It's interesting to see everyone's take on this piece. I have gotten reactions across the board, as one might expect. Different specialties will draw the eye and ear to different aspects. For instance, most of what we might call the "common audience" that I have shown this to did not like Daddy's acting.
There is an author I like named Sam Harris. He often says that responding to criticism is challenging. If you refuse, you run the risk of your work being run into the ground. If you say too much, you appear to be apologetic for what you've done and weakness ensues in that regard.
I'm not quite sure how to respond. I discovered that shooting action is much more difficult than I imagined. Had I known, I would have scheduled a rehearsal well before we shot. The idea that Daddy does not fight back against Santa is that, since Santa is magical, his power is immense. This didn't quite translate. Part of this had to do with the fact that our actor could not make a fist -- something we discovered once we began shooting the scene. I will be mindful of this in my next production... there's more violence in what comes next. Surprise! (Though don't expect anything for at least another year)
Many people have said they would have like the ending to have been at the "Wow, Santa." line. I feel that this would have been a cute ending. I certainly did not want to be cute, I wanted to make the audience uncomfortable. I wanted the viewer to be a little disgusted. There are those, of course, who found it riotously funny. They are a small demographic, but they are who I would call my peeps, yo. If we most recall the peak of the experience and how it concludes, then this is what we must focus on most. Samantha can't get off scot-free. That's too easy. Sorry, Samantha.
Also, sound is really hard. I think sound may be the worst thing that ever happened to film, followed closely by the introduction of color.