All I Want for Christmas

All she wanted was Santa to reunite her parents.

1991 family comedy about a brother and sister trying to get their parents back together.

Hallie O'Fallon asks Santa to get her parents back together, but thinks it backfires when her mother announces she is engaged to another man. Her brother, Ethan, decides to help after he remembers the good times his family had together.

This film is light on the comedy, but in a restrained manner compared to children's films since then. It's also notable for early roles for Ethan Embry and Thora Birch.

---

Tropes used in All I Want for Christmas include:

• Big Applesauce: Takes place in New York.
• Christmas Miracle
• Covers Always Lie: The poster gives the impression that the kids kidnap Santa and demand tons of presents.
  • The misleading poster may have been influenced by Home Alone, which came out the previous year.
• Exact Words: Hallie thinks her wish to Santa was this because she said she wanted her parents to get married again, but forgot to add that she meant to each other.
• Guess Who I'm Marrying
• Happier Home Movie
• Mall Santa: Played by Leslie Nielsen.
• Nice to the Waiter: Hallie to her mother's help, showing she isn't a Spoiled Brat (and she is a part time waitress herself at her father's cafe).
• Pretty in Mink: A few furs, given the season and that much of the film is with upper class people. Hallie even wears a white rabbit muff when she sees Santa for the second time.