it with my son but neither of us had seen it and he was really excited when he found the box. We watched it last night and I have to say that it was pretty fantastic, a great kids movie and fun for us grown ups too.
The idea, for those who haven't seen it, is that Santa isn't an immortal being (though he presumably lives very long) and the role is passed father to son going back generations. There is the Cold and Calculated heir apparent who is eager to take the red suit and the quirky goof, Arthur, who just loves Christmas and his family. Santa misses a single child on Christmas eve and Arthur takes it upon himself (with the help of his grandfather and a black sheep elf) to get the gift to the child.
Worth a buy or rent for those with kids -- or the kids at heart.
"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." ~Charles Dickens