We all have our own holiday traditions. Some people like to gather each year with their families around the Christmas tree and sing carols, while others prefer to sit alone in dark apartments and watch a log burn on New York public access. There are those, as well, who just like to snuggle on the couch with a loved one and watch the countless showings of that old Jimmy Stewart classic. For me, though, the holidays are about one thing and only one thing: I like to see Santa kick some serious ass.

For the past few years, I have routinely gotten together with a group of friends around Christmastime to enjoy a showing of Vendetta: A Christmas Story. This two-part piece of cinematic genius opens on an ordinary December night at the North Pole. Santa Claus and his elves are gearing up for the big night…but what happens next is anything but ordinary. After his home is swarmed by sunglassed agents with automatic weapons, the big man is forced to fight his way out in an action packed gunfight that ends with a fantastic explosion. The excitement only increases as Santa spends the rest of the movie on the run from people who are after his mysterious golden book. What is the book? Why do they want it? And who can he trust? These are questions that are only answered in the spectacular second part of Vendetta – which is marked by a conclusion so full of action that it almost makes the rest of this window-smashing, gun-fighting, car-chasing, shit-kicking film look like Titanic. Almost.

Vendetta was created in the late 1990s by The Reverend Brendan Powell Smith – best known for his other internet projects, including The Brick Testament, a recreation of bible stories using Legos – with the help of his brother Sean and Jonathan Field. Made entirely with a budget of only $110, the film was the result of an intense brainstorming session one afternoon at Taco Bell. They began shooting in late November, and by Christmas a rough version of the movie was ready. Within a few months a fully edited version of part one of Vendetta was complete, and was placed on the web shortly thereafter for the world to enjoy. A few years later, part two showed up.

Perhaps when you think about Christmas, you don’t think about exploding houses, murdered elves, or even tracking devices inside of briefcases. Yet, from its humble beginnings at that suburban fast-food chain restaurant, Vendetta has embodied what the holidays are all about. What’s more in the spirit of the season than creating something beautiful with those you care for? Jonathan Field and Brendan and Sean Smith have given something back to the world – something wonderful that we can now share with our own loved ones year after year. Maybe this is all a bit of a stretch and I’m grasping at something that isn’t there, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s room next to that plate of cookies and glass of milk for a nice big machine gun. Don’t worry, Santa… I’ll make sure it’s loaded.

Vendetta: A Christmas Story is available in MOV format at vendettachristmas.com. You can also receive a DVD copy by sending the creators a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Reviewed by Aaron Kahn