Stealing Christmas (2003)

[bunniefuu]

Ah, jack, you're a life-saver.
Let's get to work.

You can do it without me, Jack. Get
twice as much for myself.

Why ain't you working solo?

Kills you, doesn't it? That's how
much you need me, jack Clayton.

The Lone Ranger, Cell Block C,
that's what we called you.

It's almost like you liked it there.
Like you preferred it on the inside.

At least it was quiet.

Let's go. After
you, kemosabe.

Hey, man. The movie's starting in
the video department.

You're in charge of popcorn? Oh,
that's right. Oh, let's go.

I told you no g*ns.

You're my partner not my daddy,
Jack.

I'm never going back to
Cell Block C.

Man, this is gonna be some haul.

Eight floors, registers.

Now all we do is wait for the cash.
Yeah.

(PEOPLE CHATTER)

All right. Come on.

This way.

Relax. I cased the place for weeks.
They don't open till ten.

The staff

Hey. What is this? Hey, what's the
matter with you?

Don't you know what time it is?
What, yeah, I'm sorry but...

Hey! Hey, you guys, stop.
Hey! Stop! Or what?

It's my first day.

Why did I know that? Jack.

Go. Hey. Take him.

Get back here!

Attention employees. The store's
opening in ten minutes.

Please report to your
department.

Is it nine already?

Merry Christmas.
Hello.

Merry Christmas. Hi.

Hello.
Hey, Santa. h*, h*.

Hey, Santa.

Yeah. I'm a fast learner.
Now put the bag down.

I said put the bag...

Let me guess, North Pole?

When's the next bus? To where?

Anywhere. Three minutes, $ one
way.

Jeez, I left my wallet there.
We take plastic, Santa.

All the good little boys and girls
are waiting.

Merry Christmas. Hey, hey.

Hey! Wait up.

Wait, wait.

Hey. Thanks.

Let me guess,
the North Pole.

Dude, you've gotta be the sorriest
Santa I've ever seen.

What about the sounds
when you... Oh.

Mister.

Hey, Mister.

It's the end of the line.
They're waiting for you.

You're late.

Where's your stuff? What stuff?

Deodorant, toothbrush, socks, stuff.

Hey, kid, I think you got the wrong
man. No, you're the, you're the man.

Come on, I don't have all day.

Well come on. You got a better
offer?

Are you sure you're old enough to
drive this thing?

I can dress myself too.

Well...

this is it. What?
The whole damn town.

Enough to make you puke, huh?

Evergreen, huh? It ain't
Manhattan.

She said to take your information
and you can start right away.

Who's she? My mother.

Man, you're slow. Are you sure
you've done this before?

Done what?

No, way. Not me. What, are you
kidding?

Forget about it!
Where are you going? Hey, Santa.

She's not gonna like this.

She's not gonna like it,
who cares what she likes?

So, you're the new one.

What can I get you? Menu.

Well most folks have it memorised.

Coffee? Please.

What's the special? Come again?

It says here, "Ask about our
special."

Well you've got me. You're the first
one to ask.

Grilled cheese and French fries.

Jo, what's that, short for
Josephine?

No, it's short for Jo with an off!
My Dad wanted a boy.

Dad doesn't always know best, huh?

I will take that as a compliment.

Town always this dead? Honey, this
is the busy season,

at least it used to be before all

those shopping malls and super
stores.

Nowadays... Jo, order's up.

Oh. Eat it while it's lukewarm.

Thank you. Well that's too bad.

Huh? About the super stores, I mean
it's a cute little town.

You must have really raked it in at
Christmas time, huh?

Oh, we still do OK.
Depends on what you need.

Some people need more.

I didn't catch your name, hun?

Hm. Ketchup. Oh.

Well, hello, stranger.

Big pile-up on the Mass Pike.

Oh, lord. Anybody hurt?

Grace of God, Jo. Oh, say hello to
Ketchup.

Ketchup, this is Hogan.

Tim Hogan. Oscar Burton.

So you're the new one.

This is funny. I had you pegged for
a Nick or a... Jake.

Jo's got a think for names.

Almost never wrong. Yeah, how much
do I owe you?

Well you haven't even started, hun.
I got a bus to catch.

What time's the next one?

: . Tonight? Tomorrow.

Thanks a lot.

Thanks. See you. I can wrap it up.
No, no, I'm fine, thanks.

Hey, kid. How far to the next...

You're not gonna get away with it.

Pardon me. I paid for a Santa, I
expect a Santa.

Uh, uh, lady, I think you got me
mixed up...

I gave the agency a week's pay in
advance.

If you pull a no show like the last
one, I'm gonna call the cops.

Now look, take it easy, let's...

Hey, Sarah. Jim Hogan, just the man
I'd like to see.

You lose another Santa? Uh-huh.
Turns out I'm not leaving after all,

Sheriff. I though you were leaving.
Well, just a misunderstanding.

Sarah and I had a contract issue but
we've resolved it, right, and

as it turns out she needs a Santa as
much as I need a job, maybe more.

Let's get to work.

She's the boss. Keep your head down,
Sheriff.

And when do I meet him? You don't.

Look. No drinking on the job.

Yes, ma'am. And no flirting with the
mommies.

No mommies. Check.

h*, h*, h*. Joe, I need a little
help with the tree.

Yeah. Put it right here. OK. Thank
you. You're welcome.

Told ya.
She always gets her way.

What's your name?

Oscar Burton. Oscar Burton.

That's your real name? Don't you
think I could make up a better one?

What about you, what's your name?

Hey, let me guess. Brittany or
Tiffany. Noelle.

Don't say a word. Noelle.

Nice name.

Hello. Hey. Where you going?

Stop and buy a tree. Hey, there you
go.

Oh, it's... What the heck.

All right.

Ah.

No, I am not gouging.

It's not a big deal, it's just a
trip to the mall.

If it's not a big deal, you're not
missing anything.

Yes, Stanley, I'm still here.

Take it or leave it. But everybody's
going.

Everybody but you. Stanley, I need
an answer.

Excuse me. You know, I work after
school, I work before school,

I work every weekend.

Great, great. You'll have them by
Wednesday latest.

Thank you. I'd just like to point
out...

You know, those kids you hang around
with are mall rats with nothing

better to do than look for trouble.
Now I want you at home, Noelle.

Why don't you just lock me up in my
room and swallow the key?

Don't be so dramatic. I'm sorry,

when I grow up I wanna be just like
you then maybe

I'll be as happy as you are.

No kids. Huh?

Nobody's stopping, everybody keeps
going by.

Well, it's early. The kids see you,

they tell their parents and pretty
soon they come back here and buy.

So get back out there and wave.

You can wave, can't you?

Yeah, yeah, I can wave.

Yeah, you can see me wave.
I'd like to wave you.

Go on honey, talk to Santa.

What's your name? Andrew.

My mom says I'm supposed to sit on
your lap.

Forget it. What do you want?
Are you really Santa?

Done. Yeah.

Mom, Mom.
I'm getting a new bike.

Piece of cake.

Oh, oh. No, no, wait a minute!

Wait a minute!

What do you want for Christmas?
Hello.

What do you want for Christmas? A
hockey stick. OK, you got it.

Who's next?

All right, come on. Get out. Go
ahead.

All right, so what do you want for
Christmas kid? Nothing. Nothing.

Good. Goodbye. That's my kind of
kid.

Right. Yeah, get on the bus will
you.

Go on.

This is your Christmas list?
Don't you think it's a little long?

Let me see it.

What is that? You did this on a
computer?

Don't get that on me.

Hey, Doug.

I see you've found yourself a Santa.

Maybe.

Well he certainly looks the part.

Yeah, well you would too in that
suit.

Hey, I offered. And a doggy and a
pony and a swimming pool,

a heated swimming pool.

"I want, I want".

You ever stop and ask yourself what
does Santa want?

I mean do you ever think about that?
Urgh. Hey, take him.

Well that's not very nice.
Unbelievable!

I want, I want, I want, I want.

Can I speak to you for a minute?

Depends. What do you want? A horsey
or a doggie or a heated pool?

This may come as a surprise to you
but some of these kids actually behave

in Santa. I thought you said you'd
done this before.

I have, I have but with city kids,
it's a lot different.

Tough love. That's a new one, Santa.

This the husband?
No.

Doug Jennings, Oscar Burton.

Nice to meet you. I've met enough
people for one day.

Doug's a friend of mine. Bully for
Doug.

He owns the newspaper and he sells
me advertising space at a discount.

Rotten kids.

The people who bring their kids
here,

most of them have been doing it for
years.

That's the kind of town this is.
Everybody knows everybody.

We count on each other.

Obviously, I can't count on you.

No wait a minute, I thought you paid
the Agency a week in advance.

Call it severance pay.

So how did it go? Great.

Oh, boy, boy.

Keep your stupid town. Stupid job.

For God's sake.

This is yours. Save it for the next guy.

You're gonna sit here all night?

Maybe.

Got a light?

Give me that.

Did you read the label ♪ it's
hazardous to your health.

So is this boring town.

Tell me, what's the story with your
father?

You mean besides the fact that he's
dead?

How old were you?

We were in Florida on vacation.

God, it was great. No snow, no
evergreens just palm trees.

The last day we caught this fish,
like dolphin, only...

Mahi-mahi. Right.

The chef at the hotel, he cooked it
for us, brought it right to the

table, everybody cheered. The next
day we found him in the bathroom

just lying there face down on the
tiles.

Heart attack? Yeah.

He had big heart. It's a tough
break.

You think?

You know, you could take
me with you.

Yeah. That's just what I need.
What? You won't even know I'm there.

Go home, kid. You don't know what
it's like. Yeah.

Wanna bet?

Uh-oh.

Noelle Gibson, do you realize...

Easy, easy, easy. She was just
saying goodbye.

Get in the car, young lady. It's not
a car, it's a truck.

Don't talk back to your mother.

I don't need you to instruct my
daughter, sir.

Yeah, you're doing such a bang up
job.

Hey, let me tell you something, huh?
You know, for the record,

I'm sorry about your husband and I'm
sorry about the super stores but I'm

not sorry I told that brat to shove
it.

Santa's got feelings too, you know.

Some Santa, you're just a guy trying
to make a buck.

Santa's got feelings.

You're flooding it.

You're, you're flooding it.

You in...

You're flooding it. Take your foot
off the gas, you're flooding it.

I can handle it.

Hey. Huh. Aye-aye-aye-

Hey, hey, wait.
Wait! Wait one sec... hey, wait.

Mom. Please, hey, wait a se...
Please, Mom. Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.
Listen. Listen, listen.

Give me a week. If I don't work out
I take my shoes for a walk without

pay. That's fair. Give me one good
reason?

Cos I need a job, and you need a
Santa and, let's face it,

I'm the only one you've got.

Come on, Mom.

Get in. OK.

Thanks.

My grandad built it himself.

My Dad did the barn and the stables.

That's where you're staying.

Oh, I don't think so.

Oh, yes, Mr Burton. This is a farm.

Workers come and go all year long
here,

most of them are grateful for a
clean room and a shower.

And you get used to the other thing.

What other thing? The smell.

Hey, Santa don't do animals.

Nothing to it. You just feed them
and clean their stalls every day.

It's OK, I'll help you.

What? We all have to pull our weight
around here, right, Mom?

Yeah. Come on.

Eurgh. Get out of here.

This is our home, Mr Burton.

We're used to strangers but we

expect you to respect our property
and us.

You stay out of my way, I stay out
of yours. Fair enough. Mm-hmm.

We're up at five and the truck
leaves at seven. Hm.

You get time off for good behaviour?

Since you're staying on, I'm gonna
need your ID.

Huh? Driver's licence, social
security card for taxes.

Sure, sure.

It's OK.

We'll do it tomorrow. Yeah,
tomorrow.

Right. Goodnight.

Night. Night, Oscar.
Night.

You're late. Here.

Doesn't do me justice, I know.

I got your Santa suit clean.
Oh, thank you.

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas

♪ We wish you a Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year. ♪

No! So tell me. What do you want
for Christmas, son?

While we're young, OK, kid?
You're not Santa.

Hey, let me tell you something about
Santa, OK, kid?

You know, Santa's seen it all, he's
done it all, I mean so maybe Santa

is, Santa's a little impatient, you
know what I mean,

Santa is wound just a little too
tight, so don't waste Santa's time.

Capeesh?

I want a bike, a Spider-Man video

game, a telescope and skateboard,
please.

Oh, and polite too.

Very good. You got it.

Just keep being a good boy, OK?

OK. OK. Say hi to Mom, she's
right over there. Hiya.

Bye, Sarah. Thank you.

Doug, wow. I saw the ad today.

Looked great, thank you. He's back.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

You know, dinner, a movie.
Like real people. Excuse me.

Be all right if I take my break
now?

Oh, yeah, sure, you did really well
with that little boy.

It's a gift. Dan.
It's, it's Doug.

Doug. Oh, right.
Excuse me.

I'm sorry.

What do you know about him? What do
I know about any of them?

Three weeks, he'll be gone. Right.

So, Sarah, about Saturday?

Oh...

Can I take a rain check, it's really
busy this time of year.

Does that mean you're available in
the spring?

Ah, these are nice.

I love them.

Yeah, can we take a look at that one
please?

Hi, Santa. Hello.
Hey, Merry Christmas. Hi.

Hello. Anybody here?
Hello.

You've come to the right place.

I'm Emily Sutton.
Hi, I'm Oscar Burton.

Oh, no.
No, that's not your name.

Oh, Mr Sutton was very particular
on that subject.

Once you don the g*y apparel, you
become the great man himself.

You become Santa. Oh.

Mr Sutton? My late husband.

The shop was his idea.

Christmas all year round.

He had vision. He wore glasses as

thick as soda bottles but he had
vision.

Well...

I just wondered, how, how much for
the train?

Oh, that's not for sale.

Just for display. Oh.

It was Mr Sutton's.
He loved his trains.

It's a beauty. You know, only of
them were ever made.

You know your trains, Mr Burton. Oh,
but...

I'm not Mr Burton, remember?

You're a bit of a scoundrel I think.

I think you're onto me, Mrs Sutton.

I'll see you around.
Would you do me a favour?

I need to bring some more ornaments
from the back.

More? Well you can never have too
many.

Now where did I put them?

Mr Sutton had his own system but
I'm afraid he...

He made those himself.

They never did sell.

People prefer plastic.

Hm. People are suckers.

That's what he said, only nicer.

There they are, that box.

That's it. Fragile you know.

Oh, yes ma'am. Where does this door
lead?

Nowhere. It used to be a side
entrance before the bank expanded.

Now there's just a wall.

OK.

Wait up.

See you, Mrs Sutton.
Hi, Santa. Hi, how are you?

You ever get a feeling about a guy?

Sometimes.

You know, I tell her,

I tell her not to put them up at the
farm with a teenage daughter and no

man around. Oh, I bet she loves
that.

Telling Sarah Gibson what to do,
smart move, Dougie.

Come on, Jo. He could be anybody.

Serial k*ller, for God's sake.

A serial k*ller in a Santa suit.

You're reading too much
Stephen King, Doug.

I'm telling you, I've got this
feeling.

Well, I don't blame you, he's cute.

Nice. Well he is.

Not that you have got any reason to
be jealous.

Would it be asking too much, Tim, to
run a check?

Here you go. Thank you.
No, you're welcome.

How you doing, Santa? Anything for
me?

h*, h*, h*. In your dreams.

Hi. I'm thinking about a safety
deposit box.

Can't be too careful.
Tell me about it.

I'll just get Mr McKay.

Oh, thank you. Oh, look, there's
Santa.

Hi, Santa.

There are two sizes.
Oh, the small will be fine.

All right. Oh, here we are, here's
one.

Now, this comes with two keys.

One of course would be yours, the
other one we keep here at the...

Your money is safe with us, Santa.

A Coldstream Rigby .

Yeah, yes.

Yes, it is. Oh.

Santa used to work security.
Oh, well then you know.

Too much vault for one little town.

Maybe. Business isn't booming like
it used to before the shopping malls

came. By Christmas Eve,

folks would have put away an entire
year's worth of hopes and dreams.

And as Mr Sutton used to say,

you look for the best in people but
you be prepared for the worst.

Yeah, Mr Sutton was no dope.

Ah. Indeed. Now, let me show you the
features...

You, you've given me plenty to think
about Mr McKay. Thank you very much.

Oh. Oh. Thank you, yeah.

Say, Merry Christmas sir. Yeah, yes,
of course.

Merry Christmas to you, Santa. See
you soon.

(PHONE RINGS)

I'm happy with my long distance
provider, so go to hell.

Harry. Harry, it's me Jack.

Jack. Where are you, my man?

Some place with a Rigby Coldstream
.

Ooh, you'd need to blow that one.

That's why I'm calling you, pal.

He needs me. The Lone Ranger needs
Tonto.

Yeah, yeah, but this time you do it
my way. Start to finish, Harry.

Whatever you say, Jack.
Whatever you say. Now, look...

Hey. What did that?
Jack.

You OK? Yeah, look, I'll call you
back.

This way.

I thought Noelle was helping you.

I heard her come in.
I heard you too.

She has a curfew.

I suppose you'd let her stay out all
night.

I'd give her a reason to come home.

Easy for you to say, you don't have
a kid.

Yeah, but I, I used to be one once.

You? I don't believe it.

You should do that more often.

What, tease you? Smile.

Sorry, Oscar, I...
Ah, Noelle.

I was just telling your mother about
last night.

You know, breaking curfew.

Kind of dumb, huh?

All it gets you is grounded or
worse.

It won't happen again.
Don't tell me.

Sorry, Mom.

You know, Sarah, I was out at that
mall last night.

You can't possibly compete with them
on their terms.

I mean your friend Doug's ads are
nice but they're just not gonna do

the job. You're gonna have to steal
from the competition.

You've gotta hijack the customers.

Steal, hijack.

Figures of speech.

It seems to me that if you don't
start taking what they've got,

they're just gonna continue to take
more of what's yours.

You're just here for three weeks,
passing through.

Christmas Eve, you're out of a job.

What's it matter to you if we turn a
profit or not?

Not a thing. Yeah, I get paid either
way, right?

Uh-huh. But what about Mrs Sutton?
Or Jo?

Or your friend, Doug, or everybody
else in this town?

It isn't just money to them, it's
the future.

Their future. That's what they
deposit in the bank

You ever think about that? I mean,
really, think about it.

Maybe college, grad school, how
about a wedding?

Forget it. Just let everybody settle
for their,

their small dreams and their little
hopes just like you, lady.

Can't see the forest for the stupid
Christmas trees.

Don't tell me. I'm fired again.

How do you do it? Do what?
Steal customers?

Now if, if that's all the new
business then...

New, new ideas.
New business.

Oscar.

Hi, folks.

Look, well, you know,

everybody in town had it pretty good
for a while and then the big stores

came and they took it all away from
you.

And from where I sit, it doesn't
look like it's going to get any
better so

Mr Burton, you're new here and,
well,

Speak for yourself, Douglas.

I think it needs more whiskers.

You know, a lot more.

(SCHOOL BELL RINGS)

h*, h*, h*.

Merry Christmas. Welcome, Santa.

Nice to meet you.

Likewise. It was so nice of
Sarah Gibson to let us borrow you.

Oh, well. That's the lady who sells
all your Mommies and Daddies those

wonderful Christmas trees at such
reasonable prices.

Oh, great, great.

It's our very favourite, isn't it
class?

ALL: Yes, Miss Abernathy.

Why don't you do the honours?

Not a creature was stirring, not
even a mouse.

Hey, wait a minute,

in your houses, the night before
Christmas, is it all that quiet?

Not at my house. Not mine either,
huh.

Well, what about the night before
Hanukkah?

Is it quiet in your house? What's it
like?

My Dad yells at me to go to bed or
else.

Wait a minute. Your father yells at

you to go to bed or else on the
night

before Hanukkah? I think we...

No, no, no. Let's tell us like it is
then.

And all through the house Dads were
yelling at kids to get to bed or...

Now we're going. The stockings were
hung by the chimney with care.

My mom uses my brother's tube socks.

OK, the tube socks were hung by
the chimney with care in the hope
that

Oh, we're going. Now, no, no, relax.
I got this now.

Hiya, d*ck. How you doing?

I knew that. Jo, sweetheart.
Coffee and a slice of pie.

Around and tell her to bring her
parents.

Your plan seems to be working.

We do what we can, right, Doug?
Some do more.

Tell me, what's in it for you?

I mean besides the goodness of your
heart. Lighten up, Dougie.

No, no, no. That's OK, Jo.
Look, Doug, Santa's selfish.

You know, the better it is for
business around here,

the better it is for me. Really?

How do you figure? Well, come
Christmas Eve,

if business had been good I get a
bonus.

Sarah's never done a lot of things
before.

Hey, Oscar. Thanks for helping with
that donation.

Hey, anything for the Policemen's
Benevolent Association, right
Hogan?

Hey, don't spend it all in one
place.

It's already earning interest.

Smart man. Hey, Jo, what do good owe
you for the coffee?

Hey, your money's no good here,
Santa.

OK, bring that niece around to see
me, huh?

Doug.

He's up to something.

You know, I ran that check on him
Doug.

No arrests, not even a parking
ticket.

Oscar Burton is as clean as they
come.

Well, maybe you're looking in the
wrong place.

I guess it just gave up the ghost.

Hm. May I? Can you fix it?

(DOG BARKS)

Shop lifting? It was just for fun,
Mom.

I wasn't stealing.

Tell her how much, Tim.

$ worth of merchandise.

Mom. Don't worry, Sarah.

We'll get her through this.

Did you catch her with any of the
merchandise?

Oscar, Oscar, please...
Was she holding or wasn't she?

Well, no, but she was with the
others.

Mr Burton, this is a family matter
please.

Did you take anything? Thanks for
asking.

No-one else seems... Tell the
truth. Did you take anything?

No. Nothing. I'm sorry, that's not
gonna be good enough.

Now wait a minute, you can bust her
for being in the wrong place at the

wrong time but she's a minor.

If she wasn't holding anything
you'll never make a Class C
misdemeanour stick.

Your father was a good friend of
mine and your mom's good people so

I'm gonna let her deal with you this
time.

We understand each other here,
Noelle? Uh-huh.

Well, good night Sarah. Thank you.

♪ Oscar.
♪ Hogan.

Are you coming, Doug?

You know, for a part time

Santa Clause you seem to know an
awful lot about the law.

I watch a lot of TV.

Goodnight, Doug.

Doug. Goodnight.

So... do
you still think I'm blowing smoke?

Well, I hope you have some
explanation.

You were awesome. What? Thank you.
What's the matter with you?

You have all this, you wanna throw
it away so some pimple faced losers

will like you? I thought you were on
my side. I am on your side.

You just got a free pass, Noelle,

now the question is what are you
gonna do with it?

Do you know how many people would
love a second chance to start off
clean with...?

Tell your mother you're sorry.

Tell her.

I didn't mean to...

I didn't think...

I'm sorry, mom. I'm sorry.

Kemosabe. Hey.
What do you say, Harry?

The door was unlocked.
Unlike you, my man.

Nobody locks their doors around
here, Harry.

Oh, I love it already.
Still into toys, huh? Yeah.

It's an antique.

You're looking good, jack.

Better than last time I saw you.

Yeah, close call. Too bad about the
cash.

Yeah, tell me about it.

Until I read the newspaper, I
thought you'd run out on me.

Now would I do something like that,
Harry?

For your sake, I hope not. By the
way, what's that smell?

A reindeer. You're kidding me?
You get used to it.

Never figured you for the farmer
type.

Must be the farmer's daughter.

Her name's Noelle and she's off
limits.

Same goes for her mother, Sarah.

Ooh, I see we're on a first name
basis and the daddy?

Dead. How nice for you.

Harry, it's a job, OK, just a job.

A job you can't do without me.

Say it. It won't k*ll you.

Don't push it, Harry.

So what are we waiting for? Let's
hit the bank and get the hell out of

dodge. See, Harry, that's what's
wrong with you.

For a big man, you think small.

We buy enough time till
Christmas Eve,

that's when the streets are empty
and the vault is full.

A hick town like this, what makes
you think the vault will be full?

Because I taught them how to fill
it. The night before Christmas,

when everyone's in church giving
thanks for all the money I helped

them make, we go in and take it.
Every last dime. That's cold, Jack.

That's very cold. It's a cold world,
Harry.

It's a cold world.

As good as new.
Oh, bless you, Santa.

You're welcome, Mrs Sutton.

Mrs Sutton, I've been thinking,
you're pretty busy these clays,
right?

Thanks to you, business has never
been better and not just for me,

the whole town. Yeah, that's the
idea.

Hey, I beg your pardon?

What I mean is, is...

I was thinking maybe you could use
some help.

Do you want a second job?

Oh, no. No me but I think I've found
someone.

Hang on a second. Harry, come here.

Mrs Sutton, this is Harry.
Harry, say hello to Mrs Sutton.

Ma'am. Harry's looking for work,
aren't you Harry?

You bet, jack.

Jack? He, he calls everybody Jack.

You know, Harry and I worked
together, you know,

before at children's parties, things
like that.

Harry's really good with magic and,
and stuff.

How did you do that? Misspent
youth.

Well, I've managed on my own ever
since Mr Sutt...

but if you think it's a
good idea.

I think I know just the job for
Harry.

It was made for you, Harry.
And I especially like the ears.

I'll remember this. Candy canes for
the children and carry the packages

out to the car for Mom and Dad.

And, you know, Mrs Sutton, I was
thinking maybe Harry could help you

organize back here a little bit,
huh?

Could you? Oh, it's been ages.

I'm afraid Mr Sutton had his own
system but I...

I'd be happy to, Ma'am. I could stay
after hours and get a lot done.

You're a godsend.

You both are. 'Tis the season.

Oh, thank you.
Merry Christmas.

Oscar. Yeah. Can I come up?
Sure.

I thought you might be sick of
canned soups.

It's not part of the deal.

Neither was helping my daughter.

There you go.
Can I make a suggestion?

sh**t.

Don't try to fix her. Never works.

Didn't your parents try to fix you?
Huh?

I'm sorry.
It's none of my business.

That's all right. Look, my father
could fix anything.

Toasters, vacuum cleaners,
watches, everything but me.

Your mother? She died when I was
seven.

The old man tried his best but...

He didn't do such a bad job.

Look how well you turned out.

Enjoy your supper.

Thanks for the advice.

No extra charge.

Mom. Phone. It's Stanley.

Tell me it's good news.

Oh.

Great hands.

Thank you.

Doug-

You were expecting...

Oh, no-one. What a surprise.

Sarah, there's only a few clays left
before Christmas.

I'm concerned about you. Don't be,
business has never been better.

I'm not talking about business.
I'm talking about you and Noelle.

What's this supposed to mean?

Well, isn't it obvious? Not to me.

Sarah, a guy tries to rob a
department store and he gets away

dressed as Santa Clause. Now check
the date.

The next day a guy gets off the bus
in a Santa suit.

Not the same guy.
Are you saying it's a coincidence?

Are you saying you have proof?

No, I don't have proof but...
Well, what does Tim Hogan say?

You did show that to him, didn't
you?

In other words, he thinks it's a
crock.

Why are you defending him?
Why are you out to get him?

A guy comes out of nowhere and all

of a sudden we can't live without
him.

The man with all the answers for
everybody including you, especially
you.

I think you'd better be going.

Sarah, look, I am just trying to
help you.

I mean this man could be... This
man has done nothing but help me and

my daughter and this town.
Why? You ever ask yourself?

He's here for three weeks and then
he's gone.

Why should he give a damn about you?

Maybe he likes me.

Yeah, well, I thought that was my
department.

I'm sorry.

Hey, hey. Let me give you a hand.
I can handle it. I noticed.

You like to work solo.
Me too.

The used to call me the Lone Ranger
of...

Of... Smells nice.

What is this, freesia fir?

Uh-uh. Noble. City boy, huh?
I kind of lived all over.

I was born and raised right here in
Evergreen.

It's a nice little town but, you
know...

...big world out there.

I've been a couple of places.

I went to Hawaii on my honeymoon.

Got the flu and I was sick for a
week.

Yeah, did he hold your hair?
What?

Girl starts throwing up, somebody's
gotta hold their hair.

He did.

And we went to Florida once and...

...l guess I'm just rooted here
like one of those big old cedars I
can't bring myself to cutdown.

But, Noelle, she can't wait to
leave.

Well, you know, sometimes you have
to leave so that

you can learn how to come back.

What a nice tree... Excuse me a
second.

I told you to stay away from here,
Harry.

I see why. Ah, you must be
Mrs Sutton's elf. I'm Sarah.

Harry. Nice to meet you, ma'am.
Oscar's told me a lot about you.

He has? Harry's got to get back to
work, don't you, Harry?

Well, actually I got a couple of...
Some other time, all right, Harry?

Excuse us a second. Do you wanna
blow everything?

Everything being what, Jack? The job
or the tight pair of blue jeans?

Keep your priorities straight, my
man.

Don't tell me about my... Easy,
easy. She's still watching.

I came to tell you we've got a
problem.

What? The wall of the bank, it's
reinforced.

So we'll have to blast that one too,
right?

That's two explosions, Jack.

One to get in the bank, another to
get in the vault.

How are we gonna cover the noise?
I don't know. I...

I'll think of something.
You always do.

Hey, just remember,

the Lone Ranger never stayed too
long or got too close to the school
mom.

Yeah, right. Come on, come
on. Get out of here! Bye.

There's a really great movie at
the mall.

You're grounded until you're .
If you're asking for permission...

No, not me. You.

It's one of those movies you like,
you know, where they talk.

Oh, one of those, yeah.
Oscar told me about it.

He did? Uh-huh.

Yeah. Tonight's the last night.

Hey, don't you read the label,
they're hazardous to your health.

You know, you should get out.
See a movie or something.

There's this really cool flick
playing at the Mall.

Mom says it's excellent. She does,
huh? Hm.

Tonight's the last night. You can...
you can even borrow the truck.

Next. One please.

Ma'am. Me too. All right.

Noelle. Noelle.

You hungry?

Yeah. OK.
Thanks anyway. Thank you.

Working late, huh? Sarah.

She's got a thing for you.

She's spoken for.

Yeah. Well, so does Mrs Sutton and
every other little girl

with a Christmas list.

That's the beard and the red velvet
suit. No, it's not.

You and Doug...

What about us?

He doesn't care for me too much.
Hm. Well...

...he's just protective. He has been
ever since Michael died.

They were friends, you know. He just
thinks it's his job.

He's in love with you.

Seems like a good man.

He is.

But...

It's really good pie. It's
home-made.

Actually, it reminds me of home.

Where's that? Yeah, no-where.

In other words, mind your own
business, Sarah, huh?

I didn't say that, Sarah.

Well, you've been here three weeks
and you know my daughter and my

friends and... a lot about me, maybe
too much...

...and I don't know anything about
you.

What do you want to know?

Anything.
Everything.

Well, I...
lived sort of on a farm.

I mean not, not that much different
from yours, I mean...

Freight train went by twice a day
and I used to live for that sound.

Then one day the train went by and I
was on it.

And your father?

He died of brain cancer.

Somebody sent me a card.

I'm sorry.

You make choices.

Any regrets?

One or two.

Jack, jack, Jack.

Don't you realize there are
thousands of children lining the
streets

waiting to see you? Children who
have been dreaming of this moment
for

weeks. You're a disgrace to the
tradition of Christmas and I refuse

to have you...

Maybe we're gonna have a white
Christmas.

Good for business.

Is that all you think about?
Huh?

No.

There's something that I wanted to
ask you about.

Sounds serious.

Maybe.

Well before you say anything,
I have a confession to make.

You know Noelle's not as clever as
she thinks, I...

I saw you leave, I followed you to
the mall and...

...l wanted to find you.

I have a confession of my own.

I wanted you to find me.

Hey, Sarah, I...

Yeah.

Goodnight, Oscar.

I know.

Oh. Hi, Honey. Hi, Mom.

How was the movie? Oh.
Just... oh.

It's late. Yeah. Time
to go to bed. Come on.

Is he a good kisser? Noelle.

Oh, he is, isn't he?
Noelle. Go to bed.

Now. Eurgh.

Mom...

Honey, Christmas Eve his job is
oven

He'll be gone the next day.

You could stop him.

How? Just ask him.

Maybe it's better this way.

You don't believe that.

Where you been, Jack?

You were supposed to meet me at the
motel two hours ago.

I'm calling it off, Harry.
Oh, that's good Jack.

For you, that's hilarious.

Look, listen, we leave tonight. We
lie low for a while.

We find another job, a sure thing.
This is a sure thing. It was.

She's onto me. She knows I'm not who
I say I am.

So what? They love that.

It makes you mysterious, dangerous,
desirable.

We're leaving, Harry. Well then
leave.

I'll stay and finish the job.

You'll never pull it off. I've
already done the hard work.

I just gotta blast through the wall
then the vault and I'm home free.

Aren't you forgetting something? I
don't think so. The noise.

You figured out how to cover it?

Good old, Jack. Give.

Don't hold out on me, Jack.

It could be fatal for you and your
friends.

Oh. Why do we have to fight this
way?

We're a team, you and me.

Besides, you wouldn't want anything
to happen to the pretty lady,

and her kid.

All the bells? Yes, every bell in
town, all ringing at once.

Imagine that. Why, it's a wonderful
idea.

I'm surprised Mr Sutton never
thought of it.

Oh, what a glorious sound it's going
to make.

Now just imagine it without the
whiskers.

I don't know, Doug. Even if we can
take out the beard and I run it

through the system, there's no
guarantee it'll turn up anything.

Yeah, well, humour me, Tim, OK,
just, just humour me.

Hey, sorry I'm late. OK.

I was practising with the choir,
we're singing on Christmas Eve.

Ah, good. Yeah, so...
I was hoping you'd come.

To where?

Church? Well, yeah, everybody's
gonna be there.

My Mom. Hey, look, Noelle,

you realize Christmas Eve, midnight,
I'm out of a job, right.

Well, yeah, but... But what?

You don't have to leave. I mean we

sell fireworks for the th of July
and

pumpkins for Halloween and turkeys
at Thanksgiving.

Look, Noelle,
don't you get it? I'm gone.

I'm out of here. If you're looking
for somebody to play Daddy,

look somewhere else.

You OK, honey?

What's wrong?

I wish he'd never come.

No, you don't.

No, you don't.

Hi.

Merry Christmas.

Mrs Sutton, you wanted to see me?

You have a busy night ahead of you,
Santa.

I guess I do. So, before you start
out on your journey,

Merry Christmas.

Well go ahead, open it.

Mr Sutton would have wanted you to
have it.

No. I can't. Well, of course you
can.

If it weren't for you, in...

You weren't gonna
leave without this were you?

Thanks.

There's a bonus. You earned it.

Just doing my job. Yeah?

What about us, were we just...

...part of the job? Look, Sarah.

You know, I was only...

I know. It's just three weeks.
No strings.

Good luck.

Listen, I wish that there was, you
know...

The...

...the reindeer like sugar beets and
one of the carrots.

Thanks.
I'll remember that.

Hey, Sarah.

It's Jack.

Merry Christmas, Jack.

Thank you.

Remember, two explosions
back-to-back before the bells stop
ringing.

We can't afford any mistakes.
We, Jack?

I'm going into the bank alone.

That's not the plan, Harry.

Somebody's gotta be with all those
nice god-fearing folk at church.

While you take the money? We'll meet
at Mickey's in New York.

How do I know you'll be there? You
don't.

Merry Christmas, Jack.

You don't stand a chance, Jo.

Here we go.

Hi. Hi.

Be

And now let us rise and each hold a
light against the darkness.

A tiny ray of hope.

MUSIC: Oh, Come All Ye Faithful

♪ Oh, Come All Ye Faithful

♪ Joyful and triumphant

♪ O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem

♪ Come and behold

♪ O come, let us adore Him

♪ O come, let us adore Him

♪ O come, let us adore Him

♪ Christ the Lord. ♪

(BELLS TOLL)

♪ Jesus, to thee be glory given

Go!

♪ Word of the Father...

♪ O come, let us adore Him

Come on bells, keep going.

♪ O come, let us adore Him

♪ Christ the Lord. ♪

(expl*si*n)

Noelle.

It's over, Harry. What are you
doing, Jack?

I'm turning us in. Sure you are.

You're serious?

Look around, Jack? More money than
you ever dreamed of.

All you gotta do is take it, you
earned it, it's yours.

Sorry, Kemosa be.
Oscar.

Hey. Look who it is?

Come here, you.

Oscar.
Get out, Noelle.

Run. Oscar!

Oh, my God. My daughter. Stay, back.

I want everybody back. I need this
bank open.

All right, I got a key.

Everybody back. Oh, my God.

Sarah. Sarah. No. Stay back.

Drop the g*n, Jack. Now! Noelle. Put
your hands up. No.

You don't understand.

He's the one, not him. No, I'm the
one.

Jack.

Here they come.
Police. Stay back.

All right. Let him through, come on.
Stay back please.

Let him through.

Watch your head.

The Defendant, having waived his
right to trial by jury,

this Court is ready to give its

verdict but first do any of the
victims have anything to say?

Oh, come now, you

good people have been the victims of
a cruel and calculated hoax.

You have the right to speak.

(PEOPLE CHATTER)

Very well then.

The Defendant will rise.

He was the best Santa we've ever
had.

He gave this town the
best Christmas we've had in years.

Maybe ever.

And I don't mean just financially.

And I was thinking isn't that what
this spirit of this season is all
about?

Forgiveness.

Second chances.

Sir?

He saved my life.

When Mr Sutton...

When he passed away, I thought
Christmas would die with him.

It didn't. Thanks to...

...what was your name again?

It's jack Clayton, Mrs Sutton. No
that's not it.

I was right the first time.

Mr Clayton.
You have anything you wish to say?

No, Your Honour.

I guess you're sorry you ever set
foot in Evergreen.

Actually, Your Honour, that's the
only thing I'm not sorry about.

These people took me into their
homes and took me into their lives,

they trusted me
and I used that.

And it wasn't just their money I was
trying to steal,

I was trying to steal their dreams

and in return they gave me kindness
and now forgiveness.

So whatever you do to me, Your
Honour, is a lot better than I
deserve.

If that is all...

"Jack Clayton, this court finds you
guilty as charged.

Merry Christmas, Jack.

Hey.

Well, jack, take care.
You too, Marlon.

Thanks for everything, huh?

Oh, and Merry Christmas.

Thanks.

Take it easy, Jack.
You too, huh.

Bye. See you.

Our Santa quit. Tell the truth
honey.

We didn't hire one.

You know anybody who might be
interested?

Say yes. Oh, yeah.

I kind of missed
the reindeer.