Well, it might be the characters. Maybe they have different personalities compared to traditional Christmas stories. For example, the protagonist could be a grumpy person who learns to love Christmas in an unexpected way.
The plot twists could be a key factor. In a different kind of Christmas story, the typical happy - go - lucky plot might be turned upside down. There could be challenges that the characters face that are not the norm in regular Christmas stories, such as a character having to choose between a career opportunity and spending Christmas with family, which adds a layer of complexity and makes it stand out.