Christmas movies can be sappy or overly sentimental.  The good ones are not.  In It’s a Wonderful LIfe, George Bailey is a man who is knocked flat by life, and kills himself.  The dark is necessary for a meaningful journey to the light.

Klaus is a good Christmas movie that gives an explanation for Christmas traditions without a Christmas miracle.

The setting is your typical pre-industrial Northern European country. Jesper is the son of a powerful man who realizes that his son intentionally fails at every task so that he can go back to being privileged, layabout, Euro-trash.

Dad gets Jesper appointed as the postmaster to a frozen outpost in Norway.  Jesper either rises to the occasion, or is cut off.  The village seems hopeless.  A school teacher who is more jaded and worthless than Jesper, explains that the locals are horrible people.

Jesper encounters Klaus, an intimidating woodsman, who is widowed and given up all hope.

My theory is that Klaus is Thor, banished from Asgard, to live amongst the humans.

Jesper hatches a plan to activate the post office by having children write letters to Klaus asking for a toy.  Klaus has toys he made for the kids he never had.  The ornery teacher restarts the school to teach the kids how to write letters.

The local leaders liked their town when everyone was dumb and mean-spirited, so they oppose Klaus and Jesper.  The Sámi people are the indigenous people of Norway, and help Klaus and Jesper.

The movie explains why gifts are given at Christmas, coal for bad kids, with a sleigh, down the chimney, reindeer, the flying reindeer and the red suit.

Jesper and the teacher are redeemed and marry.  The local leaders come around, the town thrives, and eventually, Klaus/Thor is welcomed back to Asgard.  I’m speculating on that last part, but it fits the facts.

Klaus is a good looking animated film, with impressive cast doing the voices.  It’s on Netflix, and is a solid 9 out of 10.