In the North Pole, Christmas is a business and the head honcho, Santa (Barry Bostwick), is preparing his daughter Cassie (Jennifer Stone) to take over the family business. Cassie is not thrilled with her destiny – she’s been betrothed to Jack Frost practically since she was born, her career path is a lock – she’s a teenager who just wants to assert some independence. Can you blame her?

Cassie strikes a deal: in exchange for a semester to study “abroad,” she’l return to pick up the Santa reigns and marry as she must to merge the Kringle empire and secure Christmas forever. Cassie knows Christmas is important but for now she’s very happy to escape. Santa sends an elf, Pep ( McKayla Witt) to keep an eye on things but when he drops his daughter off at her dorm, you almost wish he could stay – if you think most dads are pretty discerning about who their daughter dates, imagine if her dad was Santa Claus, who knows exactly who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. Instead, he counsels her that in order to fit in with humans, she should hide her true self and her special abilities, and just blend in.

Anyway, this isn’t some girl power movie, it’s a Christmas rom-com, which means Cassie’s about to meet two seemingly viable suitors: the handsome and rich JR (Joshua Cody) and the broke but sweet Sam (Devon Werkheiser). There are still 102 days until Christmas and plenty of time for things to go wrong.

With the protagonists being so young, this movie is both more cringe-worthy yet more forgivable so than most others in its genre. It has a fresh-ish take on Christmas romance that involves falling in love but falling into other things too, which is important at any age.

Santa is a CEO and a single father – is he also a modern man? Cassie is a curious and independent soul – can she also buckle down to do her duty? And is the world prepared to accept a Lady Claus? Only Santa Girl will tell.