Original subtitles

♪ On the corner carolers are singin' ♪

♪ There's a touch of magic in the air ♪

♪ From grown-up to minor no one could be finer ♪

♪ Times are hard but no one seems to care ♪

♪ Christmas Eve and all the world is watching ♪

Hut! Forward, hut! Forward, left! Hut!

♪ From rooftop to chimney ♪

♪ From Harlem to Bimini ♪

♪ They will find a way into your heart ♪

♪ Christmas is the time to say "I love you" ♪

♪ Share the joys of laughter and good cheer ♪

♪ Christmas is the time to say "I love you" ♪

♪ And a feeling that will last all through the year ♪

♪ So when spirits grow lighter ♪

♪ And hearts are shining brighter ♪

♪ Then you know that Christmas time is here ♪

♪ It's Christmas time This is the time ♪

♪ It's Christmas time ♪

♪ It's Christmas time This is the time ♪

♪ It's Christmas time... ♪♪

- OK, what's next? - These are for Webber Group.

- All right. This one. - OK.

- Oh! I got it. - Thank you.

- Now, Gadgetech. - This one, but in Helvetica.

- Mm-hmm. Oh, I got it. - Thank you.

OK.

- Here's your bagel. - Mmm.

OK, now, Clarkford and Klein.

- They're exactly the same. - I know you love having choices.

Oh, and the bartender called.

Would you prefer flaming rum punch or egg nog martinis?

- Both. It's a holiday party. - What holiday party?

- Morning. - Tonight, the merger party.

For my clients and the London guys.

Colin Nottingham and his group. You have to be there.

Oh, I'd love to, babe,

but my tux is at the dry cleaners.

You don't need a tux.

You just need to bring that handsome mug of yours

- so I can show you off. It'll be fun, I promise. - I'll be there.

- I got it. - Oh. Thank you.

We have about 15 pages from Legal for you to sign.

OK, we'll do it in the car.

- Oh... - I got it.

I owe you one.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- I love you. See you later. - I love you, too. Bye.

- Have fun at work! - Don't I always?

Merry Christmas.

♪ Wake up, make-up, greet the brand-new day ♪

- Hey. Oh! Sorry. - That's all right.

Sorry, my bad.

♪ And share the good that comes your way ♪

Hey. It looks like somebody got some Christmas cards.

Great!

Nope.

Nada. Bupkis.

There we go.

♪ There's a time for joy and a time for love ♪

♪ And a time to believe in ♪

Oh! Hey, ma'am.

I have a package for you.

That's what my doorman's for.

- Hey! Watch where you're going, buddy! - Yeah, you, too, pal.

Yeah. Merry Christmas.

♪ 'Cause it's all up to you Starting today ♪

- Thank you. - Where's Luke?

Don't know. Late. Colin and the guys just showed up.

All right. It is showtime.

Hello, everyone.

It's great to see all of you here.

You know, if you'd asked me five years ago

to make a list of all the clients I wanted to get,

- well, you'd all be on that list. - - Aww.

So I guess I don't really need to ask Santa for anything this Christmas.

Except that we have another record-breaking year like we just did,

and maybe a few surprises waiting for you.

So, here's to all of you.

And Happy Holidays.

Colin!

So great to see you.

- Ms. Class. - Mary.

- I told you 20 times call me Mary. - Very well. Mary.

It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.

After how many hundreds of e-mails and phone calls?

Mmm, yes. I do hope you'll find time to visit us in London.

London. Beautiful city. Nice, wide chimneys.

Chimneys? Yes, I suppose so.

It's quite an impressive collection of clients you've assembled for yourself, Mary.

For ourselves, Colin, unless you and the board

are getting cold feet about the merger all of a sudden.

Not at all. We couldn't be more excited by the prospect.

- Hmm. - Come on.

I'll introduce you to the rest of the team.

- Oh. Thank you. - You're welcome.

So you're ready to go worldwide?

I think so.

- Are we enjoying ourselves? - Hey, Sandman.

It is a party, you know. Feel free to mingle.

I'm OK, thanks.

Does Mary even know you're here?

She's busy. I don't want to bother her...

Aren't you adorable? Come on!

Well, no one can have it both ways.

The future of any company is defined by those crossroads,

moments where someone needs to make a choice.

It's not always easy picking the right path,

but that's where I come in.

Well, I think that we've made an excellent choice ourselves.

- Thank you. - Look who I found!

Luke! Hi, honey.

Everyone, this is Luke Jessup, my boyfriend.

Hi. Nice to meet you. A pleasure.

- Hi. - This is Colin Nottingham

from the Whitmore Corporation.

It is very nice to meet you, Colin.

Pleasure's mine. So, how long have you been in marketing?

Oh. Luke doesn't work with me.

Oh, really? Let me guess. Product integration.

- No. - New business development, then.

No. More like, uh... distribution.

I'm a mailman. Oh, I'm also a small business owner as well.

Really? What kind of business would that be?

Dogsledding.

Dogsledding, how charming.

Is there much call for that sort of thing around here?

Well, with the right marketing campaign, who knows, right?

Right, right. Marketing.

Yes.

Ahem. I'm gonna get another drink, babe.

- OK. - Nice to meet you all.

- Our pleasure. - As well.

So, where were we?

All right, hepcats, we got a real special treat for you tonight.

Playing their very first gig here in the big city,

give a hot, hot welcome for Cold Vision.

Here we go, guys.

♪ Dashing through the snow ♪

- Oh, my God! - ♪ In a one-horse open sleigh ♪

♪ O'er the fields we go ♪

♪ Laughing all the way ♪

♪ Bells on bob tails ring ♪

- ♪ Making spirits light ♪ - Excuse me.

♪ Oh, what fun it is to write a sleighing song tonight ♪

♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells ♪

- Dad! - Mary.

It's ten days till Christmas.

- What are you doing here? - What am I doing here? What are you doing here?

- Why aren't you at the North Pole? - Mary.

Hold on a moment.

Are you telling me that your father is...

- a jazz musician? - Yeah, baby.

A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four...

- Can you excuse us for a moment? - Certainly.

I need to talk to you now.

- Have you lost your mind?! - Of course not.

- Mr. C! - Hey, Luke! What up?

"What up?" What are you doing here?

- I'm jammin' with my band. - Nice.

- Since when do you have a band? - Going on three weeks.

This is our first big gig in the lower 48.

Nick! You're being paid to play.

- Skip? - Skipper.

Hey!

- Did you just call him Nick? - Yeah.

We're on a first name basis, aren't we?

Uh, Mr. Nick? Mr. Santa.

Santa? Sir? Boss?

Did you bring all the elves with you?

No, it's just me. I manage the band.

- No, you don't. No. - I book the gigs.

- I... - Drive the bus.

To the gigs.

Uh, I hate to interrupt here

but you do realize it's December, right?

- Don't you have a job to do? - Not me, you.

You are supposed to be up at the North Pole right now running Christmas.

Well, you think you might have shared that with me

any time in the past, oh, 11 months!

- Didn't you get my letter? - No. What are you talking about?

- An actual letter? - Yeah.

Dad, no one writes letters anymore.

- I get letters all the time. - That's because you're...

- Shh, shh. - you.

Dad, please, just go. For me?

- All right. - Luke,

will you please take them back to the apartment?

Really? And miss the rest of this great party?

Yeah, I know you'll be crying your eyes out. Thanks.

I'm sorry. It's gonna be a late night tonight.

- Pizza? - Now? Right on.

- Call me. - Oh, my God.

Direct hit!

There you go.

You just go away, Luke! You're gross!

You're never gonna wait for me, Mary.

Hot cocoa for everyone!

Whoa, whoa! Shh!

Guys, guys, guys, keep it down. Mary's still asleep.

Boys stink!

This is great.

I haven't seen this in years.

That's not very funny, guys. That really hurt.

- Morning, boys. - Hey, babe.

What time did you get in last night?

- Very, very late. - Why didn't you wake us up?

Well, y'all looked so cozy and passed out.

All right, party's over.

Dad, when are you gonna get back to work?

Uh, actually, Mary, I'm not.

I'm gonna take a little time for myself.

Really? Well, you have time off. January through November.

Ho, ho. Maybe in the 1500s.

But nowadays I'm lucky if I get one day in leap year,

so Santa's gonna make a few changes.

Aren't you a little old to be going through a midlife crisis?

It's not a midlife crisis. I'm just trying to recapture my youth.

Right. I'm gonna call Mom.

You'll get no help there.

Oh, you're in big trouble.

Good morning, Claus residence.

Uh... hi.

- Who's this? - Why, this is Teri. Merry Christmas.

- And who might you be? - This is Mary.

I'm looking for my mom.

I'm afraid she stepped away for a moment.

- May I take a message? - Yeah. Can you tell her that I called

- and that I have Dad. - Mm-hmm.

Thanks so much.

Mmm.

All right. Listen.

I have so much to do today, tons of meetings,

so I don't really have time for this.

Listen, babe, go to work

- and I'll baby-sit for the day. - Are you sure?

Are you kidding me? It'll be just like old times.

Thank you.

All right, have fun.

And this is the mall.

Huh.

So this is what Christmas is

to all of you city slickers, huh?

Hey, don't look at me. I'm a Polaris boy at heart.

How are my dogs doing? Do you ever get a chance to see them?

"A little bit of Christmas in every bite."

Did we authorize this?

Uh, I don't know.

Remind me to call my lawyer.

I am your lawyer.

- Remind me to get a new lawyer. - Ah!

Hey, look!

How'd they know we were coming?

Whoa, he's here.

- Hello. - Hi, Santa.

Santa.

Huh?

OK, big smile.

Hey, mac, what gives?

I got an exclusive contract on this place all of December.

The whole month? Wow. Good for you.

Um, well, good luck with that.

Why don't we just get out of here, guys, huh?

It seems a little steep to me.

Twenty-five bucks for a snap of a sloppy wannabe.

Listen, buddy, if you know what's good for you, beat it!

Well, if it's all about the children, all right.

Merry Christmas.

Santa.

Hey!

Hey! What do you think you're doing, huh? What do you think you're doing?

- Naughty. - Naughty?

I'll show you naughty.

Hold still. Almost finished.

Don't move.

All right, I'm gonna give you guys one more chance, you got it?

♪ God rest ye merry gentlemen ♪

♪ Let nothing you dismay ♪

♪ Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day ♪

♪ To save us all from Satan's power ♪

♪ When we were gone astray ♪

♪ O tidings of comfort and joy ♪

♪ Comfort and joy ♪

♪ O tidings of comfort and joy ♪♪

Take five, gang.

- Thank goodness. - Jail, Dad? Jail?

Well, you see...

- What happened? - He started it, babe.

- Huh? - Huh. Looks good.

Way to set an example.

You've gotta get me out of here. The band is leaving for Chicago.

Left, Dad! Tour's over, especially for you.

Snowballs! We were supposed to open for Huey Lewis.

I don't want to hear it.

It's bad enough you're ignoring Christmas

but now you're messing up my life.

That's it. We're going back to the North Pole.

Yeah, it's about time. You and Luke should've left weeks ago.

Not me and Luke. All of us.

- All of us are going back. - Yeah!

- Not you guys. - Ohh, man!

He hit that trail in one shot.

Come on, Flash.

OK, fellas, we'll see you later.

It's OK, sir.

I'll get the luggage.

Remember, Dad, straight home, no detours.

- Bye! - Bye!

- Bye, Mary! - Hey, fellas!

Hey! Look at you!

Hi, puppies!

I haven't seen you... Oh, yeah.

Hi.

OK, guys, I'll be back to take you for a run later.

Oh!

Thank God you still have your place.

I can't imagine staying with my parents.

Oh, come on. The workshop is fun.

Fun? Yes. Private? No.

At last, home sweet home.

Come on, Flash.

Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit since we were kids.

Why mess with perfection, babe.

I mean, think about it: me, you, bearskin rug.

- Hot cocoa. - Mmm.

Roaring fire.

Then... that could work.

- Mm-hmm. - Mmm.

Just don't get too comfortable. We're not gonna be here that long.

- We're not? - Nope. All right.

Phase one: get Dad up here. Phase two: get him focused on Christmas.

Phase three: avert the elven apocalypse.

- Phase four: Business class back to New York. - "Elven apocalypse"?

The elves have been unsupervised for three weeks.

I'm surprised we can't see the smoke from here.

Hey, come here. It sounds like this is gonna take a while

- to get back on track. - Mmm.

Then again, the elves have been making toys for hundreds of years,

- what's ten more minutes? - Exactly.

Maybe even 20.

Mom, I'm...

Ho, what happened here?

Oh, Mary!

Thank goodness you're home.

Oh, I'm so happy to see you too.

So what's with all the cookies?

I'm just trying to keep busy.

Baking calms the nerves.

Mom, if baking calmed your nerves you'd be catatonic.

Well, it's been a rough couple of weeks around here,

what with your father gone

and you being so late!

I'm not late! I only found out Dad was gone two days ago.

What, you didn't get the letter?

Again with the letter. I have a home phone,

office phone, cell phone, fax, e-mail... I'm not that hard to get a hold of.

Well, he's old-fashioned.

I found him jamming with a jazz quartet in SoHo.

He's not old-fashioned. What's wrong with him?

Oh, nothing! Nothing at all. Everything is perfectly normal.

He's just going through some changes.

He's had the same haircut for 600 years.

He doesn't change. That's what I thought,

but ever since your improvements around here, well,

he's had some free time on his hands

and... that's when the hobbies started.

It's nice to see him having so much fun,

but I just wonder when things will start to get back to normal around here.

Now. Things are gonna get back to normal now.

I want the ducks in a row.

Excellent. A couple more.

Oh! Mary, you're here!

- You're here! - All right, all right.

Lay it on me. Critical stuff first. What's wrong this time?

Uh, nothing.

Santa's been away for a month

and you're telling me there's no fractures,

- felonies or fatalities? - Uh, no, no, and... no.

Huh! Impressive.

I guess I really whipped things into shape around here.

Hmm.

Well...

Um... hi.

My stars, if it isn't Mary Class.

What a thrill!

- Really? - Why, of course!

The daughter that saved Christmas.

You're a regular legend around here.

Oh.

Gary, honey, would you mind running

and grabbing me some of that delightful egg nog?

- OK. - That's the spirit, Gary. Go team!

So, who are you anyway?

Look at me. There I go again, running off at the mouth.

Teri McMillan, Polaris Postal Service.

Oh! You took over for Luke.

I was in the Congo delivering malaria vaccines

to a school for blind orphans.

But then I heard about the opening here,

and when an opportunity like that comes along,

you've gotta take it.

After all, this is where the magic happens.

Well, shouldn't you be making that magic happen

over at the post office?

Well, of course.

But with Santa being gone,

someone had to step in and...

You know how those elves are.

I had to keep an eye on things.

Well, thank you. Great.

Santa's back, and I can take it from here.

I'm just gonna go call a staff meeting

and I'm sure you know how to get back to the post office.

All right, everyone! Gather 'round.

Quick staff meeting.

Gary... is that egg nog?

- Easy. No. Down, boy. - But I...

I am back. I'm gonna be running things again

until we get Santa back at work.

So, everyone, just keep doing what you're doing.

All right, everyone, let's give a big hand for Mary Class.

Come on, guys, you can do better than that. This is Mary!

Let's show her some of that Christmas spirit.

Much better!

All right, everyone, now,

let's go... make... some...

- Toys! - That's what I'm talking about!

Oh!

See you later, Teri.

Whatever.

- Whoo-hoo! - Whoo!

Hi, there!

Hey there, sweet cheeks.

Nicholas, where did you get that ridiculous thing?

I figured it's time for a new ride. What do you think?

Makes me look younger, right?

Sure! You don't look a day over 800.

Ho, ho, ho.

Look out!

Whoa!

Be good.

- Whoa! Hey! - Well, hello there.

Oh! You're the new gal. Teri, right?

Luke Jessup? I can't believe it's really you.

OK.

You're a regular legend around here.

It's... It's an honor to follow in your footsteps.

Really? I was... I was just a mailman.

Oh! Just a mailman, he says.

You were the mailman, the Christmas mailman.

Getting to deliver to the Big S is...

is every mail carrier's dream job.

Well, it had its moments, I have to admit.

Hey, let me help you with that.

Look at you, the old pro.

- I'm not imposing on you, am I? - Oh, not at all.

It'll be like old times.

- Beg your pardon? - - Hey, Luke, good to see you!

Being back on my old mail route, seeing my friends.

It's nothing like delivering in the city.

No appreciation whatsoever.

Hmm. Well, I know I'd appreciate it

if you let me pick your brain sometime.

I just have so many questions.

Sure. Anytime.

You know, it's really nice to find someone who shares the same...

Passion.

I was gonna say interest,

but, um, passion works.

- OK. Ahem... - Yes.

Off we go.

Sandy, you have to set up some video conferences.

This merger is absolutely vital to our bottom line.

And we have to make sure all the clients are on board. Uh-huh.

Yeah, I know. Well, I'm gonna be up here for a while.

All right. I'll talk to you later.

Hey, honey. Keeping busy?

- Are you responsible for this? - What?

The cockamamie wrapping schedule.

- Doesn't make any sense. - Hey, Nick. Hitting the links again?

"Nick"?

I shaved two points off my handicap already.

I knew you'd like it. Just think of 'em as 18 little chimneys.

All right, see you both later.

Dad. Wrapping schedule?

Would you explain your new system to Mary?

- Your system? - It's really quite simple.

No, it's not. We tried something like that last year.

It didn't work then and it won't work now.

Um, well, last year you just switched the shifts.

This is new. Each elf is assigned a specific size and shape.

That way everyone has the right size paper every time.

No special measuring, no delays.

See?

Oh.

You just have to be a little more flexible.

I knew that Teri would make the perfect assistant for you.

- Assistant? - Yeah.

She's a people person. The elves love her.

- Oh, well... - Dad!

I have an assistant. He's in New York, where my job is, where my life is.

This is your job and your life.

When are you gonna quit goofing off and get back to work?

Well... never.

What do you mean you want to retire?

Mary, I have been doing this for so long

I can't remember the time your mother and I had a chance to go out for dinner,

- let alone take a vacation. - You're Santa! What do you expect?

Christmas is really important.

People have to believe in the spirit of giving.

And for a long time I believed that I was the only one who could provide that.

- You are. - I'm not.

And last year you proved that.

Everybody mistakes me for the holiday.

They think I'm Christmas, but I'm not.

I only work here. Or I did.

You know...

it's really hard for a father

to realize that his little girl is all grown up.

There was a time when I was younger

when I couldn't imagine giving this job to anybody else.

Now I can't imagine giving it to anybody else but you.

I'd be so proud.

What do you say?

Hey, Nick, um, about the whole assistant thing...

Oh, right. Don't worry about that. It's only temporary.

Oh, whew! What a relief.

- I was afraid... - No, see, Mary's gonna be up to speed in no time.

Then you can get back to your old life.

I'm sure you have better things to do

than hang around a boring old workshop.

But I love it here! And you said yourself we make a great team.

- I did? - Yes!

Remember when I was helping you make a list

of everything you missed out on in life?

Yeah, well, Mary's here now and Christmas is what she does best.

But I thought she had a whole other job, a life back in the city?

It's in her blood. It's what she was born to do.

As long as Mary's happy here then she'll stay.

Teri, keep it running smoothly.

Oh, I'll make sure it runs smoothly, all right.

- Smooth as a... - Marble?

Oh! What are we doing?

We're naming things that are smooth.

- Icicles? - Uh, bowling balls?

- Smoothies. - Ooh, good one.

I'm leaving.

Porcupines... that are bald.

Or sandpaper that's been worn.

- Oh, glass. - That's eroded.

- Nails. - That are filed.

Hah! Gravel...

Covered in marzipan!

All right, we don't have a lot of time,

so how are your departments doing?

Letters is super fun. There's a new candy cane stamp,

- and if you lick everything you eat the rest of the day... - On schedule or behind?

- We're almost done. - Terrific.

Gary, the toys. How are the teddy bears coming along?

Oh, we're trying to increase cuddliness by ten percent.

Right now we're at about, mmm, eight.

Fine. Skip, wrapping?

- Oh, I like wrapping. - Who wants cookies?

Uh, we're having a meeting right here.

Double butter for Dave, cinnamon hearts for Lucy

and peppermint swirl for Skip.

Oh! Thanks, Teri.

You're the best. Aww.

Anything for you, Skip. So, what's your meeting all about?

Well, it's for department heads only.

And since you're not a department head...

Oh, maybe Teri could be head of the cookie-making department.

Yeah!

My mom is the head of the cookie-making department.

She's been doing it for hundreds of years.

Well, what about a cookie delivery department?

Or a special cookie delivery department? I'd vote for that.

There's no voting! There's no special cookie delivery department.

What about a special department

for the special delivery of special cookies?

All right, Teri, go, and take these with you.

Thanks.

Skip, report.

Skip. Skip?

Skip! Skip.

Brother!

She's a keeper.

Our new global partnership will allow you to expand your markets internationally.

You'll still get my personal attention, of course.

I'll just have more resources to bring your way.

- So what do you say? - That sounds great. You can count us in.

Terrific. I'll have Sandy send you the paperwork.

And we will talk to you soon.

Steady, steady...

Yeah, no more video conferencing.

Hmm...

Hmm.

Um...

Uh, hmm...

Hmm. Uh...

Um...

No.

- Come on, Skip! - Um, uh... Do you have any fives?

- Oh! I have one. - Oh, yeah.

No. No, no, Skip. It's poker, remember?

- Betting? - All right.

I bet you don't have any 10s because I have four of them!

Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!

♪ Skip-ip, diddly-ip ♪

All right, all right, everybody, give me your cards.

Five card stud, deuces wild.

Bring it on. Double the ante.

Ho, ho, ho! Here we go!

Hey, Mr. C, what's going down?

My rosy red cheeks in my rosy red chair.

- Dealer's choice, dear. - Beautiful.

- Hi, everybody. - Hi, Teri.

- Hope I'm not interrupting anything. - - No, not at all.

- Just a friendly game here. - Oh, you're playing cards.

- It looks like fun. - Yeah, you should play.

- There's an empty seat right here... - next to me.

Really? You don't mind?

Well, uh, we were waiting for Mary.

I just spoke with Mary. I don't think she's gonna be able to make it.

She is working so hard, bless her heart.

Oh, it is such a busy time.

It's hard to have fun and games when Christmas is at stake.

- Mm-hmm. - Yes.

Yeah, in her real life, um, whatever that is,

something is going on with someone named Colin...

I think.

Oh!

OK. The game is Anchorage Anaconda.

Suicide kings are wild, blood queen is dead.

Top the pot buys an extra card and first one out refills the chip bowl.

Who's ready?

Hey-yo, hey-yo!

Who's ready? Come to mama, come to mama!

Boy, that was fun, huh?

Hey, Teri. Yeah, it sure was.

Sorry to put a stop to your winning streak.

- Beginner's luck, I guess. - Yeah.

Here, have a peanut butter cookie. They are my favorite.

Oh, my. Mmm!

So how are things at the workshop?

- I mean, December sure is a busy month. - Oh, sure is.

You know, that's when Christmas is.

Tell me, Skip...

are you happy?

- Oh, yeah. - Really?

Yep.

I mean, are you really, really happy?

Yeah. Not only really, really happy,

I'm really happy a lot. Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sensing some hesitation in your voice.

Maybe we should have a little chat...

get to the source of your problems.

Oh, OK.

So, Skip, do the elves get overtime?

Oh. Mary!

- Morning, Gary. - Good morning.

There's something... kind of a big problem.

Well, whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it.

- What's this? - It's our contract.

Contract? What contract?

Contract, see?

Gary, what is he talking about?

Oh, it's the deal we signed with Santa when we first got started.

What does that have to do with me? Take it up with Santa.

And since he's quitting, we get to regurgitate.

- Uh, renegotiate. - Oh! Renegotiate.

And we've got to change some things in the contract.

- That's what renegotiate means, Skip. - OK!

Then, just that.

Wait.

You... You had me.

That was very funny.

All right, I'm gonna get back to work.

OK... Oh! Oh, yeah, right.

You need to take us seriously.

No contract, no toys.

- Dad, are you in here? - Yeah, but I'm a little busy right now.

- Have you seen this? - Yeah. Scrolls.

We've had them around for many years.

- It's the elves' contract. - Oh, that old thing?

Good for them. They still have it.

Good for them? Bad for us.

Dad, have you even read it?

- Read it? I wrote it. - It's a complete mess!

Half of it doesn't even make sense

and the other half is in Old English.

At the time we just called it English.

Well, I can't use this. I have to start from scratch.

Honey, they're elves.

All you have to do is give them a couple of cookies,

point them towards something shiny,

and they'll forget all about it.

- You have to learn how to negotiate. - I know how to negotiate.

- I have an MBA from Wharton. - Then it shouldn't be a problem.

It isn't my problem, it's your problem.

They're your elves, you should be the one handling this.

Not anymore, I'm retired.

Honey, if this is getting to be too much to handle,

why don't you ask Teri to help you?

Ouch!

- Hi! - Hi, Gary.

- Hello, Mary. - All right, let's get down to business.

You have your list of demands?

Number one: we want a 20 percent raise across the board.

- Oh! Oh, yeah! - You don't get paid.

Twenty percent of nothing is still nothing.

Uh, number two: we want to get paid.

What do you need money for anyway?

Number three: we want our own store

where we can spend our money.

OK, can we just get past the money part and hear the rest of your demands?

- Um, OK. Uh, a credit union. - What?

Monopoly, Monopoly money.

Ah! Cookies.

You get cookies, all the cookies you want.

Yeah, but we want cookies with sprinkles.

- Yeah! Absolutely! - Good point.

The cookies have sprinkles.

- On top and bottom? - Ooh, that sounds good!

Oh, and we want those hats with the cups, for cocoa.

Trampolines at the work station, and jet packs,

and everybody gets their own chipmunk. Hey, little guy.

Enough!

No. Nope.

Never gonna happen.

Not a chance in hell.

Nada. Never.

Huh.

One break every six hours. Take it or leave it.

That went well.

- Gary. - Huh?

- We're storming out. - Me too?

- Yeah. - OK.

- Bye! - Bye, Gary!

What?

Mary? I'm sorry.

- Did I catch you at a bad time? - Colin!

No, no, no, of course not. I'm so glad to hear from you.

I just wanted to check in and see how your client-retention efforts are coming.

Well, I'm... They are coming along fine.

I just have a few hands to hold through the merger.

Good. It's vital you're able to meet the numbers we discussed

if I'm going to be able to convince the board to vote for the merger.

Well, I will not let you down.

- Go away! - Oh, why didn't you say so?

Mary, this thing could still fall apart.

I'm afraid nothing's guaranteed at this point.

We are all relying on you.

- How is she doing? - I think she's in trouble with her boss.

Oh? Kind of like how you're in trouble with the elves?

- What?! - You know, how they all hate you

because you're siding with Mary instead of your friends.

- Hate me? - Oh, don't worry about it.

Three hundred years from now,

who's gonna remember who betrayed who, right?

You mean, all of them?

Well, I haven't heard back from Hillard Corp.,

- but I know they love me. - The board is looking for signatures, not love.

Got it? Can you give me a time estimate on any of this?

Hello? Mary?

Hello? Are you there?

Hey, Luke!

Hey! There you are.

- I've been looking for you. - Hey, baby.

- I've been crazed. - Everything all right?

Yeah, of course, everything's fine.

What's with the, uh, mail bag? You moonlighting now?

No. Teri's letting me help out a bit.

Teri, huh?

Uh... yeah.

You know, I'd be careful around her if I were you.

What's that supposed to mean?

I don't know. She just seems naughty to me.

Oh, come on! Teri's great.

Well, I... You know me.

I just like being a little part of Christmas, is all.

That makes one of us.

I just can't wait to go back home.

- Right? - Yeah, right.

- It's just... - Luke, we can't stay here.

My life, my business, everything is in the city.

Yeah, I know.

This isn't a good time.

You have a lot of work to do, and...

we can talk about this later.

What else can go wrong?

- What do we want? - Cookies!

- When do we want 'em? - Now!

Hey, hey, hey! Ho, ho, ho!

Mary Class has got to go!

Hey, hey, hey! Ho, ho, ho! Mary Class has got to go!

- What do we want? - Cookies!

- When do we want 'em? - Now!

- What do we want? - What?

- And what do we want? - Cookies!

- When do we want 'em? - Now!

You have cookies! They're inside.

What the hell is going on here?

It's a picket line. It's sort of like Follow the Leader.

Yeah, I know what it is. Are you serious?

You're going on strike at Christmas?

You didn't really give us much choice.

"Us?" Gary, we're supposed to be on the same team.

I can't just abandon my fellow elves. They look up to me.

It's true. He's the tallest.

OK? Right there.

This is ridiculous!

All right, listen. Everyone, put down your signs

and go back to work.

Uh-uh, uh-uh!

We didn't say "Gary says."

Hey, hey, hey! Ho, ho, ho!

They can't go back to work

until we talk about the list of demands.

- No. - Yes.

No! I can't deal with this.

You guys are on strike, my dad's on vacation.

I'm just gonna have to do everything myself!

Ooh!

No "ifs," no "buts"!

We want candy, we want nuts!

No "ifs," no "buts"!

We want candy, we want nuts!

All right, how hard can this be?

Oh!

- Howdy, Luke. - Oh, hey, Teri.

What you looking for?

Mary's been going through some stuff,

and I figured I'd make her some coffee.

I can't find the cookies, though.

Well, you know how hungry those elves are.

- I know. - Maybe we could whip up a batch ourselves.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

I'm not very good in the kitchen.

Come on, Luke, let's dive in.

Um...

♪ I'm so happy hanging around you ♪

♪ I'm so happy now that I found you ♪

♪ Bring me home some mistletoe ♪

♪ Some cheer and snow ♪

♪ And let's make a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ Let's make a Merry Christmas ♪

♪ A Merry Christmas ♪

♪ A Merry Christmas ♪

Ho, ho, ho!

There we go.

- Mary Class. - Mary, where have you been?

Sorry, I haven't been in touch. I've been in crisis mode up here.

If it is crisis mode up here, it's Armageddon down here.

We've lost Gadgetech and Patterson Pharmaceuticals.

Lost them? I thought my meeting with them wasn't until next week.

This is next week. It's hard to convince a company

you're gonna give them hands-on attention

when you reschedule a conference call for the third time.

Where does that leave us now?

At this point, you, me, and about seven clients. Not exactly merger bait.

I'm almost at the office. If you've got any tricks up your sleeve, now's the time.

All right, I'm on it.

- See you next time. - Later, Nick.

Later, brother.

- Everybody having fun? - Yeah, you bet!

Dad! Where have you been?

The elves have gone nuts!

I was with my drum circle,

- getting in touch with the sacred masculine. - The sacred what?

All right, I have been more than patient, but enough is enough!

My life is falling apart because you bailed on Christmas.

You've had plenty of time to explore this other side of you.

- What other side? This is all me. - No, it's not you!

The last month has been crazy time in Santa Town.

I need you to just stop it and just fix Christmas.

Wait, wait...

- What's going on? - What have you two been up to?

Teri and I, we were in the kitchen...

I made you some cookies.

Mary, I know this is difficult to understand,

but when I started out I had no one to help me.

You're going to have to learn how to walk on your own two feet

if you're going to replace me.

You're not listening. I don't want to replace you.

I don't want to be Santa Claus!

- So you're really going? - If I don't leave right away,

my business and everything I've worked my whole life for will be gone.

And Christmas?

Leaving is the only thing

that's going to snap my father back to reality.

Where's your luggage?

Look, Mary...

up here I have a life.

It's not much in the grand scheme of things

but it's my life.

I have my friends and my dogsledding business and my house.

- Back in New York all I have is... - Me?

Mary, I love you, and I want to be with you.

Here.

I can't give up what I love, what I love to do.

I know.

So, no matter where we are, someone's gonna be unhappy.

We can work this out, right?

I don't know.

I don't know, Luke.

I know you always say that things work out at Christmas.

But that's just one day out of the year.

I'll see you later.

Honey, I'm home.

Such as it is.

I know, buddy. I miss her, too.

Whoa!

♪ We hang the stockings, trim the tree ♪

♪ And stoke the fire's coal ♪

♪ As it begins to snow ♪

♪ Come December, family members ♪

♪ Start to wander home ♪

♪ To the places where they're from ♪

♪ There's peace in hearts at Christmastime ♪

♪ When all year long it's so hard to find ♪

♪ Where there's peace in hearts at Christmastime ♪

♪ When all year long it's so hard to find ♪

♪ Though it's never far behind ♪

♪ When it's Christmastime ♪♪

Am I interrupting?

Teri. What are you doing here?

Well, I... I couldn't find you anywhere

and... these brownies just came out of the oven.

I, uh... I just needed to get some air.

Well, I hope you have room for a brownie.

- No, I'm not really hungry. - Oh, go on, Luke.

You look like you could use it.

All right.

Wow!

- Wow! - You see, Luke?

There is no problem in life

that can't be solved with a plate full of brownies.

Mmm. That'd be nice.

It is lovely here, isn't it?

Like nowhere else in the world.

What's it like in that big city of yours?

Crowded. Noisy.

And the traffic is terrible.

Must be nice for you to get away from it all.

It's not all that bad.

You know, Luke...

maybe you shouldn't try forcing things with Mary.

She... She has her life,

and you can have yours too.

Maybe everything you need is... is already here.

Right in front of you.

Really?

You need someone who appreciates you for you, Luke.

Someone who shares your interests...

who will always be there for you.

You're so right, Teri.

Mary's gone. She went back to the city.

- Mary's gone? - Uh-huh.

Teri?

Whoo-hoo!

Whoo-hoo!

Mary, I don't want to step on your toes, but I have an idea...

Mary?

Uh, where's Mary?

I can't believe she let me down like this.

Let you down? Nicholas,

did you ever stop to consider that Mary might be right?

While you've been wasting time,

she's been here sacrificing, doing your job

to keep Christmas going.

But I've been going through some things.

How many times have I heard that?

I remember when you just had to have that Viking longboat.

It came with its own Vikings.

Yeah! And it took me a decade to get the stains out of the carpet.

Oh, Nicholas,

I just wish you'd stop this foolishness and get back to work

before the children pay the price.

Half the work and twice the pay.

We want cocoa every day!

Half the work and twice the pay...

Good news, elves.

It's all over!

Time to go back to work!

- What about the strike? - The strike is over, Skip.

Congratulations! You won.

But what did Mary say?

Good question, Gary.

Anyone else have any other questions?

No? OK. Back to work.

But... But what about Mary?

All right. Who wants to sit around asking questions?

Not me! No. Not here. Nah-uh.

And who wants to make

some... toys!

Yeah! Oh, yeah!

That's what I'm talking about.

Now let's get cracking because we have a lot of catching up to do.

But first...

give yourselves a hand.

Teri, can I talk to Mary?

I'm afraid Mary has left

to pursue other interests.

Oh!

♪ Santa baby, slip a sable under the tree ♪

♪ For me ♪

♪ Been an awful good girl ♪

♪ Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight ♪

♪ Santa baby ♪

♪ A '54 convertible, too ♪

Coming.

Colin, what are you doing here? Come on in.

- Thank you. - I thought we were meeting tomorrow.

We are, but I've been chatting up the board members informally.

They're all terribly impressed with how you've turned this thing around.

So the meeting tomorrow will just be a formality, really.

Congratulations.

Colin, that's fantastic!

I hope I'm not imposing, but I couldn't wait to tell you.

Where's that charming boyfriend of yours? What was it, Bo?

- Luke. - Luke, right. Sorry.

Yeah, he's not in the, uh, picture, I think.

Oh? I'm sorry to hear that.

Well, perhaps these will cheer you up.

- What's all this? - The merger papers.

- But... - I had them ready weeks ago.

I knew you could do it.

♪ Santa, honey ♪

Now all that's needed is your Jane Hancock, shall we say.

♪ To a platinum mine ♪

♪ Santa, honey, so hurry down the chimney tonight ♪

Problem?

No, no, I just...

I worked towards this moment my whole career.

So, now that it's finally here,

it just... Well, it seems, um...

Wonderful?

Something like that.

♪ And hurry down the chimney tonight ♪

And with a stroke of the quill,

Whitmore-Class is born.

Will you join me in a toast?

Uh, sure!

- ♪ With some decorations bought at Tiffany's ♪ - Ta-da!

- Thank you. - My pleasure.

To Mary Class.

May all of her Christmas wishes come true.

Thank you.

Now, I hope I'm not being presumptuous,

but I've made reservations tonight at Gianelli's...

- if you're available. - With the whole team?

No. I thought it might just be the two of us.

That would be nice.

Lovely.

Dave, faster, faster.

Uh... too squeaky.

- Lucy... - Mm-hmm?

- What color is this? - Pink.

- Oh. And this one? - Blue.

Right. And you don't see a problem here?

Nope.

See, the ribbons in the hair must match, please. Fix them, OK?

Fix them all. Skip. Skip!

- Skip! - Yeah, boss?

Don't sneak up on me.

- I'm back! - Santa!

Nick!

Santa, I missed you!

Hey, Nick! Nice to see you!

- Hi. - Are you just stopping by for a visit?

No, not a visit. Mary's gone back to New York.

Yeah, so I have heard, which is why I have taken control.

No need for you to worry.

I think I hear the golf course calling your name.

Well, I appreciate the help but I've got it from here.

The big man is back.

Gary? Where's my Gary? There you are.

Gary, situation report.

Uh, we are right at the end. It's Christmas Eve tomorrow.

We're almost done. I'm just putting on the finishing touches.

All right, that means the toys are done, but that's only half.

The rest is the deliveries, and that's the magic.

That's what makes Christmas happen.

But you weren't even here when we made the toys.

Does that mean I'm not allowed to deliver them?

No, but...

- But I was going to do that. - Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!

But you let Mary deliver the toys last year.

Teri, you've been a good assistant and I appreciate the help,

but I am Santa Claus.

And Mary is my daughter. That's who we are.

Just as you are the mail carrier, and that's what you should be doing.

You do it so well.

Santa Claus, pardon me,

but may I borrow you for just a moment?

In the other room, alone?

All right. I'll be right back.

♪ We wish you a Teri Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Teri Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you a Teri Christmas and a Happy New Year ♪

Oh, thanks for a great night.

I had a lovely time.

I'm just glad we can put it on your expense account.

Well, with the merger, my expense account is your expense account.

Crap! I hadn't thought about that.

- Is it too late to get out of it? - I'm afraid so.

Well, I'm gonna call my lawyer in the morning.

Is something wrong?

Sharing letterhead is gonna be a big enough adjustment already.

I just... can't handle anything else right now.

I understand.

Thank you.

- See you Monday? - Absolutely.

Oh, and have a merry Christmas.

That's what they all say.

- I beg your pardon? - Never mind. Good night.

Good night.

This is a big one. Look!

Wow!

Higher, higher!

Teri!

Teri, can I have a cookie?

Oh, I'm sorry. Um, Santa said I should be the only one eating cookies.

- But usually... - You question the will of Santa?

- No! - Back to work.

Oh! Looks like somebody's getting an extra chunk of potato.

I hope you don't mind.

Now, I don't want any complaints, OK?

I put in basil because I happen to like basil,

and I don't see you doing any of the cooking around here.

Dig in.

You know, it's really nice having someone to eat with.

Mary!

Wow! You're back.

OK, we'll have plenty of time for that later.

Listen, we need to get to the workshop. I think my dad's in trouble.

- I'll explain later. - All right, let's go.

All right, you can have mine.

See ya!

OK, everyone. Tonight is the big night.

Let's get these last few toys on the sleigh

and get ready to make Santa proud!

Skip? Ahem. Skip!

Skip... Where were you?

- Did you finish hanging my portrait? - I was just...

It doesn't matter. Look, I really need you to get on this thing...

All right, jig's up.

Mary, you're back.

- Oh, joy. - Yeah, I'm back.

Phoebe!

She's an elf! You're an elf.

You figured it out.

Good for you.

Well, guess I don't need these anymore.

Or these.

- And what about the outfit? - My uniform?

Oh, no, no. I think I'll keep it.

After all, Santa did put me in charge.

Right, everyone?

- He did no such thing. - Um... Skip?

Oh, yeah. Santa went away. He said that Teri's in charge.

He said that Teri is the new Santa.

He gave Teri the suit and the sleigh and the workshop.

- Went away where? - I don't know.

Oh, who knows? Probably in one of his crazy flights of fancy.

- Yeah. - That kind of thing runs in the family.

Gary, can you tell me what really happened?

Santa went away, he said Teri's in charge.

He said Teri's the new Santa, he gave Teri the suit, sleigh and the workshop.

Santa told you Teri is in charge?

- Well, no. - Wait a second.

Did anyone actually hear Santa say Teri was in charge?

No.

- So who told you? - Teri.

And it didn't occur to anyone

that maybe she was lying?

But if Teri's lying,

why would Santa put her in charge?

She said her name was Teri, but it's really Phoebe.

She said she was a mailman, but she's really an elf.

You're a liar!

I bet Santa never even said you could have all the cookies!

I bet Santa didn't put you in charge at all!

Well, well, well.

Looks like we got ourselves a little rebellion.

- You know what I have to say to that? - What?

Free cookies!

- What is this doing here? - Well, it's a present.

We do deliver them, you know.

It's a little big, don't you think?

"Do not open until after Christmas."

Huh?

Mom! Dad!

Mr. and Mrs. C, are you all right?

Oh, thank goodness!

- Teri is naughty. - Yeah, we got that.

And her name isn't Teri, it's Phoebe.

And I bet you 50 bucks that's why I didn't get your letter.

Of course. How could I have missed that?

- It was the hair. - And the glasses.

No, it was me.

I was so much into my own nonsense,

- now look what happened. - There, there, dear.

I know what you're gonna say: "Nicholas, don't blame yourself."

No, I wasn't gonna say that.

- You weren't? - Mmm-mm.

Uh, guys, the sleigh's gone.

- Oh, no! - All right, we gotta go after her.

- Luke, we'll need the dogsled. - I'm on it, babe.

- I'll drive. Come on, Dad! - You're the boss.

No, you get the sled, I'll catch up.

I have something to do. Come on, Gary, I have an idea.

Christmas is mine!

All mine!

What?

Whoa! Whoa!

They won't fly for you! You don't have the Christmas spirit.

- There's no escape. - Oh!

Nice try, old man, but you can't cut me off!

Whoa!

No!

Whoa!

Dad!

- Are you OK? - What the heck was that?

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

I made a few special modifications to the sleigh.

Yeah!

Whoa!

Whoa!

- Toys are gone. - What did you expect?

Oh, no.

Teri lives here? Dad, wasn't this your fishing shack?

- Can somebody say "creepy"? - Ya think?

I am really gonna have to call my lawyer.

- That's far enough. - Phoebe!

What are you doing?

- Oh, no! - I'll do it, I swear.

- What has gotten into you? - Me?

What about you?

Christmas is the most important job in the world,

and I am the only one that wants to do it.

You two couldn't wait to call it quits.

But somehow that makes me the bad guy.

So you decided to steal Christmas?

I'm not stealing it, I'm saving it...

from you two.

I deserve this, Mary.

After all those years of loyal service,

Christmas is mine!

Phoebe, you're one of the best elves I ever had.

Elves? Who wants to be an elf?

No one out there even knows who we are,

but everyone can name the reindeer

and all they do is pull the sleigh!

Yeah, through the sky.

- Not helping. - Sorry.

Well, this is one elf no one's gonna forget.

If I can't run Christmas...

no one will.

- No! - Go ahead!

- What?! - What did you say?

Doesn't matter. You can steal Christmas,

you can destroy it, you can even save it.

We all have dreams, Phoebe.

But what good is getting everything you always wanted

unless you have someone to share it with?

Come on. I know you can do it.

So this is it?

All I have to do is...

is hand this over and...

everything goes back to the way it was?

Of course.

Phoebe, it's the right thing to do.

- No! - No!

Oh!

- Oh, my God! - What have I done?

You destroyed Christmas! So what are we gonna do now?

- Wait! - Skip?

I...

- The toys... - It's too late.

- She dropped the whole bag in the ocean. - What bag?

The bag of toys from the sleigh, Skip.

- The peanut butter cookie bag? - - What?!

The peanut butter cookies! I put a big bag of 'em in the sleigh for Teri!

Or...

Or... Phoebe.

You said they were your favorite.

And, you know, since the kids don't usually put out peanut butter cookies,

I figured it would be a nice treat.

You...

You did that for me?

Well...

It is Christmas.

Skip! So the elves saved Christmas!

Looks like it.

Well, I better look at their contract again.

It seems I've been a bit hard on the little buggers.

Wait a second, Mr. C. How are you gonna pull this off if you're so far behind?

There's no way only one Santa can deliver all those presents in time.

But two can.

Two can!

Two can!

Yeah, yeah. Two can.

- Help me unhitch the reindeer, OK? - I'm on it!

Yes, yes!

Phoebe...

we can use a hand.

Very clever, Mary.

I guess I owe you one.

Oh, come on, Dad.

It's two you owe me.

I have to say this.

I'm sorry.

You have your own life.

I shouldn't have forced you to lead mine.

Don't worry about it, Dad.

It's a mistake we all make sometimes.

You don't have to follow in my footsteps

for me to be proud of you.

You're the best Christmas present a father ever could ask for.

Wow.

Thanks, Dad.

Are you guys sure this is gonna work?

It's Christmas. It always does.

Right.

Are you ready?

Whenever you need me, Dad.

On, Dasher!

On, Cupid!

Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Bye, Luke!

Oh, hey, you guys want a lift?

- I think we'll walk. - All right.

Merry Christmas.

Hike-hike!

Hyah! Hike!

Hike-hike! Come on, hike!

And you have four new client meetings scheduled for next week,

plus new Webber Group proposals to finish up. Busy, busy.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

Good evening, Whitmore-Class. Sandy speaking.

Um, I'm afraid she's gone for the weekend. Can I have her return?

OK, thank you.

Oh, and you have a conference call with Colin Monday morning.

You know, maybe I'll just swing by their offices.

- In London? - Sandy!

Haven't you ever been to London? Nice, wide chimneys.

See you Monday.

On, Dasher!

Whoops!

- ♪ I'm going home ♪ - Bye.

♪ For the holidays ♪

♪ Home for the holidays ♪

- ♪ It's so long... ♪ - Hi, babe!

Hi!

I hope you don't mind, but I invited a few people for dinner.

At last! I'm starving to death.

- Nicholas, it's been 15 minutes. - A hungry 15 minutes.

Do you realize that you're more beautiful than you were 800 years ago?

Ooh, Nicky.

- What took you so long? - Traffic was a nightmare.

♪ Since I've been away ♪

♪ Going home for the holidays ♪

♪ Going home ♪

♪ For the holidays ♪♪