t’s that time of the year 🎄 — the Cognitive Recalibration Annual Christmas Special is back!

Sravan and Tarun are joined once again by Bhaskar and Kireeti for our most chaotic, funniest, and most festive episode of the year. Each of us brings a Christmas-themed pick and puts it through our Christmas Movie Test™ to decide what really qualifies as a Christmas movie (see below).

🎬 Movies discussed this year:

The Polar Express (2004)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
My Secret Santa (Netflix)
Man vs. Baby (Rowan Atkinson)

We debate:

What actually makes a Christmas movie
Nostalgia vs rewatch value
Uncanny valley nightmares
Santa Claus on trial in court
Netflix Christmas logic
Rowan Atkinson doing Rowan Atkinson things

Expect hot takes, derailed plot explanations, Christmas scoring chaos, and a lot of laughter.

🎅 Let us know which one you’d watch (or rewatch) this Christmas!

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DuxZI1h3llY

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:37 – Welcome to the Christmas Special 🎄

00:44 – Christmas Movie Test explained

01:41 – Bhaskar: The Polar Express

03:10 – Christmas Movie Test scoring

04:25 – Box office, cult status & uncanny valley

06:29 – Tom Hanks & motion capture madness

09:46 – Story breakdown

14:31 – Themes, nostalgia & verdict

19:23 – Tarun: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

21:10 – Plot overview

27:18 – Santa sent to a mental hospital

30:22 – Santa on trial

34:43 – Christmas score & verdict

37:40 – Sravan: My Secret Santa (Netflix)

38:44 – Mrs Doubtfire comparisons

43:22 – Fake Santa backlash

47:16 – Reveal & resolution

50:47 – Rating & Christmas score

53:30 – Kireeti: Man vs. Baby

54:15 – Rowan Atkinson chaos

57:47 – Baby subplot & humour

59:25 – Christmas Movie Test score

01:03:31 – Ranking all four films

01:05:30 – Final thoughts

01:06:53 – Merry Christmas & sign-off 🎄

🎄 THE CHRISTMAS MOVIE TEST (Cognitive Recalibration Edition)

A film must score highly across the following categories to qualify.

✅ 1. Christmas Centrality Test (0–2 points)

Would the story fall apart if Christmas were removed?

•2 points – Christmas is essential to the plot

•1 point – Christmas influences the story but is not essential

•0 points – Christmas is just background decoration

🌟 2. Christmas Themes Test (0–2 points)

Does the movie explore themes traditionally associated with Christmas?

•2 points – Strong themes (family, redemption, generosity, miracles)

•1 point – Light thematic resonance

•0 points – No Christmas themes

🎁 3. Christmas Aesthetic Test (0–1 point)

Does the film consistently use Christmas iconography, setting, music, or atmosphere?

•1 point – Christmas aesthetic is clearly present

•0 points – Minimal or no Christmas visuals or mood

🎅 4. Christmas Message Test (0–1 point)

At its heart, does the film deliver a message aligned with the Christmas spirit?

•1 point – Clear Christmas message (kindness, togetherness, gratitude)

•0 points – No Christmas message

🎄 5. Cultural Adoption Test (0–1 point)

Has the movie become part of audience holiday tradition, even unintentionally?

•1 point – Widely watched during Christmas / marketed as such

•0 points – Not associated with Christmas culturally

🔔 6. Holiday Release/Test of Intent (0–1 point)

Was the movie released during Christmas or clearly marketed as a Christmas film?

•1 point – Yes

•0 points – No

🎄 TOTAL SCORE: 0–8 Points

ScoreClassification

7–8Definitive Christmas Movie

5–6Probable Christmas Movie

3–4Debatable / Fringe Christmas Movie

0–2Not a Christmas Movie

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