"The Christmas Chronicles 2" - so typical of holiday fare in the streaming era - is more convincing as a reminder that we're sometimes justified in lamenting what we've lost.

The Christmas Chronicles 2 is better than your average Christmas movie, even if it offers many familiar touches.

Chris Columbus takes over the reins as director and binges on the cheesy digital effects, but his story does dash off into an exciting new direction as it revisits the origins of Santa.

Even within the microcosm of Netflix Original Christmas films, The Christmas Chronicles 2 stands out as a particularly sour outing.