-What are you doing, dear?
-Fixing something that
me and Tommy need.
Wouldn't it be swell if we had a
white Christmas this year, Mom?
-Yes, it would.
But there's no sign
of snow so far.
-Snow's not the only
stuff that's white.
We're going to make a white
Christmas over in the park.
The grass, the benches,
and everything.
-The grass and benches?
-That's why we need
a sign like this.
We'll put it up first and
then get right to work.
-Dennis, come back here!
[theme music]
-Merry Christmas!
-Oh, Merry Christmas!
-Merry Christmas!
-Specially made
for the Mitchells.
-Isn't this beautiful.
-Oh boy, a bowling ball!
-That's a plum pudding.
-Mrs. Wilson made
it just for us.
-Oh boy, that's even
better, Mrs. Wilson.
I don't know to bowl, but I sure
know how to eat plum pudding.
Do you want me to take it
in the kitchen for you, Mom?
-Well, all right, dear.
Very carefully.
And put it on the sink.
-My, your house is
beautiful, Alice.
-Thank you.
-I love the mantel.
-Oh, that's who
Christmas is really for.
The children.
And that little boy of
yours deserves the ver-- Oh.
Is, uh, is this your tree?
-Well, yes.
-Henry just bought
it at Mr. Quigley's.
-It's a pretty tree.
-I know, but it's kind
of puny, isn't it?
I mean-- Is Dennis
satisfied with this?
-Well, yes, I think so.
-I never did like a white tree.
It just doesn't
feel like Christmas.
Doesn't even smell like
Christmas, smells like paint.
-George, Alice and
Henry like the tree.
-Well, now, Martha, Christmas
trees are not for grown-ups.
They're for children.
And-- well, you
can't expect a child
to get the real
feeling of Christmas
with a little bunch
of twigs like this.
-Well, Dennis already feels
like Christmas, Mr. Wilson,
with all these packages.
-Well, now, me, I have a
small Christmas tree too,
like yours, but--
well, that boy of yours
deserves a real Christmas tree.
-But that's a real
tree, Mr. Wilson, it's--
-A tall, green, pine-smelling
tree from God's own forest.
A tree that the boy has
helped to cut down himself.
-Me, Mr. Wilson?
Cut down a tree?
A Christmas tree?
Where?
Where are we going?
-Friend of mine, Barney Watson,
has been telling me for years
to go out to his land
and cut down a tree.
By golly, let's do it right now.
What do you say, Mitchell?
-Well, I don't know, Mr. Wilson.
-Oh, it's only an hour's drive.
We'll take my car.
-I've got so many
things to do today.
I don't think I'll
be able to make it.
-Please, Dad.
I'd like to cut
down our own tree.
-Go ahead, Henry.
-Well, all right.
-Oh, boy!
I'll go get my scout axe.
I bet I could chop
down a jillion
trees with my scout axe.
-Dennis, you won't
need your scout axe.
I'm bringing along a
real woodman's axe.
Now, let's get this little
white bush back to Quigley.
All right, Mitchell,
let's prepare ourselves
for the great outdoors.
-There you are.
Hello there, Henry.
-Hi, Mr. Quigley.
-Well, George, look at you.
-Hello, Quigley.
Well, we're returning
this Christmas tree.
Mitchell wants his money back.
-His money back?
-I hate to ask you to take
the tree back, Mr. Quigley.
But we'll really
have no use for it.
-We're going out
into the country
and cut our own Christmas tree.
A tall, fresh, green--
-Oh, so that's what
you're made up for.
I thought maybe you were playing
Paul Bunyan in a high school
pageant or something.
-Well, just take
this misshapen little
tumbleweed off our hands.
-Tumbleweed Why-- that's a fir!
That's the finest Oregon fir.
-Well, that's Oregon's
problem, not ours.
And give him his $ back.
-I presume you read this sign
when you bought the tree.
-"All sales final.
No returns."
No, I didn't read
it, Mr. Quigley.
I suppose I should have
crawled in behind the trees.
-Oh, now you're not
going to get away
with a cheap trick
like this, Quigley.
-Oh, come on, Mr. Wilson.
It's not worth--
-No, no, no, Mitchell.
Now you refund
his money, or I'll
report you to the city
license commissioner.
-You leave my uncle out of this.
Here, Mitchell, I'll
refund your money.
You're a valued customer and
I want to keep you happy.
-Thank you, Mr. Quigley.
-You, uh, don't want
to face tomorrow
without a Christmas
tree, though, do you?
-Well, no, I--
-Uh, you send Wilson here
to the woods with an axe,
he'll come back without
any toes and you'll
come back without a tree.
-Oh, for the love of--
Come on, Mitchell.
-We'll pick Dennis up.
-Oh, uh, George, wait a minute.
Put that in your pocket.
-Klondike .
Phone number, what's this for?
-Emergency Hospital.
They're great on chopped toes.
-Oh, Merry--
-Boy, those are the swellest
Christmas trees I ever saw.
-Yeah, they're great.
-Yes, sir, we're
going to cut down
the most beautiful
Christmas tree you ever had.
-Wow.
[plop] Wow.
Hey, Dad!
Look what's over here!
-Come away from
that old well, son.
You might fall in.
-Boy, it sure looks
deep down there.
on, let's see if we
can find a good tree.
-How about this one, Mr. Wilson?
-Hmmm?
Hmmm.
Oh, Mitchell, I think we
can do better than that.
We want a perfect tree.
The kind Quigley
would ask $ for.
-Hey, Mr. Wilson.
Look over here!
Here's a terrific tree.
-Oh, yes.
Oh, I think you
found it, Dennis.
This is a fine one.
-Boy, I wish I had my little old
scout axe in my hand right now.
I could chop this
down in two minutes.
-Ha ha.
Oh, Dennis, this isn't
a job for a Boy Scout.
This is a woodsman's job.
All right, now, stand
clear, both of you.
-This is going to be quite a
job to get down, Mr. Wilson.
-Oh, Mitchell, this
won't take long.
Sharp axe, sharp eye.
That's all it takes.
All right, now.
Watch out for flying chips.
[splintering wood]
-Jeepers, Mr. Wilson.
You broke your axe right in two.
-Well, of all the stupid--
Now how in the world
did I do a thing like that?
-You hit the tree
with the handle.
Didn't he, Dad?
That's how you did
it, Mr. Wilson.
You hit the tree
with the handle.
And--
-Dennis, never mind.
Mr. Wilson knows how he did it.
-Oh, of all the rotten luck.
Now we'll have to go
clear back to town
and get a new handle put in.
And that'll take all day.
-Jeepers, you don't have
to do that, Mr. Wilson.
I got my scout axe
right in the car.
-You-- you mean you
brought it anyhow?
-Sure.
You know our motto.
Be prepared.
-Let me take over for
a while, Mr. Wilson.
-All right, Mitchell.
Just while I take off my jacket.
Getting warm.
-Boy, this axe is more for
chopping butter than trees.
-Boy, it's a good thing I
didn't bring my Indian tomahawk.
It's made out of rubber.
-Timber!
-Boy, this is the swellest
Christmas tree I ever saw.
-It's the biggest
one we've ever had.
Alice is going to
be very pleased.
-Well, it was a lot of work,
Mitchell, but it was worth it.
All right, now you take that
end, Mitchell, I'll take this.
We'll get it out to the car.
Stand back now,
Dennis, well back.
Here we go.
-Hey, Mr. Wilson, your jacket.
-Oh, where is it?
Where?
Can you see it?
-Not any more.
Boy, it went down like a rock.
-Oh, for heaven's sake.
-You had the axe
head in the pocket.
-Yes.
It went down like an axe head.
-I hope you didn't have
your wallet it, Mr. Wilson
-Oh, no, my wallet's here,
I-- Great Scot, the car keys!
The keys to the
car are in there.
-We can't call a garage.
The nearest phone booth
is five miles from here.
-And it's too far to walk.
Now wait a minute.
There's a bus runs past here.
We'll take the bus home.
-They won't let us
take a tree on the bus.
-Well, they will if
we work it right.
All right now, Dennis, you
run on up to the highway.
And if a bus comes, you flag
it down and holler for us.
-Okay, Mr. Wilson.
-Good boy.
Come on, Mitchell.
You take that end.
Grab this.
Go.
-[inaudible].
There we are.
-Well.
Pretty nice Christmas tree
you cut yourself, huh?
-Heh, heh.
Oh, yes, a friend of mine
owns the land around here.
Yes, it is a nice tree.
-Yes, very nice.
What's your friend's
name, mister?
-Oh, Barney Watson.
Do you know him?
-Did he come out here with you?
-Oh, no, he lives in the city.
But he told me how
to get out here--
-Well, ah, I've got
news for you, mister.
Watson's land starts
right over there
on the other side of
that barbed-wire fence.
This is my land.
-Oh oh.
-I hate to do this to you.
That tree'll cost you $ .
-$ !
-Oh, gee, mister, we had no idea
we were on the wrong property.
-Of course we could have them
arrested for trespassing,
Leona, but, uh--
-Oh, no, that-- that
won't be necessary.
We'll pay for it.
-I've only got that $
that Mr. Quigley gave me.
-That's all right, Mitchell,
you keep it, keep it.
This is my Christmas
tree to Dennis.
There you are, mister.
Take it.
All right, grab
the tree, Mitchell.
Let's get out of here.
-That was quick
thinking, Wilbur.
-Yep.
I wonder who does own this land.
-OK, sonny.
Hop on.
-I just cut down a
Christmas tree, mister.
Can I take it on your bus?
-Well, a tree a young
fellow your size cuts down
couldn't take up too much room.
Sure, we can handle it.
-Oh boy, thanks, mister.
Okay, bring it over.
-Hey, hold on.
Who are these guys?
-My dad and Mr. Wilson.
They helped me
cut the tree down.
-Well, I can't haul that thing.
I'm not in the lumber business.
-It's for this
little boy, driver.
If we don't get it home,
he'll have no Christmas tree.
-Yeah, and I just
gotta have one.
-Well, if you can get
it on, I'll haul it.
-Gee, that's swell, mister.
-Bless you, driver.
Your reward will be in
knowing that you brought
a touch of extra Christmas
cheer to the heart
of this little lad.
-Mac, make with the tree.
I'm on schedule.
I've got no time to
sit here and cry.
-All right, Dennis,
you go first.
Mitchell, you take
that end of the tree.
And I'll grab this one.
-What's going on here, driver?
-Oh, just helping a kid
with his Christmas tree.
-Oh.
-You're doing fine, Mr. Wilson.
-Thank you.
All right, Mitchell.
Now, if we just get--
-Watch it, Mac.
-Ah!
-You honked the horn.
-I can't help it.
-Is it New Year's already?
What happened to Christmas?
-It's only the horn.
-Sure.
At New Year's
there's always horns.
Happy New Year.
-Oh, drat.
There goes another branch.
Oh!
-You're going to have
to lift it higher
if you want to get it through.
-Oh, yeah.
Oh, this is better.
All right, now take
it easy, Mitchell.
Straight on back.
-You're headed straight
now, Mr. Wilson.
-Oh, not so fast, Mitchell.
Mitch-- Oh, I'm terribly sorry.
Please excuse me.
-Oh, I don't mind.
My name's Gladys Pickett.
-I'm George Wilson.
-How do you do.
This is a very informal meeting.
But sometimes they're
the best kind.
-No doubt.
-Are you married, Mr. Wilson?
-I've been married
for years. .
-Oh.
Well, Merry Christmas anyhow.
-Yes, Merry Christmas.
-Hey, Mac.
Visiting hours are over.
Let's get going.
-I'm trying to.
Mitchell, pull forward
a little bit there.
-Sorry about the
trouble, driver.
-Not as sorry as I am.
And don't forget to
pay for the tree.
It's a passenger too.
-It's under years old.
Can it ride for half fare?
Guess that wasn't
very funny, was it?
-Good guess, Mac, good guess.
Now get that thing back there as
far out of the way as you can.
-Now, Dennis, watch out.
Now you get out of the way now.
That's far enough--
-Mac, that'll cost
you exactly $ .
-All right, driver,
I'll pay for it.
-You bet you will.
-Drat, there goes
another branch.
-Boy, this is the most exciting
Christmas Eve I ever had.
-Hey.
What's going on?
What's going on here?
How'd I get out in the woods?
-Sir, you're not in the woods.
-Let me off the bus.
I paid my fare.
Get me out of the woods.
-Oh, for heaven's sake.
See, you're still on the bus.
-Oh.
Thank you.
That was kind of scary.
Well, Happy New Year.
-Okay, who's getting off?
-Oh, oh, that was
a mistake, driver.
The tree got caught in the cord.
-Oh, it did, did it?
Well, if the tree signaled,
then the tree's getting off
and you with it.
-But we're still
blocks away from home.
-I don't care if you're
miles from home.
You've caused enough trouble.
Now, off!
-Come on, Dad.
It's a swell day for a walk.
-Hurry it up a little bit,
will you, Mac, please.
Oh, and don't forget
the $ for the window.
-Goodbye.
I'll always remember this day.
-So will I.
-I hate to seem ungrateful,
Mr. Wilson, but feet of tree
is a lot of tree for
a -foot living room.
-Yeah, if we saw it in half, we
could have two Christmas trees.
-It looks a little
flat on top, George.
-Yeah.
Boy, it looks like it's
got a butch haircut.
-Mr. Wilson,
wouldn't it have been
better if you'd cut the tree
off from the bottom instead
of the top?
-Yes, it would've
kept its shape better.
-Now you tell me.
Oh well, don't worry,
I know what to do.
I'll just taper all the
branches around the tree
and, and shape it up again.
Dennis, hand me a
chair to stand on.
That top branch,
I can't reach it.
Hold the tree, Mitchell,
I'll get it from this side.
That's it.
Put the chair right there.
-Okay, Mr. Wilson, here you are.
-Thank you, Dennis.
That's it.
Woah!
-George, are you all right?
-I'm all right, but what did
I do to the-- oh, good grief.
I've broken another branch.
Oh, now I'll have to cut one
on the other side to match.
All right, Mitchell.
Give me a hand with the tree.
Let's get it up.
-Well.
There it is.
What do you think of it?
-Oh, it's nice, Mr. Wilson.
Nice.
-You certainly put a
lot of work into it.
And it shows.
-We've never had a tree
like it, Mr. Wilson.
-Boy, it's a mess.
Isn't it?
-Dennis, you shouldn't
say a thing like that.
-Especially after all the
trouble Mr. Wilson went to
-Oh, never mind.
At least the boy is honest.
Isn't that just like me.
Get everybody all
involved and upset,
go to the end of the earth
for a tree and-- look at it.
Did you ever see a
more complete disaster?
-Well, no.
-It is pretty awful
-The poor thing makes
me sad to look at it.
-That's what I said.
It's a mess.
-Yes, this late
on Christmas Eve,
all the trees will be sold out.
Alice, if I could find one, I'd
be more than glad to buy it.
-Don't worry about
it, Mr. Wilson.
You did your best.
[doorbell]
-I'll get it.
-Well, I promise from now
on to mind my own business.
-We don't want you to
do that, Mr. Wilson.
We want you to
stay just as-- uh--
-Meddlesome?
-Just as friendly and
helpful as you always are.
-Besides, dear, the
tree may not look so bad
when it's decorated.
-Well, folks, I just came by
to see what kind of a Christmas
tree the mighty
woodsman came up with.
-All right, Quigley,
enjoy yourself.
-Oh, brother, that is a beaut.
I hope you weren't carrying
it when the lightning struck,
George.
-We just had a little bad luck.
-Oh, I can see that, yes.
Don't you think it might look
better someplace else, Henry?
Like, eh, in the fireplace?
-All right, Quigley,
any more jokes?
-No, I guess that covers it.
Excuse me a moment.
-He's got a lot of
nerve, just to come over
here and needle you.
-He'll be sorry, Mr. Wilson.
I'll sell all my empty
bottles to somebody else.
-Thanks for your
support, Dennis.
But I don't deserve it.
-I brought something
you may be able to use.
-Hey, it looks like the
tree we had this morning.
-It's the same one, Dennis.
I saved it for you.
-I don't understand,
Mr. Quigley.
-Well, I was sure that
George would goof up somehow,
so I set the tree aside.
I didn't want the little
fellow to be without one.
-Oh boy, I got my tree.
Jeepers, Mr. Quigley.
You're swell.
-It was a wonderful thing to do
-Yes, it was.
Thanks a million.
-Quigley, you're a gentleman.
-I was glad to be
able to help out.
You may not believe it,
but I am a sentimental man.
-Oh, I'm sure you are.
-So, my best wishes for
the best Christmas ever.
-Thanks a million.
Same to you.
-One thing more.
That'll be $ for the tree.
-George is going to pay for
it, as he said he would,
aren't you, dear?
-Yes, Martha.
No, Mitchell.
There you are, Quigley.
This is the most expensive
tree in the world.
-Thank you.
Oh, Henry.
Put that in Dennis'
Christmas stocking.
Merry Christmas.
-Here, Dennis, I'll take it.
Mmm.
Doesn't that smell good?
-Boy, it sure does.
-Here, dear.
Will you take this
to your mother?
-Okay, Mrs. Wilson.
Here you are, Mom.
-Thank you, dear.
-Hey, Mom, what's in this?
-You'll find out in the morning.
-Gee, Dad, I sure wish
I was more like you.
-You do?
-My sock would hold more if
my feet were as big as yours.
-That takes time, son.
-My, it's a lovely
Christmas Eve, Alice.
Everything around us to
make it just perfect.
-A warm fire.
-And lots of presents.
-A lovely tree.
-And good friends.
-Well, son, it's time for
you to get off to bed now.
Santa will be here
before you know it.
Night.
-Night, Dad.
Night, Mrs. and Mrs. Wilson.
-Good night, Dennis.
-Night, Mom.
-Good night, dear.
-Well, I'd say
bless us, everyone,
but there's just no need to.
-You're right, Mr. Wilson.
We're so richly blessed.
-Hey, Mom.
We forgot something.
-(SINGING) Silent night.
-(SINGING) Holy night.
All is calm.
All is bright.
Round yon virgin
mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild.
-(SINGING) Sleep in heavenly
peace, sleep in heavenly peace.
-Merry Christmas, everybody.
[music playing]
03x12 - The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree
Watch/Buy Amazon Merchandise
Follows the Mitchell family – Henry, Alice, and their only child, Dennis, an energetic, trouble-prone, mischievous, but well-meaning boy, who often tangles first with his peace-and-quiet-loving neighbor, George Wilson, a retired salesman, and later with George's brother John, a writer.
Follows the Mitchell family – Henry, Alice, and their only child, Dennis, an energetic, trouble-prone, mischievous, but well-meaning boy, who often tangles first with his peace-and-quiet-loving neighbor, George Wilson, a retired salesman, and later with George's brother John, a writer.