If you’re into silly 80’s Christmas movies, look no further than “Ernest Saves Christmas”.

This movie released in 1988 stars Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell, the simple-minded character whose heart is always in the right place but who always seems to end up in the wrong place. A jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none in all his movies, this film portrays Ernest as an Orlando, Florida taxi driver who picks up a passenger at the airport (Douglas Seale). Ernest comments to the man that he looks a lot like Santa Claus to which the passenger replies that he is Santa Claus.

As it turns out, Santa is getting ready to retire and he’s seeking out his successor, a former children’s show host named Joe Carruthers (played by Oliver Clark). Santa knows he’s at the Orlando Children’s Museum and tells Ernest he must get there right away.

On their way to the museum, they pick up a runaway teenage girl named Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker) . Ernest soon realizes Santa has no real money so Santa rides for free and because of this, he ends up losing his job. On top of that, Ernest discovers that when he dropped him off at the museum, Santa left his magic sack in Ernest’s cab. So now Ernest, and Harmony, who somehow has just latched on to Ernest, have to track down Santa.

Back at the museum Santa tries to convince Joe that he must take over as Santa but is dismayed by Joe’s agent. Then Santa discovers his sack is missing and he tries explaining his predicament and how Joe needs to become Santa but the agent isn’t having it and Santa gets arrested.

Ernest and Harmony manage to get Santa out of jail and once again take Santa to see Joe, who is now in a role for a horror film called Christmas Slay, which he clearly wants no part of. The role also offends Santa and he ends up punching the director of the movie.

In a final push, Santa tracks Joe down at his home and somewhat convinces him to become the new Santa. Ernest helps this along when he and Santa’s helpers meet Santa’s elves at the airport, get the reindeer and sleigh and fly to the children’s museum. When Joe witnesses the flying reindeer, he’s finally convinced.

Throughout the film we also witness the hijinks of Chuck and Bobby, two storage agents at the airport who have a large package that Chuck believes says “hold for helper elms” but Bobby keeps telling him it’s a “V”. Which of course they later discover it’s Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, when suddenly antlers pop through the box and the reindeer suddenly fly up to the ceiling.

An interesting tidbit about this film: (per Wikipedia: This was the first major feature production filmed almost entirely in Orlando, Florida, at the then-unfinished Disney-MGM Studios. Exterior scenes set at the house of Ernest’s friend Vern were filmed at a house located on Residential Street at the park, and which was part of the Studio Backlot Tour until it was demolished in 2002.)