My Secret Santa ending explained: Why Taylor disguised herself as Santa

Around Christmas, Netflix fills its library with fun, romantic holiday movies, and one of them is My Secret Santa, starring Alexandra Breckenridge in two different roles. The movie is about a single mother who takes small jobs to raise her daughter. During Christmas, she loses her job at a bakery and takes on a job as a Santa and uses the funny name “Hugh Mann,” only to fulfil her daughter’s dream of enrolling in one of the best snowboarding academies- Sun Peaks Snowboard Academy.

The film starts with Taylor getting fired from her job because her Christmas cookies are not selling well. She is in trouble as she has many bills to pay. When she tries to go into her apartment, the owner reminds her that she hasn’t paid the rent.

Soon, we see that her daughter Zoey is selected for the Sun Peaks Snowboard Academy, but the fees are very high. To make her daughter’s dream come true, Taylor visits an old vinyl record store to sell her DVDs, where she meets Matthew.

Matthew recognises Taylor because she used to be the lead singer of a band and asks her out for a hot chocolate date. But Taylor, having too many problems in her life, turns him down and says she’s not ready for dating.

Later, she finds out that employees at Sun Peaks get 50% off for their kids’ enrollment, which is the only way she can afford it. She goes there and learns that there is only one role available: an old Santa Claus.

With the help of her brother and his boyfriend, she creates a perfect Santa costume, with a mask, a built-in silicone costume, and a new name: Hugh Mann.

When she goes for the interview, Matthew accepts her for the role. She learns that he is the son of the resort’s owner, and he even recognises her and says they might have met before, but who would suspect a beautiful lady is hiding behind a big Santa costume?

How Taylor’s real identity got exposed in My Secret Santa

At first, Taylor doesn’t stand out at her new job. During the lighting ceremony, a short circuit occurs, and the town newspaper writes that this year’s Santa is “not connecting with the kids” because she gives practical advice instead of just accepting their random wishes.

On top of that, she faces many problems, like being a woman having to enter men’s rooms to change.

During a Santa village gathering, her costume gets torn, almost revealing her true identity, but she manages the situation. Matthew, noticing that Santa is not bringing good results to the resort, considers firing her.

But he ends up confessing to Santa (Taylor) that he likes her and can’t stop thinking about Zoey’s mom.

The next day, Taylor reconnects better with the kids and even goes viral as one of the most beloved Santas of the season. However, Natasha, an employee at the resort, begins to suspect Santa.

Since Santa was hired urgently without background checks, Natasha notices inconsistencies when she finds Hugh Mann and sees random Santa images linked to him. 

Forced by her daughter, Taylor agrees to go on a date with Matthew. He invites her to the Christmas party, but there’s a problem: she is supposed to be Santa at the party.

Taylor comes up with a plan: she will change costumes in between and manage the night. It’s risky, but she somehow pulls it off.

However, Natasha exposes her true identity in front of everyone.

Before anyone could react to Natasha revealing Taylor’s secret, Zoey gets injured while snowboarding. As a concerned mom, Taylor leaves the Santa role and rushes to her daughter.

Everyone now knows that Santa is actually Taylor. Matthew’s dad is furious because they hired her without any background checks.

Soon after, Natasha’s daughter, who is enrolled in the same academy, shares how Taylor helped her realise her mistakes and taught her that being mean to others leads nowhere. This changes Natasha’s perspective about Taylor.

Feeling embarrassed for fooling Matthew and everyone at the resort, Taylor comes on Christmas night and apologises. Matthew confesses his love on stage, and Taylor even sings one of her band’s iconic songs.

Matthew raises a toast, and Taylor is appointed as the executive director of family events. The film ends with a new chapter of love beginning for Taylor and Matthew in My Secret Santa.