I strongly suggest avoiding this movie. Gregg is a mean, dishonest, and manipulative character. He constantly "forces" his best friend, Rowley, to lie. And it kills Rowley. There is a snowball effect metaphor that plays throughout the movie, and every time Gregg opens his mouth, his lies get bigger and meaner. It physically hurts Rowley. Gregg doesn't care. My kid was confused by the antagonist, because she is the person that Gregg hurts in the movie, then when he gets to know ger better, still chooses to lie. An elf on a shelf serves as Greggs only beacon of morality, as it seemingly follows him around whenever he is doing wrong. Once his family finds out what he is guilty of, they too try to cover it up. In the end, Gregg gives away his most coveted present (a video game console that his parents purchased, and he hasnt opened yet) to the woman he hurt, who is a singke mother, as a measure of atonement. He throws away the elf (a family heirloom) so he wint have attack of conscience next year, and is comforted by the thought that he can simply ask for the console next year.
