A struggling Australian outback farm gets gatecrashed by an on-the-run criminal Daryl, dressed as Santa Claus.
[6] The idea was pitched in May 2020 and by August pre-production had started with Van Vuuren and writers Elliott and Gretel Vella and Timothy Walker working quickly to allow a September shoot before editing and post-production could be completed in October and November before a Christmas release.
[8] Luke Buckmaster in The Guardian described it as a "wacky and sweet" film that "builds from the outset a jive and momentum, setting a tone and visual flavour that reflects the playfulness of the script".
[9] Writing in The Curb, Andrew F. Pierce described the film thus: "A Sunburnt Christmas instantly becomes an Aussie Christmas classic, sure to find itself on high rotation each festive season", due to how Van Vuuren navigates the comedy and heart perfectly, balancing a tightrope of tones", and "absolutely stellar, tight script".
[10] The Sydney Morning Herald cautions that it is a little too dark and violent to become "a fair dinkum family Christmas classic", but that it has "a heart the size of the Outback" and is "loads of fun, and brim-full of charm − thanks in large part to a delightful dirtbag-Santa performance from Daniel Henshall".