"Santaologist" Dr. Lloyd Darrow, PHD (Chris Clark) is the middle-aged, over-educated, out-of-work man with an obsessive mission; finding the truth behind the Santa Claus story to enlighten the world.  His long-suffering financial support, his wife Barbara (Lisa Clark) stands by her man while naughty son, Keith (Simon Taylor) and nice daughter, Kiely (Siera Squires) provide comic relief.

Writers Matt Henderson and Daryn Tufts keep the storyline flowing, and director Greg Kiefer's brilliant addition of real kids talking about Santa will keep you smiling throughout.  Tufts also plays Darrow's
devoted intern, showing keen skills as an actor.

In an interview with William Shatner, Canadian journalist Shane McDonald asked, "Out of the hundreds and thousands of scripts, (or) projects that might come across your desk, how did you decide?  What appealed to you most about Stalking Santa ?”

"The fun of it," Shatner responded. "They approached me with a fun script that amused me.  It was a voice-over, did not require a commitment of a lot of time, and it seemed like a project that would be exuberant and amusing and spoofing, and all those words that apply to somebody sitting down in front of their screen...and having an enjoyable couple of hours. 

“That's really all it is — for me — is fun. And I think the audience for this piece will have fun looking at it. It's not going to change the world, but if it makes people feel better when looking at it, that's all we ask."

Documentaries don't generally do well at the box office. Pseudo-documentaries are often even less successful, so the decision to bring this farcical entertainment from film festivals to DVD was no doubt a wise one.  Don't let that deter you from buying it.  This one is not a skunk, and you'll find yourself pulling it out every December, along with all your other Christmas fare.  It's worth the cost for the kid interviews alone. 

Stalking Santa reminds us why we continue with a tradition that has little to do with the Babe born in Bethlehem, but everything to do with children, joy, fantasy and family fun — which this offering certainly brings.

Do plan at some point to explain to your children that Santa does not actually appear on Egyptian hieroglyphics or in ancient petroglyphs. Sometimes, Stalking Santa did too good a job in concocting its
“evidence” for the younger set.  You don't want to find yourself called into a junior high classroom due to your child insisting he saw "the real Santa" on a 2,000-year-old scroll.

Three and a half stars on a five star system, and a PG rating. What more could one ask at Christmas?

You can view the trailer at: www.stalkingsanta.com. The DVD appears in stores on November 6.