Original subtitles

As you can see on my resume, I got an internship right out of... You aren't

currently employed?

No. No, my entire division was downsized a few months ago.

Well, we're only interested in hiring candidates who are currently employed.

Why would I be looking for a job if I already had a job? Well, if you have a

and you're looking for a job, then you're looking for the right job, not...

a job.

We only hire first -string top performers.

First -string top performers are never unemployed.

So you're telling me despite my qualifications and experience, you won't

me because I'm unemployed.

Exactly.

I mean, Ben.

Riley, it's a pleasure to meet you. Sure.

Come this way.

So, as you can see, I was awarded an internship right out of school, and I

turned that opportunity into a full -time position as executive assistant to

VP of visual merchandising and brand development.

We have dozens of applicants with an Ivy League education.

I'm sure you understand.

I understand completely, but I have plenty of experience.

Yes, but I need someone with the right experience.

Winners never win.

Winners never quit.

Yeah, William Young, Young Incorporated. He burns through assistance.

They're holding open interviews today. They need someone ASAP.

Thanks for the hot tip.

Did you get that big job?

Not yet, but I just got a hot tip on a job working for William Young.

Uh, who's William Young? Young Incorporated.

You've never heard of him?

Your father probably has.

Alvin, pick up the phone. It's Riley.

What's the news from the big city?

Young Incorporated. Go.

Great company. Build, buy, and sell American.

In all the financial papers for the last few months, William Young is the son of

the late Thomas Young and recently inherited control of his father's

empire. Well, I am on my way to interview to be William Young's

now.

That's a fantastic opportunity.

I mean, it's a company in transition.

And where there's problems, there's profits.

Your father and I are rooting for you. Get out there and show them what the

are made of.

Well, thanks for the pep talk, guys. I miss you both. I'll be home for

before you know it.

Hi.

Hi.

Hello.

I'm Riley Vann. I'm here to interview for the assistant position.

Well, I can't guarantee you'll be seen before we fill the position, but you're

welcome to wait.

Thank you.

I'll take my chances.

This will be extra special.

Catherine H.

Two minutes and 45

seconds. Spencer T.

Georgina K.

Almost five minutes.

No.

Riley B.

Riley B.

Riley B going one.

Riley B going twice. I'm here.

I'm here.

I'm sorry about that. I was distracted by the speed interviews. People were

coming in and out of here so fast, you'd think your office had a revolving door.

Have a seat.

My name is Amanda Sage. I'm senior advisor to Mr. Young.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sage.

You have an impressive resume.

I do?

I mean, I'm glad you think so. Tell me, why did you fix the star topper on a

Christmas tree?

You saw that? I didn't think anybody noticed.

I noticed.

Well, the star topper is the focal point of the tree, and if the focal point is

off, then Christmas chaos is sure to ensue.

I'm just kidding.

But I do love Christmas, and I think it's a magical time when anything is

possible.

Decorating is a must because it's part of the magic.

Attention to detail, striving for perfection, and making sure things are

right. Those are things that I aspire to every day.

Tell me what you see.

Well, there is a discrepancy between the details page and the summary page in

all of your holdings, but one are in the black.

I would have thought that financial analysis was outside of your skill set.

Well, I have a lot of what I like to call off -the -job experience.

My father's been an entrepreneur my whole life. He's taught me most of what

know about the business world.

No family business to take over?

No.

No, I'm hoping to make my own mark on the world.

You remind me of my younger self.

A young girl, about the same age as you are, who was once seated across the desk

from the founder of this company, hoping for an opportunity, just like you are.

William needs somebody like that, not just by his side, but on his

side. And my instincts are telling me, you're that person.

If William agrees,

The job is yours.

Let's go get a few minutes with him right now.

Riley Van Arden.

Miss Sage, there's something I need to tell you.

Tell them this is going to have to wait until after the new year.

Make sure this goes out overnight.

While under the guidance of Thomas Young, the Young brand stood for

quality, excellence, and the indefatigable American can -do spirit.

The junior Mr. Young, Gross, has a pair of big shoes to fill taking over for his

late father.

Will he chart his own course, one that stretches beyond the shadow cast by his

father's financial empire, or will the company suffer from his inexperience?

The only thing worse to be talked about is not being talked about.

I want to have the freedom to be my own man and escape the media's portrayal as

Junior Mr. Young.

Ah, you surrendered that right at birth, my friend. Can we just talk about the

factory? Can we delay the shutdown until the new year? No, closing the factory

now is the right decision.

It protects our bottom line and just gets it off our books during fiscal

quarter. Shutting down the flagship of Young Incorporated registers not only as

a failure, but a symbolic failure under my watch. And people, I need a win in my

debut. It is a win.

It's a win for the shareholders.

It's a win for breaking away from tradition. It's a symbolic gesture under

new leadership.

Mr. Young, Dover is a town known for its good, hardworking people. Have you been

to the factory to evaluate it firsthand?

You see, I haven't been there since I was a young kid.

Then, with all due respect, how do you know for certain that it can't be saved?

Who are you?

Who is she?

This is Riley, your new assistant.

Isn't that my decision?

Exactly. That's why I wanted her to meet you.

You're on.

Okay, Riley.

Say you're me.

What's my first move?

I would visit the factory, talk to the workforce, spend time on the

factory floor.

Let your critics know that you're willing to roll up your sleeves and do

hard work to compensate for whatever perceived inexperience you may have.

Closing the factory demonstrates that you're capable of making the tough

decision to run this company.

Tough decisions, absolutely, but it may not be the right decision.

You're not going to take advice from somebody who's walked down the street,

you?

No.

No, of course not.

That's why we should get her off the street before somebody else does.

You're hired.

Amanda, send Riley to Dover immediately and have her set up for my trip.

Can you pack your bags and be on Huntley Airstrip in two hours?

Yes, I will be there ready to travel.

Welcome to the family business, Riley.

Thank you.

You were very impressive in there.

Thanks, Miss H.

I consider us lucky to have you.

I'll drop by HR and make things official.

Oh, is there something you needed to tell me earlier?

It can wait.

Have a good trip.

Hi, Mom.

Merry Christmas.

The good news is I got the job.

Oh, that's fantastic.

Congratulations. I knew you could do it. You got the job.

Couldn't be more proud of you. Good job, honey.

But the bad news is they think I'm somebody else.

I don't understand.

They think you're someone else. How could you be anybody other than who you

When they called me in, they called Riley V.

Of course, I am Riley V, but there must have been another Riley V there who

stepped out or got tired of waiting because, well, they interviewed me off

her resume.

Hired me on the spot, but I think they think I'm her.

But you're not her. You're you.

I know. I'm me.

Well, did you explain that to them?

Well, I was afraid they would fire me.

You need to go in there right now and tell them the truth.

Well, it's foolish for hiring the wrong person.

Well, then they hired the right person.

Well, that's what I'm planning to do.

I'm already on the job. They're sending me to Dover, New Hampshire.

The town needs the toy factory to stay open in order to survive. And, well, I

think I can help.

But I can't help if I'm not there.

You Riley mom.

I need you to trust me on this. There's a lot more at stake than my job I need

to see this through and I don't think I'm doing anything wrong But if I am at

least I'm doing it for the right reasons

I'm Riley Vance. I'm Mr. Young's assistant.

Piper, it's a pleasure to meet you.

Is Mr.

Young with you?

Oh, you're a few days too early. Mr. Young prefers to drive.

Shoot. Really?

Well, Mayor Keegan hired me to drive him into town. We heard he was arriving

today and wanted to extend the proper welcome.

Oh, well, you can drive me into town if you want. I'd love to get a feel for the

place before I settle in.

Why not?

Let me get your bag.

Thank you.

Everyone out there living in some way to Mr. Young and the Toy Factory.

Some people here are trying to enjoy the Christmas season, but everyone's a

little bit nervous.

If the factory closes and people lose their jobs, well, there won't be much

cause for celebration.

I know all too well what that feels like.

My dad lost his job when I was young, but he bounced back.

He started his own company.

Wow, like stepping into a Norman Rockwell painting.

Small town living at its finest.

Everyone knows everyone else's name, and if you come across someone you don't

know, the general rule is to just say hi and introduce yourself.

Oh, they're just setting up for the winter carnival now.

In my hometown, we have a winter parade, Santa Claus, there's reindeers, Carol

learns the work.

Well, we have a Christmas Carol van.

What is a Christmas Carol van?

It's hard to describe to someone without it sounding cheesy, but I promise you

can't help but feel the Christmas spirit once you see it with your own eyes.

Well, I can't wait.

Thank you.

I have more than one job.

Real go -getter.

Do you think that there is any chance your boss will keep the factory open?

Honestly, I don't know. I've been his assistant for less than a day. But this

the season of miracles.

And based on my first glance of the town, I don't see how he couldn't be

overwhelmed with Christmas beer when he spent some time here.

I'm going to ride instead of fly.

A nice long road trip will give me time to wrap my head around what needs to be

done. I'll tell Riley.

The trip will be good for you.

Give you a chance to prove that you're not just Thomas' young son.

You're Mr. Young now.

I'm not terribly thrilled about visiting this close to Christmas and risk being

exposed to an insufferable amount of Christmas cheer.

Hundreds of jobs are depending on your decision.

Not to mention the livelihood.

of their families, the town.

Do yourself a favor.

And them.

Don't come off like a Scrooge.

Blah humbug.

Drive safe.

Thank you.

Hello? Excuse me?

I'm sorry. I'm Martin Keegan, the town mayor.

Hi, Mr. Mayor. I'm Riley Vance. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Vance.

Michael told me you're Mr. Young's sister, right? Okay, here.

This is my private... cell number.

If you call, I will personally answer it any time of day or night.

If I can be of any assistance to you or Mr. Young in any way while you're in

town, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Where's Mr. Young staying?

I've booked him into a suite at the hotel. Oh.

We can do much better than that.

Let me pull some strings.

I know some people who'd be more than willing to rent out their place.

Nice as hell to sit down.

Fit for someone of Mr.

Young's stature.

I want to do everything I can to make Dover feel just like home for him. You

know, while he's here.

Thank you.

Okay. Pleasure.

Okay.

Watch your step here.

Hi. No, no, no, no, no, no. You're going to love the hotel, huh?

Your staff are going to wait on you hand and foot.

There we go.

That's it.

That's good.

Be willing to take one for the team. Or in this case, the town.

Everyone okay in there?

Good.

Can I lend you a hand with that?

Oh, I think I've got it, but thanks for the offer. I'm Rebecca Neston with the

Dover Citizen.

I would love to speak to Mr. Young and get his personal opinion on closing the

factory. But he's not closing...

Okay, do you have a card?

Well, I will talk to Mr. Young about getting you some face time with him.

you.

What does she want?

An interview with my boss. I would steer clear of her. She's a barracuda. More

about making news than reporting it.

Thanks for the warning.

This chair should do the trick.

William Young? Uh, Mr. Young?

It's Riley. I wanted to get your ETA.

GPS says I'm two hours out. Great. I think you are going to love the house I

rented for you, and I'll be here when you arrive to help you get settled in.

Great. Thank you.

Okay, he is due any minute.

We're ready for him.

You don't think that this is just a little bit much?

There is nothing I wouldn't do to help this town.

Okay,

people. Now, when Mr. Young arrives, I want you to make him feel as much at

as possible.

As if he'd lived here all his life, a welcoming he will never forget.

Are you with me?

Afternoon. Officer?

I, uh, pulled you over to give you a warning.

I noticed your New York tags.

You're driving a little fast.

See, we like everyone to be safe when they come through our town.

Yes, I completely understand, sir.

Good. Just need to see your license and their registration for the record.

You know, unfortunately, it appears I have misplaced my identification.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Gonna have to take you in until you can prove your identity.

Excuse me?

Yeah, it's the law.

Sure it is.

Listen, uh, Officer... Sheriff.

Sheriff, of course.

I'm William Young, and, uh...

Young Toy Factory.

I'm sure you've seen my photos.

Yeah, so you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?

Okay. Yeah, here we go.

This is his way.

He's not answering. It's like he vanished.

We'll give him a few more minutes.

Okay, people, come on, let's liven up here, huh?

We only got one chance to make a good first impression on him, huh?

Mary Keegan?

What?

Okay, right.

I found Mr. Young.

We need to take a ride.

Piper, start the car.

Everyone... You stay put, and we'll be right back, okay?

Where are we going?

I'll tell you in the car. Tell me now.

I don't know. He's in jail.

Jail? All right, Mr. Young, you are free to go.

Enjoy your stay in the town. It's a beautiful place to be during the

season.

Well, thanks for the hospitality, fellas.

Merry Christmas to you.

Thank you very much.

This is our ride.

Uh, Mr. Young, I'm terribly sorry about what happened.

Get us out of here.

Mr. Young, this is Piper. I hired her to drive us around when we're in town.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Young. New York City, step on it.

Seriously? Mr. Young's just being funny.

At least I think he is.

Aren't you?

What was all this?

I thought the house could use some Christmas spirit. Make it feel more like

home.

You don't like it?

Like it? No, I hate it.

What do you have against Christmas?

Look, I fired people for less than this. Do you want to get fired?

Do you want to fire me?

I mean, I could understand for doing something wrong, but not for doing

something nice.

Not to mention, I just bailed you out of jail.

You didn't bail me out of jail. I didn't need to be bailed out. I just needed to

prove my identity.

Okay, wait. Am I seriously fired?

Because if I am, I'm leaving all of these decorations up for you to deal

No, no. I'm not firing you. Look, I'm just exhausted, and there's still a lot

work to do.

Okay?

I don't celebrate Christmas.

Can you please take them down?

Fine. Thank you.

Bedroom?

Well, this isn't going to be good for business.

This isn't going to be good for anybody.

Good morning, Amanda.

You're in town for less than 24 hours, and you make the front page of the local

paper?

Well, I thought all publicity was good publicity.

Try telling that to the shareholders.

Look, the local paper, it's no big deal.

If it stayed local, it wouldn't be a big deal.

The story was picked up by all the NYC tabloids.

The entire point of the trip was to promote a solid image of leadership.

It was a minor incident.

Look, I know you didn't do anything wrong, other than misplace your license.

People are going to see that headline and assume you did.

Goodbye.

Cream?

What's that?

Cream, uh, for your coffee. Oh, uh, yes.

Thank you.

Just doing my job.

So, you saw the headline?

I did.

And how do you think I should respond?

By doing the job you came here to do.

Right.

Okay. Well, then, let's get to work.

You look just like your father, William. I met him during the very first day

that I worked here. He went out of his way to talk to me when he found out that

I was the newest employee, and he gave me a piece of advice that I have never

forgotten. He said, never present problems without solutions.

Now, that is great advice from a great man.

Universally considered a great man. I see that's your father.

Well, this is our factory. We're one big happy family. We want you to feel like

you're a part of that family as long as you're with us.

And I'm hoping that you and I are going to be able to work out a solution to

keep this whole family together.

So I'd like to walk you through the production line from the start to the

finish. That way you get a sense of how a toy is made and let you meet some of

our workers.

All right, why don't we start over here?

Our problem is simple.

Our costs are up. Our sales are down.

We just lost a major contract with a brick and mortar chain six months ago.

Has there been any progress with other sales channels?

Well, we've been trying to break into the online space, but so far, none of

majors are willing to negotiate a rate of commission for us that makes any kind

of sense with our price point.

Okay. And they're saying that our toys are too traditional.

What about effort towards new products?

Well, so far we don't have anything beyond the concept phase.

We don't have the resources to put into the research and development for a new

product line.

Well, what we need to do is take what may appear to be a weakness about our

product and market it as a strength.

Any suggestions you have, we are more than happy to take them.

Oh, I had one of these when I was a kid.

Sorry, I'm just feeling nostalgic. My dad got me one of these for Christmas

year, and I loved it so much until the batteries died.

I love you.

Unfortunately, every toy has a time. Excuse me, I'm going to have to take

Did you ever get one of these? It was the gift on Christmas morning that year.

What's your name?

Cute.

Oh, wait.

Don't move.

Make a wish.

I'm hungry.

I've got it.

I present to you the Christmas wishing bear.

That's Jeffrey the bear. Not anymore. It is now a Christmas wishing bear.

Everybody needs a miracle in their life. A little bit of Christmas magic. So we

enable people to give each other a Christmas wish.

We'll reprogram the voice chip so he's not complaining about being hungry or

tired anymore. Instead, he'll offer hope.

A wish.

A Christmas wish.

So, does he grant multiple wishes or just the one wish? That is open for

discussion. I think the solution creates more problems than it solves.

I mean, how do we get all this done and distributed in the time we have?

How does a $10 item turn the entire factory around? And how do we get kids

interested in this when it's so close to Christmas?

But it isn't just for kids.

I think adults would love it, too, and that gives us a bigger market.

Well, it's obsolete merchandise already written down, so anything that we make

would be pure cash flow.

If we were able to sell the entire inventory, let's just say that would do

wonders for our bottom line.

I could have a merchant website up by the end of the day.

And we could reach out and get the entire town involved, you know, have

send out emails, tweets, get the word out. We wouldn't have to send anything

advertising except for our time.

Maybe we could look at rebranding some of our other products. What do you say,

Mr. Young?

Do we have your blessing?

I still think it seems like an impossible task.

But nothing is impossible at Christmas time.

All right.

Prove me wrong.

Joe!

I love it.

I'm going to buy 50 of these and give them as gifts to all my constituents.

Well, that is a great start, but I need you to get the entire town on it. Spread

the word.

Email. Tweet. Shout it from the rooftop.

Send carrier pigeons. Just do everything you can.

Think of it as our own grassroots Kickstarter campaign.

Consider it done.

I'm going to reach out to my dad as well. He's got relationships with buyers

sellers all over the world through his online store. So who knows?

Maybe we'll be able to sell all of the old...

Vintage inventory.

Benny Locke will pull off a Christmas miracle.

I certainly hope so. Give me a few of these.

Thank you.

Go.

Piper, I have another job for you. I need you to get these to anyone willing

spread the word, and please tell them to forward the link to everybody they

know. Don't worry. I'll get the word out.

Like Santa around the globe on Christmas Eve. Well, thank you.

Unfortunately, nothing here has changed at all. All the books are still

completely upside down.

I wish I could do something, I really do, but honestly, it would need a

Yeah, I guess it's just a matter of timing.

I can go through the motions, keep up appearances here, protect the comedy

image.

Is this seat taken?

Oh, my.

You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Not the world.

Just the town.

I'm trying to come up with a way to save the toy factory.

I find the most complex problems are often solved with the simplest

That's a nice sentiment, Santa, but this is no easy task.

I said simple. I didn't say easy.

You've got your work cut out for you.

But you're not alone.

You've got a whole town behind you. They're all hoping and wishing for the

miracle. Believe me, that's a powerful thing.

More powerful than you might realize.

That's real Christmas magic.

If you can help William find his Christmas spirit, you'll genuinely do

thing.

Remember, this is Christmas time.

It's a season of miracles.

Hi.

Hi.

So, the mayor's wondering if you'd be willing to make an announcement to the

town about our plan to save the factory.

Help get the word out.

Uh, I'm not quite sure I'm the best candidate for the job. I mean, I'm an

outsider to these people, right?

You'll be great. too better than Mr. Young himself.

Spread the word.

Good evening, Mr. Young. Hello.

Good to see you again.

Riley, I want to apologize again for what happened the other day.

Our sheriff is a little bit too by the book.

We had every intention of giving you a proper welcome, but, well, I mean, never

intended for it to turn into such a disaster.

I'm sure your heart was in the right place.

So we'd like to make up for it by making you our guest of honor at the Winter

Carnival. Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, Mr. Young, the entire town

is so looking forward to meeting you.

It would mean the world to me.

Mr. Young, come on.

Hello,

everyone.

I'd rather be facing a firing squad than this much.

Welcome to the 114th Winter Carnival Celebration!

Are we feeling

good tonight?

Now, I'd like to say a few words before we get started.

Our town owes a great deal to the Young family.

Their factory has kept this town thriving for over 50 years.

here representing them, and our guest of honor tonight, William Young himself.

Good evening, everyone.

Are you going to keep the factory open?

Good question.

We have a plan in place, but we will need all of your help to make it happen.

How is that going to keep the factory open?

A Christmas wish.

A Christmas wish to save a town.

It's a fantastic plan.

Now, if each and every one of you spread the word to five people that you know

outside of town, and they in turn spread the word to another five people, well,

the word will spread like wildfire, right?

It's not your fault.

I feel like it is.

Anything I can do?

No, just enjoy the carnival.

Hello,

William. Hello, Santa.

Hi. Wait, how do you know my name?

Oh, there isn't a person in town who doesn't recognize William Young when

see him.

Tell that to the sheriff.

Oh, yeah. Well, maybe one.

No offense, Santa, but this doesn't exactly seem like a good location to be

collecting donations. There's no one around.

You're not exactly no one.

Out of everyone in the entire town, at the moment, you have the most to give.

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have any cash on me. Everything's plastic

these days. How terribly true.

You can give when you're ready.

Hmm.

Okay. Good night, Santa. Good night.

Morning.

I lost track of you last night at the winter carnival.

How'd you end up?

Um, can an overindulgence in Christmas cheer give you a hangover?

In my experience, it should be quite the opposite.

Why do you treat Christmas like it's your own personal kryptonite?

You know, I think the town is my own personal kryptonite. Hmm.

If you're committed to keeping the factory up and running like you say you

you just need to prove that you're invested in the town.

And what do you suggest?

Since you asked, I have made a list of activities to get you out and about.

Connect with the town, show that you can fit in, be one of the regular folks.

It will go a long way in helping us tailor the public image of you and the

company.

This wasn't on my list.

That's exactly why I picked it. We need to get you doing things with visibility.

Renting an entire skating rink for a night is more like invisibility.

Baby steps.

Okay?

Speaking of baby steps, get out here. Let's go.

Okay.

Fine.

Winter sports were a big part of my family growing up.

Played hockey in both high school and college.

Could have gone pro.

Why didn't you?

Because I was groomed to take over the family business from the day I was born.

There really wasn't another option as far as my dad was concerned.

Do you ever regret it?

Not following your own path?

I can't help but wonder what if every now and then, yeah.

In one way or another, we're all trying to keep the what if of our past from

dividing us.

Hold on. Is this your first time on the case?

First time since I was five.

And so I think it's probably best if I just keep a safe distance, not risk

losing any teeth.

Nonsense. We came here to skate, and you skate.

Plus, you're covered under the company dental plan, so it's fine. Oh, thank you

for the no compliment.

Come here.

I'll have you skating on your own before you even realize it.

Oh,

ballet lessons.

That was my mother's weapon of choice to keep me busy after school.

I much preferred hanging out with my dad helping get his startup off the ground.

He's an entrepreneur.

And he always said, you can do anything you want as long as you work hard enough

at it.

My dad knows something always seems to go wrong right before he has the chance

to grab the brass ring.

Don't look now.

You're just skating by yourself.

Oh, my God.

He has all those ballet lessons finally paid dividends, huh?

Or you are just an incredible skating coach.

Maybe.

You ready for a triple axel? Oh, right.

Don't go too far.

Look at you fly, girl.

How do I stop?

You never do.

Just go flying into the board.

I will have a triple vanilla espresso.

Dry, extra hot.

And for the lady, a...

Peppermint mocha. It's extra peppermint.

Really?

Am I wrong?

No.

You move.

Thanks, Piper. How'd you do that?

Just one of my talents, I guess. I don't know.

I can read people.

I may not have the business savvy that my dad had, but I can read just about

anyone.

Okay. How about Piper over there?

Piper?

She's hardworking.

We all know that.

Okay.

She's making up for a lack of self -confidence. She's in a rut, but she's

digging herself out with everything she's got. Maybe because of a breakup

guy. So every time a girl's in a rut, it's because of a guy.

No. Not you.

Me? What?

You're not in a rut because of a guy. You're just too smart.

Funny. I mean it. You know what I need to do before I ever do it.

Amanda doesn't even know that, and she's known me since I was a baby.

No, I'm just too smart, and that's my problem.

No, your problem is that you're not a CFO or a CEO or a VP. You don't have the

luxury of being born into one of those positions.

People like you usually get fired before you ever make it to middle management.

And I was just starting to like you. I know, but if you let me finish, I was

going to say that people like you are the ones who succeed.

You're the breakout.

You can't make it in corporate America until you carve out your own niche,

breaking away from the norm and creating something special.

Good save.

You better mean that. I do mean it. I promise.

You are something special, Riley.

Here are your drinks.

And I threw in some of Dover's famous apple fritters. Now, those look like

donuts. With a whole slice of apple in the middle.

I can't wait.

You're welcome.

Told you she was a barracuda.

Yes. Yes, you did.

So what's your story?

I'm the big city girl who follows a small town boy to his small town, and

he dumps her, she stays around.

Big city?

Chi -town, Chicago.

I'm with the White Sox, Deep Dish Pizza, Al Capone.

Anyways, I fell in love with this place at first sight, and I just, everyone was

so welcoming, I couldn't bear to leave.

Especially after my first Christmas here.

And the boyfriend?

He moved back to Chicago.

Typical, right?

No,

no, no, no, no, no. All right, here we go.

No, no, no, no, no, no, stop, stop.

Look, that won't be necessary.

Look, it's really wonderful, a true delight.

But here, this is for your troubles.

So here you go.

Okay.

Excuse me. Keep it up. Great job.

Are you following me now? I have an offer for you. Full access to Mr. Young

one no -holds -barred interview.

In exchange for what?

In exchange for you backing off of him with the Starkey headlines. I need to

him some positive press. If you want him to get some positive press, I suggest

you get him to do something positive.

You're attacking the one man who can save this town.

No, I'm not.

I've seen his type before.

They talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.

You're wrong about William.

He's a spoiled, rich kid who has earned nothing.

He was born into money. He's gonna put his money where his mouth is. Oh,

Can I quote you on that? No.

No quote.

So even you don't believe that.

William doesn't care about this factory or this town.

Like me, he knows that this tired old town lost its luster a long time ago.

Then why are you still here?

Well, I'm not gonna be for much longer.

Your boss is the biggest thing that's ever happened here, and he's my ticket

the big time.

My first article on him blew up.

And because of it, I have several other draw prospects that are going to get me

out of here for good. So if you don't mind, have a nice day.

Thank you, ladies.

Hi there.

Hi. What are you doing here?

Oh, I wanted to make myself a little special meal.

You cook?

I am not without skills, okay?

All right. Let's see.

Chicken, Ritz crackers, cream of mushroom soup.

What exactly are you cooking?

A little special family recipe.

You're going to mix all of that together?

Yes. Is it edible?

I'll have you know, I intend to make you eat those words.

Why don't you join me for dinner?

Come on, there's enough for two.

At least let me defend my family's honor in the kitchen.

Sure. Why not?

Great.

Trust me, it is going to be simply scrumptious.

We'll see about that.

A little dish called chicken on the bris, something my grandmother made for

as a boy.

Crackers, chicken on the ribs, crispy.

An elegant dish, she used to say.

She taught me how to cook before I left for boarding school.

You must have been a hit with the ladies.

A girl loves a guy who knows how to cook.

Uh, I may have been if I didn't go to an all -boys boarding school.

But all my friends seemed to like it. They would come by every week for Sunday

dinner, and sometimes some of the teachers, too.

No way. So popular.

I know. It was party time.

Um, there's a bottle of white wine in the fridge. Would you grab it for us?

Right.

Okay.

All right, I had my doubts, but I have to admit, it tastes pretty good.

I didn't prove him wrong. My hat is off to the chef.

My grandmother's culinary honor remains intact.

I get the sense you two are pretty close.

Yeah.

She was the best person I've ever known.

She was smart and caring.

And she was always delighted to see you.

You sort of remind me of her.

Mm. Just what every girl is dying to hear, that she reminds a guy of his

grandmother.

Okay, well... To clarify, I meant... You remind me of her,

um...

More like her character, not that you present a grandmothery demeanor in any

way, shape, or form whatsoever.

Yeah, nice taste.

Yeah, thanks.

So do you have any other hidden talents besides cooking you should know about?

Um, well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Are you the mystery woman?

What? No.

Of course not.

I was just joking, but you lost your cool way too fast. You are the mystery

woman.

It wasn't a date. He was just making himself dinner and invited me to eat

him. He made dinner for you?

No man makes dinner for a woman about an ulterior motive.

It is not like that.

Well, like it or not, you went out on a first date with your boss.

Okay, can you stop saying that? Because it's not a date unless you call it a

date. And it wasn't a date. Wow.

You really like him.

I mean, you'd have to be crazy to be attracted to a successful, good -looking

man.

Hey, Amanda.

Listen, I'm going to have to extend my trip by a couple days. I need some more

time with the factory decision.

You've had a change of heart.

The heart is definitely involved.

Let me push some things around on your schedule. I'll make it work.

Bye.

Run this down to Benjamin.

I'd like to tweet the hiring announcement into the company newsletter

distribution.

Mr. Young.

How would you like to participate in our Secret Santa?

I don't know what that is. Well, every employee that wants to participate puts

their name in the hat.

You pick a name out of the hat, you buy that person a gift. But it's a secret,

so you become the Secret Santa for whoever's name you pick.

It's voluntary.

Yeah, yeah, I'll do it. Great.

Emily Lamb, 23.

Emily, come over here.

This is Mr. Young.

Oh. Pleasure to meet you, Emily.

Nice to meet you, too, sir. Emily is our youngest employee at 17. She comes here

every day after school.

I'm trying to save up for college.

Fantastic.

Hey. Hi, Pepper.

I got your message telling me to meet you here.

Is it about the headline?

Because... To clarify, despite what the papers claim, I know that it wasn't a

date. No, it is not about that line.

Oh, never mind.

But since you brought it up, no, it most certainly was not a date. It was good

food and good company.

Yeah, good food and good company. Yeah, yeah.

Well, I'm glad we cleared that up. Not that I needed clearing up.

No, exactly.

So then, why are we here?

Right.

I need your help.

With some gift shopping.

Christmas shopping?

Gift shopping.

Emily Lamb is the only name on this piece of paper.

That's because Emily Lamb is the only person I need to shop for.

Who is Emily Lamb?

She works at the factory.

I pulled her name at the Secret Santa.

I'm sorry.

Kind of funny. The guy who doesn't celebrate Christmas is being forced to

Christmas shopping.

For the last time, I said gift shopping.

Okay, gift shopping.

But about your whole non -believer status, I think you would feel

you just told me why you don't celebrate Christmas.

I doubt it. I'm serious. It'll be like I am sharing half of that burden with

you.

And how is that exactly I don't follow?

Right now, you have 100 % of it bottled up, contained inside of you. But by

telling me, you will let go of 50 % of it and be left with half of the burden

that you are currently carrying.

Do you follow?

Are you sure your math is correct?

Well, actually, with me, it's probably more than 50 % because I've been told

very empathetic.

Oh, I don't think you're pathetic at all.

Are you trying to be punny?

Okay.

What if you think my non -celebratory logic is stupid?

I will be sure to tell you.

Okay.

My mother died before I was old enough to know her.

My grandmother became more of a parent in my life, and she made Christmas very

special.

Everything she did, it was the closest thing to magic that I've ever

experienced. And when she died...

That magic faded.

What about your dad?

He was too busy running his empire.

He never really let me be a kid.

You know, I spent countless amounts of holidays after my grandmother's death

completely alone.

Sorry. As I get older, Christmas just ends up reminding me of how much I miss

grandmother.

It ends up becoming something I try to survive rather than celebrate.

But don't you think she'd want you to be happy at Christmas time?

Yeah, I know she would be.

But, uh... I haven't managed to find a way to do that yet, so... Well, you

can consider me your own personal Christmas cheerleader.

I know I will turn you around on Christmas.

Is that a threat?

It's a fact.

Eventually, I will wear you down.

Okay.

Dover reminds me of my hometown.

Yeah, where's that?

Not far from here. Town called Exeter.

Did you leave anybody special behind when you moved to the big city?

You mean besides my mom and dad?

Uh, no.

No, none of the guys I dated were keepers.

Maybe I wasn't the keeper.

Come on.

Riley, you're definitely a keeper.

Yet none of my relationships lasted past Thanksgiving.

Never had that.

special someone to share Christmas with.

Mr. Young!

Mr. Young!

Good morning, Mr. Young. Good morning,

Mr. Mayor.

Beautiful morning, isn't it?

Indeed it is.

Can I have a word with you?

Sure.

You know what I love most about this town?

What's that?

It's magic.

Magic? Let me prove it to you.

If I lived in any other town in the world, I'm unemployable.

But in this town, I'm the mayor.

Forgive me, no offense, but that doesn't exactly strike me as a selling point.

What I'm saying is, this is a special town.

It's so special that everyone who lives here is special, too. That's its magic.

And I'd like to share a little bit of that magic with you by inviting you to

ride with us on the Christmas caravan.

Christmas caravan?

Mm -hmm. It's an old, unique tradition. You never heard about this?

Can't say that I have, sir. Well, that's funny.

Because your grandmother helped start us.

Really? Yeah.

You see... At the end of a factory day, a dozen workers decided to jump on the

back of a flatbed truck and go Christmas caroling.

And every year since then, the carolers in the truck have made their appearance.

It's been getting bigger and better every year.

Your grandmother was one of the original Christmas dozens, we've come to call

them. Christmas dozen?

Well, I have it on solid authority from a local historian.

She put it all together in order to...

It's your upper grandson who was feeling a little down at Christmas time.

That's funny.

I don't remember that.

I'd be very honored if you'd ride with us tonight.

Can I bring a friend?

Riley?

Yes.

You two have been spending a lot of time together, huh?

We're not dating or anything. I mean, that would be unprofessional.

Mr. Young.

You don't strike me as someone who plays by anyone else's rules other than your

own.

That's what I like about you.

Thank you, sir.

This evening, I'll see you?

I'll be there with bells on.

Great.

Not such a scrooge, after all.

Hi,

Mom. In order to have a peaceful holiday season, I'm willing to overlook the

argument we had the other day.

Mom, please, I told you I had to do this.

I know, but you're my daughter, and I'll always worry about you. It's my job.

But I know that you're an adult, and as an adult, you're responsible for your

own decisions.

Oh, thanks, Mom. That is very... Well, it's very adult of you.

You always had your father's sense of humor.

Anyway, I'm glad you called. I sent you and Dad a link to the factory website,

and I need you to forward it to everyone you know.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We already did.

I bought 10 to give away as gifts.

One to keep for myself, and your father even put it up on the store site. Oh,

that's great.

All right, Mom, I'm going to call you later, okay? Right now I need to see a

about a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

Clever.

Hi. Hi.

How do you feel about kids?

Uh, you mean, do I want to have... Children of my own someday? Well, I

that depends on the woman I end up marrying.

Okay, well, thank you for your forthcoming answer, but I specifically

reading to them.

I'd like to set up a meet and greet at the local school to have you read at the

night before Christmas to the kindergarten class.

Oh.

You know, my grandmother actually taught me how to read with the night before

Christmas. Imagine that.

So wait, was that a yes? Because it sounded like a yes to me. That is a yes.

will do it. Great, because we are heading over there right now.

How did you know I was going to say yes?

Oh, and don't forget your copy of the book.

He sprang through his sleigh until his team gave a whistle. And away they all

flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all,

to all a good night.

Hello, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen.

I heard someone reading my favorite story.

Well, hello, Santa.

Hello, William.

It looks like you've got a room full of very good little girls and boys.

I am certain that we do.

And I'm looking forward to visiting each and every one of your homes on

Christmas Eve.

Now I have a secret I want you all to know.

When the elves...

At the North Pole, a running behind on their Christmas list, we catch up on

from the Young Toy Factory.

The elves refer to Dover as Toy Town.

The Young Toy Factory is just as important to Santa as it is to the town.

Thank you, Santa. I will keep that in mind.

I've got some candy canes here for my friends.

There you go, dear.

Did you arrange for Santa to make an appearance?

No, I thought maybe you did.

Merry Christmas!

Oh, hi.

Merry Christmas. Um, is this Vance Industry?

Uh, just one moment. I'll get my husband. Thank you.

Albert, phone!

Right here.

Point.

Hello, Vance Industries.

Hi, uh, Vance Industries.

The one and only.

Oh, great.

Is Riley there?

I'm sorry, she's not at home. I mean, she's not in the office today.

I've been

here

before.

My grandmother must have brought me along on one of my father's trips to the

factory.

Must have been me and my mother, though.

You

know,

I gotta admit, I feel more at home here than I ever have in New York City.

It reminds me of my hometown.

Yeah? Where is that?

Not far from here. A town called Exeter.

Did you, um... Did you leave anybody special behind when you moved to the big

city? Me, besides my mom and dad.

Uh, no. None of the guys I dated were keepers.

Maybe I was a keeper.

Oh, come on. You're totally a keeper. Yes. None of my relationships lasted

Thanksgiving.

Never had that special someone to share Christmas with.

Well, Riley, I must say that there is one last thing that would help me feel

more at home at this place.

Okay, what's that?

Christmas decorations.

I can't believe it. I'm not falling for that. It is a trick, like Lucy with the

football. I'm serious, and I know you kept them, didn't you? I did.

I hid them in the garage.

Well, Riley...

Will you please help me decorate my house, because I have zero decorative

and if I try to decorate it myself, it will look like an escaped band of circus

monkeys broke into my house and threw a raging Christmas party.

I believe you. Um, is this on or off the clock decorating? I will pay you double

overtime for your services. No, I'm doing this because I want to, not

I'm your employee, and I think the tree lock might still be open.

Oh, you want to... Start now. Absolutely. Before you have a chance to

your mind, though, I don't think I can get Piper to drive us right now.

That's okay.

I will drive us.

On your motorcycle. You're going to love it.

Where are we going to put the tree?

We'll figure something out.

I know what you're doing.

What do you mean?

What are you talking about?

Way to keep your cool.

You made me drop an ornament.

I just think that you've had enough.

You're cut off.

Give me your keys.

You can't cut me off from grabbing an ornament.

I know. You're addicted.

It looks great.

Yeah.

When was the last time you had your eyes checked?

So what are your Christmas plans?

Going home to see the folks.

We have a whole schedule every year. Christmas Eve dinner, the opening of a

single present, midnight mass, all the flourishes. How about you?

Um... To be determined.

I, uh... I usually go someplace warm.

Pick a random spot on a map and...

Last -minute effort to surprise myself.

You go by yourself?

Yes, and it is rather peaceful.

It sounds pretty lonely.

Well, I may be alone, but I'm never lonely.

Not this year.

You can't be alone on Christmas. I will not allow it. You can come home with me.

There's an extra room over the garage that's like its own apartment, and my

mother will love having someone to fuss over. She'll treat you just like you're

part of the family.

Sorry. Uh, hello?

Yeah.

Yeah, we can be right there.

Okay.

Huh.

Sales have hit a brick wall.

We were doing great. The wishes were selling like hotcakes, and then suddenly

everything flatlined. How close are we? Just a little over halfway, and I've

been calling everybody, doing everything I possibly can to get the word out

there to try to meet our sales goal.

Oh.

Sorry for the late notice.

This is Rebecca Neston. She works at the local paper. She wants to publish a

story to help us get the word out. This is Mr.

Young. She knows a lot of people outside the town.

Who is Riley Van Arden?

What did you say?

I said, who is Riley Van Arden?

Because you're Riley Van.

Please don't do this. Not now.

You thought that you hired Riley Van Arden, but really you hired Riley Vance.

And you'll notice that there's a significant difference in the two

is more Ivy League and the other is more Bush League.

What is it about?

It was a mistake.

What do you mean a mistake?

What is it?

A simple mix -up.

The resume's got switched in my interview. I know I should have told

wanted to tell you, but... Riley, I... I trusted you with details of my personal

life I've never trusted anyone else with before. Do you know how difficult that

is for me? Yeah, I know.

I know you did, but you can still trust me. I can't trust you?

I invested in this factory, in this town, and more importantly, in you.

Could we have Miss Neston escorted off the property, please? I have every right

to report on this story. I don't allow Grinches in my factory.

Not ever.

Mr. Young, I apologize.

I was just anxious to get the word out.

Regardless of what is true about Miss Riley's...

experience or her name, she has a good heart.

Without her, we would have been sunk.

But now, at least we got a chance of keeping this factory open, so I hope

gonna not let that slip away.

Dance Industries.

Yeah.

Young.

I heard what happened.

Mind if I sit down?

Of course not, yeah.

I never get tired of this view.

It's hardly the Grand Canyon.

To me, it is.

Because it was from this very bench that I first saw my wife.

Never forget it.

I was 16, and she was this vision, disappearing into the grocery mart with

mother.

Yeah, it was right over there.

Grocery store's gone, but she isn't.

I'm very glad that your life worked out.

Norman Rockwell?

That's not my life. It could be.

I've seen the way you look at her.

I know that look.

I had it right here.

I nearly got frostbite waiting for her to come out.

But I had to.

Why's that?

She was like the sun.

Her beautiful smile just...

warmed me right up.

And when she finally came out, I went straight up to her and started talking.

I didn't know what I was saying.

But I just kept talking.

And we've been talking ever since.

It's a nice story.

I'm having trouble seeing how that relates to me.

Riley...

She pretended to be somebody that she wasn't.

And who would that be?

A kind, caring person who wanted to save this town and just maybe Christmas for

you?

Maybe she's not the one who's pretending.

Who do you want to be, Mr. Young?

The man you are here or the man you are when you're with her?

Take it from me.

The bench is cold.

Talk to her.

Well, it's true.

I hired the wrong girl.

You hired the girl that impressed you in that room.

No matter what her name or background or resume would suggest.

I didn't even have a resume when your father hired me.

I just... I wish that she would have come clean.

That she would have trusted me enough to tell the truth.

It's very difficult for me to let people close.

And yet, somehow, this one got close.

I've never had a woman challenge me like this before.

You know?

I mean, you know what it's like when people find out my net worth. They can't

see past it.

Riley's never seen things that way.

She's always seen me for who I am.

Raleigh Vance's Homa Drab

Phone's for you, Grandma.

I'm sorry to ruin Christmas.

You can never ruin Christmas.

Christmas is bigger than all of us.

No one thing going wrong could ever possibly ruin it.

Don't worry.

Hey.

You had a good ride.

You took the hit so the town could thrive.

Nothing but good can come from that.

You were right, Mom.

I should have come clean from the start.

I take no joy in being right.

I wish I'd been wrong.

I would have rather that I was wrong.

Mary Kirsten?

Riley?

Um...

Mom?

Dad? This is William.

It's a pleasure to meet you. Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you.

Sir? How you doing? Good, you? Good.

Um... Uh, Riley, um...

Can we talk?

Sure.

I wanted to tell Amanda about the mix -up, but before I could, I was in the

conference room, and then you hired me, and I really felt like I could save the

toy factory, so I was afraid if I told you at that point that... Look, it

doesn't matter.

I understand.

I know we're close to Christmas, but could you please come back to Dover

tomorrow?

Let's finish what we started.

Hey, Santa.

Listen, I'm ready to give.

There's something special I want to do, and I need your help.

Well, you've got it.

Whatever it takes. Wonderful. Thank you.

Last box, and we're out of here.

Okay. What's going on?

We sold off the last of the inventory.

That's fantastic.

This all happened last night?

Yep, and William offered to make the last delivery himself.

See you later.

You made it.

You did this.

I decided to do a little last -minute Christmas shopping.

It's a good thing that you did.

This town is important to my family. It's important to me.

But this was all your idea.

I just provided the funds, and that part is easy.

Just buying time for everyone to have a nice Christmas.

We can formulate a long -term solution in the new year, but for now, we need to

keep this factory open.

It's iconic.

It's the flagship operation of Young Incorporators.

We can meet with all the online majors in January and open up those new sales

channels, but in the meantime, what's most important is delivering all these

toys.

So what do you say?

Want to come along for the ride?

Wouldn't miss it for the world.

Perfect. Let's get you to work. Can you help me with this box? Mm -hmm.

You know, it's a good thing, too, because...

Because Comet has a cold,

and we can use all the extra herbs on deck, if you know what I mean.

You know, my father felt that blood

was stronger than performance.

choosing to leave me the company over far more qualified individuals.

You shouldn't underestimate yourself.

Well, what I'm saying is, at the end of the day, I want to do everything that I

can to earn what my father left me.

But I don't want to do it, and I can't do it without you.

You're overqualified to be my assistant.

What I want to do is set you up with your own consultant firm.

We'll provide you the startup funds, but it'll be entirely owned and operated by

you. It'll be your baby.

My hope is that you will want to continue the work that you've done for

factory for several other young enterprises that need restructuring.

I'm bored.

Um, so is the car.

Okay, thanks.

It's going to be hours until the records can get here. No need.

I got that.

Try starting now.

Good.

Um, do you have any other hidden talents besides auto repair that I should be

aware of?

You'll have to wait and see.

Madison hasn't looked this happy since before she broke her leg.

Well, I'm glad I could help.

Even if it's just a little bit. Oh my goodness, I love giving out presents at

Christmas time.

Do you like getting presents?

Ho ho ho ho ho!

Wonderful!

Ho ho ho ho!

Thanks, guys.

What's going on? Your dad has been trying to reach you. Apparently he has

very big news about the factory.

Did he say what it was?

No, he said he'd only tell you.

What's it say?

From my dad. I have reached out to a group of toy collectors in Europe. Your

obsolete inventory is worth its weight in gold.

Interested parties are ready to transfer funds immediately to secure

merchandise. Please advise how to handle transactions.

Merry Christmas, love, Dad.

We can get that much money for them?

That could keep us operational for a year, maybe two. That'll give us time to

develop some new products.

You know, for a minute there, I thought that you were the actual Santa.

Just one of the many helpers.

Hi, I'm Robert.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Robert.

Thank you for all you've done. You're welcome.

Merry Christmas.

Make a wish!

Oh, my goodness. This might be the best Christmas present I've ever gotten. I

know. When are you going to make a wish?

Well, that depends.

On what?

If you've decided what you're going to do for Christmas this year.

It's Christmas Eve.

Exciting, isn't it? Can you feel it in the air? Like someone, somewhere, turned

all of the Christmas lights all over the world on at the exact same time.

Yeah, it feels like Christmas Eve should.

Like magic.

We did it, didn't we?

You did it.

You saved Christmas for an entire town.

It was a team effort. I was just the Christmas cheerleader.

Maybe we can just chalk it up to a happy accident.

Oh, there was no accident to speak of.

I'm sorry that I betrayed you.

Please, you've apologized like a hundred times already.

I don't know how all of this... happened, I kept digging myself deeper

deeper. Hey, it was for a good cause.

I'm not talking about the factory.

I'm talking about you.

I just wanted to be around you all the time.

It felt right.

And I thought maybe I might be lucky enough to spend Christmas with you this

year.

tell you, but things got messed up.

Thank you, though, for everything you've done for me and for letting me finish

what I started.

Well, actually, you're not finished.

You're coming back to work for me, and I will not take no for an answer.

Well, in that case, Mr. Young, I accept the offer.

Excellent. So we'll just have to... to approve your resume, and then we'll be

business. Mm -hmm.

Listen, um, I wanted to thank you for giving Christmas back to me as well.

Well, tuck this up for the guy who has everything.

Well, I don't quite have everything.

I don't have you.

Riley, nobody's ever talked to me the way that you do.

Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do.

When I'm with you, I don't feel like William Young. I feel like me.

I want to be the man that I am when you're around.

I want you, Riley.