I was 9 when I saw this in the theatre +

I still remember the reaction of my mom and aunt who took me and my two brothers to this movie, ages 9, 7, & 5. They thought it was going to me a magical Santa Claus movie. Instead, as a 9 yr old, I watched a poor family bemoan affording Christmas gifts, a bad man shooting and killing the kids' dad, a broken hearted mother, a creepy angel in a trench coat, etc. At the end of the movie, I was amused because my mom and aunt started complaining to each other how awful the end was, since it taught kids that through the magic of Santa, a dead parent can come back from the dead as a miracle for Christmas. It just didn't go over well, I was old enough to understand but I wonder if a lot of parents too pm their little kids thinking the same as my mom and coming out unhappy about what it was really about.