Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Mike Rohl, Netflix’s ‘My Secret Santa’ chronicles the adventures of Taylor Jacobson, a down-on-her-luck single mother who decides to do the unthinkable by secretly becoming a professional Santa. After being unceremoniously fired in the midst of the Christmas season, Taylor learns that her daughter has been accepted at the prestigious Sun Peak Snowboarding Academy. However, the tuition is way beyond her budget, and the only way she can make it work is by being an employee of the academy’s parent resort. However, with the only job opening being that of a professional Kris Kringle, she is left with no option but to don a body suit and elaborate prosthetics, complete with Santa’s signature beard and attire.
Hoping to pretend her way into success, she launches herself into the job, not knowing that she will find genuine companionship in the form of Sun Peak’s general manager and heir, Matthew Layne. Thus, while the Christmas romance movie is about Taylor’s hilarious exploits, it is also a sincere exploration of her budding bond with Matthew, and how they move past their traumatic past and towards new beginnings.
Taylor and Matthew End the Movie as Two Lovebirds
At the end of ‘My Secret Santa,’ Taylor and Matthew confess their feelings to each other on the live stage and decide to spend Christmas together as a couple. The conclusion is hard fought, and comes after the truth about Taylor’s being Hugh Mann, Sun Peak Resort’s beloved Santa, is revealed to the whole world. Matthew, however, doesn’t have much of a problem with her secret identity, and instead jokes about missing Hugh in the Christmas festivities. Thus, their reunion brings all the loose narrative threads together, culminating in their romantic relationship. For Taylor, becoming Santa is synonymous with falling in love with Matthew, both in its highs and lows, which shows just how profound an impact he had on her life. While Matthew’s father is initially upset by Taylor’s involvement in the recent scheme of things, by the end of her heartfelt confession to his son, he joins the crowd in cheering the duo on.
On their first interaction, Taylor and Matthew bond over their shared love of indie and punk music, with the name Screaming Kittens popping up in the discussion. While Matthew is a huge fan of the band, it takes him a while to realize that its lead singer is none other than Taylor herself. In that vein, the news of her quitting music entirely comes as a shock to him and ends up being the most important talking point in the rest of their dynamic. While Matthew wishes that she restarts her music career, Taylor struggles to balance her responsibilities with her true desires in life. Thus, music in the movie represents two different narrative layers, charting both Taylor’s journey towards self-rediscovery and her love for the man who served as a catalyst in the process. Through their talks about reviving Screaming Kittens, Matthew and she both gain a better understanding of each other in a manner that conventional interactions could never have achieved.
Taylor and Matthew Amplify Each Other’s Best
While Taylor’s arc is one of letting go of her emotional burdens and following her heart’s calling, Matthew’s story flows somewhere in the opposite direction. Infamous online for being a reckless party animal who has spent his entire life on his father’s wealth, he struggles to find balance until he meets Taylor. From the get-go, she is conscious of the class barriers that exist between them and how Taylor has had the luxury to explore and exhaust all the options in his life. Still, his time with Taylor is what helps him focus on what he truly desires, and following this, the changes in his personality are evident. Notably, her job as Santa also plays a symbolic part in all of this, as her carefully thought-out messages and gifts for children also prompt Matthew to look inwards and address his deepest fears. The fact that she is capable to be on level footing with him without any judgment is what makes him fall for her.
The final scene of ‘My Secret Santa’ jumps a bit ahead in time, with Taylor, Matthew, and their respective families now celebrating Christmas in one household. We learn that Taylor has been promoted as the Executive Director of Family Events, which makes sense given her acute understanding of how business works in a family-oriented environment. With this, Taylor is officially a part of the Sun Peaks family, with Matthew by her side. The duo’s ability to perfectly complement and better each other means that their relationship will likely blossom from hereon out, with both learning through their mistakes and becoming more transparent partners. We get a glimpse into their future through the music show, where they not only sing in sync but also amplify each other’s performance. Fittingly, the movie ends with Taylor and Matthew sharing a kiss, which represents their love built on trust and understanding.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s My Secret Santa Filmed?
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