Original subtitles

Santa baby 2

Christmas Maybe

Hut-ho, hut-ho, hut. Hut.

Okay, what's next?

These are for Webber Group.

All right. This one.

Okay. Oh, I got it.

Thank you.

Now, Gadgetech.

This one, but in Helvetica.

Mm-hmm. Oh, I got it.

Thank you.

Okay. Ooh. Here's your bagel.

Mm.

Okay, now Clarkford and Klein.

They're exactly the same.

Yeah, but I know you love having choices.

Oh, and the bartender called. Would you prefer flaming rum punch or eggnog martinis?

Both. It's a holiday party.

What holiday party?

Morning.

Tonight. The merger party.

For my clients and the London guys. Colin Nottingham and his group. You have to be there.

Oh, I'd love to, babe, but my tux is at the dry cleaners.

(sarcastic chuckle) You don't need a tux. You just need to bring that handsome mug of yours so I can show you off. It'll be fun, I promise.

I'll be there.

I got it.

Oh, thank you.

Oh, and we have about fifteen pages from legal for you to sign.

Okay, we'll do it in the car. Oh!

I got it. (kiss)

I owe you one.

Hmm.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I love you.

I love you too.

See you later.

Bye.

Have fun at work!

Don't I always?

Merry Christmas!

Hey. Oh, uh, sorry. Sorry, my bad.

Hey, looks like somebody got some Christmas cards.

Great!

Nope.

Nada. Bupkis.

There we go.

Oh, hey, ma'am. I have a package for you.

That's what my doorman's for.

Hey! Watch where you're going, buddy!

Yeah, you too, pal! Yeah, merry Christmas!

(sign)Welcome to the class marketing Holiday Party.

Where's Luke?

Don't know, late. Oh, Colin and the guys just showed up.

All right, it is showtime. (clears throat)

Hello, everyone. It's great to see all of you here. You know, if you'd asked me five years ago to make a list of all the clients I wanted to get, well, you'd all be on that list.

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

Except that we have another record-breaking year like we just did. And maybe a few surprises waiting for you. So, here's to all of you. And happy holidays.

Colin!

So great to see you.

Miss Class.

Mary. I've told you twenty times, call me Mary.

Very well, Mary. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.

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

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

Oh, London. Beautiful city. Nice wide chimneys.

Ch-Chimneys? Yes, I suppose so. It's quite an impressive collection of clients you've assembled for yourself, Mary.

For ourselves, Colin. Unless you and the board are getting cold feet about the merger all of a sudden.

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

Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team.

(exhales) Oh, hey. Thank you.

You're welcome.

(chuckles) So you're ready to go worldwide?

I think so.

Are we enjoying ourselves?

Hey, Sandman.

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

I'm okay, thanks.

Does, uh, Mary even know you're here?

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

Aren't you adorable? Come on.

Well, no one can have it both ways. The future of any company is defined by those crossroads. Moments where someone needs to make a choice. It's not always easy picking the right path, but that's where I come in.

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

Thank you.

Look who I found.

Luke!

Babe. (chuckles)

Hi, honey.

Everyone, this is Luke Jessup, my boyfriend.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

Clive.

A pleasure.

Charles.

Hi.

Neville.

This is Colin Nottingham from the Whitmore Corporation.

It is very nice to meet you, Colin.

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

Oh, (slight chuckle) Luke doesn't work with me.

Oh really? Let me guess. Product integration.

Uh, no. (slight chuckle)

New business development, then.

No. More like, uh, distribution. I'm a mailman. Oh, I'm also a small business owner as well.

Really? And what kind of business would that be?

Dog sledding.

Dog sledding, how charming. Is there much call for that sort of thing around here?

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

Right, right, marketing.

Yes. (chuckles)

Um, I'm going to get another drink, babe. All right.

Okay.

Nice to meet you.

Our pleasure.

Me as well.

So, where were we?

ANNOUNCER(into microphone) All right, hepcats, we've got a real special treat for you all tonight. Playing their very first gig, here in the big city, give a hot, hot welcome for Cold Vision.

Here we go, guys!

Oh my God!

Excuse me.

Of course.

Dad!

Mary!

It's ten days till Christmas! What are you doing here?

What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the North Pole?

Mary? Hold on a moment. Are you telling me that your father is...a jazz musician?

Yeah, baby. A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!

Uh, can you excuse us for a moment?

Oh certainly.

I need to talk to you now.

Have you lost your mind?

Of course not.

Mr. C! (chuckles) Hey!

Hey-Hey! Luke, what up? (chuckles)

What up? Uh, what are you doing here?

I'm jamming with my band.

Nice.

Since when do you have a band?

Going on three weeks. This is our first big gig in the lower forty-eight.

Nick! You're being paid to play.

Skip?

Skipper!

Hey!

Did you just call him Nick?

Yeah, we're on a first name basis. (to Santa) Aren't we? Uh, Mr. Nick? Mr. Santa? Santa? Sir? Boss?

Did you bring all the elves with you?

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

No you don't.

Well, I book the gigs.

No.

I...

Drive the bus.

(slight chuckle) Uh, to the gigs.

Uh, I hate to interrupt here but you do realize it's December, right? Don't you have a job to do?

Not me. You. You are supposed to be up at the North Pole right now, running Christmas.

(scoffs) Well, you think you might have shared that with me any time in the past, oh, eleven months?

Didn't you get my letter?

No, what are you talking about?

(whispers) Let's go.

An actual letter?

Yeah.

Dad, no one writes letters anymore!

I get lots letters all the time.

Well, that's because you're--

You. Dad, please just go. For me?

All right.

(scoffs) Luke, will you please take them back to the apartment?

Tonight.

Really? And miss the rest of this great party?

Yeah, I know you'll be crying your eyes out. Thanks. (kiss) I'm sorry; it's going to be a late night tonight.

Pizza?

Now? Right on.

Call me.

Oh my God.

(pizza box)Di Lucci's

Pizza

(laugh) (overlapping chatter) Direct hit! Okay. Here you go! Ooh! (continues)

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

You'll never get away from me, Mary.

Ooh, hot cocoa for everyone.

You are right helpful, little elf.

Oh, oh, oh, sh, sh. Guys, guys, g-guys. Keep it down, Mary's still asleep.

Boys stink.

This is great. I haven't seen this in years. (laughs)

Yeah, that's not very funny, guys. That-That really hurt.

Morning, boys.

Hey, babe. What time did you get in last night?

Very, very late.

Why didn't you wake us up?

Well, you all looked so cozy. And passed out.

All right, party's over. Dad, when are you going to get back to work?

Uh, actually, Mary, I'm not. I'm going to take a little time for myself.

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

Ho, ho, maybe in the fifteen-hundreds. But nowadays I'm lucky if I get I get one day in leap year. So, Santa's going to make a few changes.

Aren't you a little old to be going through a mid-life crisis?

It's not a mid-life crisis, I'm just trying to recapture my youth.

Right. (chuckles) I'm going to call Mom.

You'll get no help there. (laughs)

Ooh, you're in big trouble, Mr. C.

(chuckles) Oh. Big trouble.

Good morning, Claus Residence.

Uh, hi. Who's this?

Uh, why, this is Teri. Merry Christmas. And who might you be?

This is Mary. I'm looking for my mom.

I'm afraid she's stepped away for a moment. May I take a message?

Yeah, can you tell her that I called (over phone) and that I have Dad?

Mm-hmm.

Thanks so much.

All right. Listen, I have so much to do today. Tons of meetings. So I don't really have time for this.

Uh, l-listen, babe. Go to work and I'll baby-sit for the day.

Are you sure?

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

Oh, thank you.

All right, have fun.

(sign)Season's Greetings

And this is the mall.

Huh, so this is what Christmas is to all of you city slickers, huh?

(chuckles) Hey, don't look at me. I'm a Polaris boy at heart. Hey, how are my dogs doing? You ever get a chance to see them?

(reads) "A little bit of Christmas in every bite." Did we authorize this?

Uh, I don't know.

Remind me to call my lawyer.

I am your lawyer.

Remind me to get a new lawyer.

Ah. Hey, look!

(sign)MEET

DECEMBER 1-24

(sign)SOUVENIR

pictures

$25

����. How'd they know we were coming?

Hey.

Hello.

(overlapping chatter) (continues throughout) ����, he's here! Hi, Santa! Wow. Is it really you, Santa?

Santa.

Eh?

Okay, big smile.

Hey, Mac. What gives? I've got an exclusive contract on this place all of December.

The whole month, wow. Good for you.

Uh, well, good luck with that. Why don't we just get out of here, guys, huh?

It seems a little steep to me. Twenty-five bucks for a snap of a sloppy wannabe.

Listen, buddy. If you know what's good for you, you'll beat it.

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

(overlapping chatter) Santa. There's Santa. Yeah. Santa.

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

Naughty.

Naughty? I'll show you naughty.

���Okay, hold still. Almost finished. Don't move.

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

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's power

When we were gone astray

O tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

O tidings of comfort and joy

Oh, hold-- Take five, gang. Thank goodness!

Jail, Dad? Jail?

Well, you see...

(scoffs) What happened?

He started it, babe.

��� Ah. Looks good.

Way to set an example.

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

Left, Dad. Tours over, especially for you.

Snowballs! We were supposed to open for Huey Lewis.

I don't want to hear it. It's bad enough you're ignoring Christmas, but now you're messing up my life. That's it, we're going back to the North Pole.

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

Not me and Luke. All of us. All of us are going back.

Yeah! All right! Whoo!

Not you guys.

������ Oh, man.

(sign)WELCOME

TO

POLARIS

Come on, Flash.

Okay, fellas, we'll see you later.

(sign)MUSH PUPPIES

DOG SLED TOURS

It's okay, sir. I'll get the luggage.

Remember, Dad. Straight home, no detours.

Bye! Bye, Mary!

Bye!

Hey fellas! (chuckles) Hey. Come here, guys. Hey.

Hey, puppies! Hi! Hi.

Come and see me. Come and see me. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. (indistinct)

Okay, guys. I'll be back to take you for a run later, all right?

Oh, thank God you still have your place. I can't imagine staying with my parents.

Oh come on, the workshop is fun.

Fun? Yes. Private? No.

(chuckles) At last, home sweet home!

Come on, Flash! Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit since we were kids.

Why mess with perfection, babe, right? I mean, think about it. Me, you, bearskin rug, hot cocoa.

Roaring fire.

Ah, well, that could work.

Just don't get too comfortable, we're not going to be here that long.

We're not?

Nope! All right, phase one: Get Dad up here. Phase two: Get him focused on Christmas. Phase three: Avert the elven apocalypse. Phase four: Business class back to New York.

Elven apocalypse?

The elves have been unsupervised for three weeks. I'm surprised we can't see the smoke from here.

Hey, come here. It sounds like this is going to take a while to get back on track.

Mm. (kiss) Then again, the elves have been making toys for hundreds of years, what's ten more minutes?

Uh-huh. Exactly.

Maybe even twenty.

Mom, I'm h-- Oh, what happened here?

Oh, Mary! Ah, thank goodness you're home! (laughs)

Oh, I'm happy to see you too. So what's with all the cookies?

Well, I'm just trying to keep busy. Baking calms the nerves.

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

Well, it's been a rough couple of weeks around here. What with your father gone and you being so late.

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

What-- You didn't get the letter?

Again with the letter. I have a home phone, office phone, cell phone, fax, e-mail. I'm not that hard to get ahold of.

Well, he's old fashioned.

I found him jamming with a jazz quartet in Soho. He's not old fashioned. What's wrong with him?

Oh nothing. No-Nothing at all. Everything is perfectly normal. He's just going through some changes.

He's had the same haircut for six hundred years. He doesn't change.

Oh that's what I thought. But ever since your improvements around here, well, he's had some free time on his hands and that's when the hobbies started.

Oh it's nice to see him having so much fun, but I just wonder when things will start to get back to normal around here.

Now. Things are going to get back to normal now.

Santa's

Workshop

5 ���� �� ���������. ����������� ���.

I want the ducks in a row. Excellent. A couple more.

Oh, Mary! You're here! Oh!

Gary, all right, all right, all right. Lay it on me. Critical stuff first. What's wrong this time?

Uh, nothing.

Santa's been away for a month and you're telling me there's no fractures, felonies or fatalities?

Uh, no, no and no.

Huh, impressive. I guess I really whipped things into shape around here. Hmm. Hmm.

Um, hi.

(gasps) My stars! If it isn't Mary Claus. What a thrill.

Really?

Why, of course. The daughter that saved Christmas. You're a regular legend around here.

Gary, honey, would you mind running and grabbing me some of that delightful eggnog?

Okay.

That's the spirit, Gary. Go team. (chuckles)

So, who are you, anyway?

Oh, look at me, there I go again, running off at the mouth. Teri McMillan, Polaris Postal Service!

Oh, you took over for Luke.

I-I was in the Congo delivering malaria vaccines to a school for blind orphans, but then I heard about the opening here

and when an opportunity like that comes along, y-you've got to take it. After all, this is-is where the magic happens.

Well, shouldn't you be making that magic happen over at the post office? (slight chuckle)

Well, of course. But with Santa being gone, someone had to step in and... You know how those elves are. I had to keep an eye on things. (chuckles)

Well, thank you. Great. Santa's back and I can take it from here. I'm just going to go call a staff meeting and I'm sure you know how to get back to the post office.

All right, everyone, gather around!

(overlapping chatter) Meeting time. Come on, everybody! Meeting!

(slight chuckle) Quick staff meeting!

Gary, is that eggnog?

Easy.

But I just--

(interrupts) No.

Okay.

Down, boy.

I am back. I will be running things again until we get Santa back at work. So, everyone just keep doing what you're doing.

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

Come on, guys, you can do better than that. This is Mary! Let's show her some of that Christmas spirit.

(overlapping chatter) Yay! Whoo-hoo! Hooray!

(chuckles) Much better! All right, everyone, now let's go make some toys!

Toys! (cheer)

That's what I'm talking about! Right-- Oh. Thank you.

See you later, Teri.

Whatever.

���� Hi there!

Hey there, sweet cheeks!

(slight chuckle) Nicholas, where did you get that ridiculous thing?

I figured it's time for a new ride. What do you think? Makes me look younger, right?

Sure, you don't look a day over eight hundred!

Ho, ho, ho.

Look out!

North Pole

����!

Be good. (exhales)

Oh, hey! (chuckles)

Well, hello there! (chuckles)

Oh, you're the new gal. Teri, right?

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

Okay. (chuckles)

You're a regular legend around here. It's-It's an honor to follow in your footsteps.

Really? (chuckles) I was-I was just a mailman.

(scoffs) Just a mailman, he says. You were the mailman. The Christmas mailman. Getting to deliver to the big S is-- (grunts) Is every mail carrier's dream job!

Well, it had its moments, I have to admit. Hey-Hey, let me help you with that. (grunts)

Oh. Look at you, the old pro. (slight chuckle)

I'm-I'm not imposing on you, am I?

Oh, not at all.

It'll be like old times.

Beg your pardon?

������� Hey, Luke! Good to see you!

Oh you know. Being back on my old mail route, seeing my friends. It's nothing like delivering in the city. No appreciation whatsoever.

Hmm. Well, I know I'd appreciate it if you'd let me pick your brain sometime. I-I-I just have so many questions.

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

(interrupts) Passion?

I was going to say interests but, um, passion works.

Okay.

Yes.

Um... (grunts) Off we go.

4 ��� �� ���������.

Sandy, you have to set up some video conferences. This merger is absolutely vital to our bottom line.

And we have to make sure all the clients are on board. Uh-huh. Yeah, I know. Well, I'm going to be up here for a while. All right, I'll talk to you later.

Hey, honey. Keeping busy?

Are you responsible for this?

What?

The cockamamie wrapping schedule. It doesn't make any sense.

Hey, Nick! Hitting the links again?

Nick?

I shaved two points off my handicap already.

I knew you'd like it. Just think of them as eighteen little chimneys. (slight chuckle)

All right, see you both later.

Dad! Wrapping schedule?

Would you explain your new system to Mary?

Your system?

It's really quite simple.

No, it's not. We tried something like that last year. It didn't work then and it won't work now.

Um, well, last year you just switched the shifts. This is new. Each elf is assigned a specific size and shape. That way everyone has the right size paper every time. No special measuring, no delays. See?

You just have to be a little more flexible. I knew that Teri would make the perfect assistant for you.

& Assistant?

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

Oh, well...

Dad, I have an assistant. He's in New York, where my job is. Where my life is. This is your job and your life. When are you going to quit goofing off and get back to work?

Well, never.

What do you mean you want to retire?

(exhales) Mary, I have been doing this for so long, I can't remember the time that your mother and I had a chance to go out for dinner, let alone take a vacation.

You're Santa. What do you expect?

Christmas is really important. People have to believe in the spirit of giving. And for a long time I believed that I was the only one who could provide that.

You are.

I'm not. And last year you proved that.

Everybody mistakes me for the holiday. They think I'm Christmas. But I'm not. I only work here.

Or I did. You know, it's really hard for a father to realize that his little girl is all grown up.

There was a time when I was younger when I couldn't imagine giving this job to anybody else. Now I can't imagine giving it to anybody else but you.

I'd be so proud.

What do you say?

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

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

Oh! Phew, what a relief! I was afraid that your were going--

(interrupts) No, you see, Mary's going to be up to speed in no time. Then you can get back to your old life. I'm sure you have better things to do than hang around a boring old workshop.

(scoffs) But I-I love it here. And you said yourself we make a great team.

I did?

Yes, remember when I was helping you make a list of everything you missed out on in life?

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

But I thought she had a whole other job -- a life -- back-back in the city.

It's in her blood. It's what she was born to do. As long as Mary's happy here, then she'll stay. Teri, keep it running smoothly.

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

Marble?

(gasps) Oh! What are we doing?

We're naming things that are smooth.

Uh, icicles!

Uh, bowling balls!

Smoothies!

(gasps) Oh, good one!

(exhales) I'm leaving.

Porcupines!

Huh?

That are bald!

(gasps) Or sandpaper.

What?

That's been worn.

Oh. Glass.

That's eroded. Nails.

That are filed.

(slight chuckle) Gravel.

Covered in marzipan!

All right, we don't have a lot of time. So how are your departments doing?

Oh, letters is super fun. There's a new candy cane stamp and if you lick it, everything you eat for the rest of the day--

(interrupts) On schedule or behind schedule?

Oh, we're almost done.

Terrific. Gary? The toys? How are the teddy bears coming along?

Oh, we're trying to, uh, increase cuddliness by ten percent. Right now we're at about, hmm, eight.

Fine. Skip? Wrapping?

Oh, I like wrapping.

Who wants cookies?

(overlapping chatter) Oh, I do!

Uh, we're having a meeting right here.

Lemon zing for Gary, double butter for Dave, cinnamon hearts for Lucy, and peppermint swirl for Skip.

Oh. Thanks Teri, you're the best.

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

Well, it's, uh, for department heads only.

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

Oh! Maybe Teri could be head of the cookie making department.

Yeah!

My mom is the head of the cookie making department. She's been doing it for hundreds of years.

Oh, what about a-a cookie delivery department?

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

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

What about a special department for the special delivery of special cookies?

(overlapping chatter) Yeah!

All right, Teri, go and take these with you. Thanks. (exhales) Skip, report. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. (scoffs) Brother.

She's a keeper.

(over computer) Our new global partnership will allow you to expand your markets internationally. (into computer) You'll still get my personal attention, of course. (over computer) I'll just have more resources to bring your way. So what do you say?

MCNEIL(into computer) That sounds great, you can count us in.

(into computer) Terrific. I'll have Sandy send you the paperwork. And we will talk to you soon. (slight chuckle)

Steady! S-Steady! (grunts)

Yeah, no more video conferencing. (sighs)

Hmm. Uh... Um... I-- No.

Come on, Skip!

Yeah-- Um, uh, uh, do you have any fives? (Note Skip thinks he is playing the children's card game "Go Fish.")

Ooh! I have one.

Oh yeah.

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

All right, I bet you don't have any tens because I have four of them! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Skip, ip, diddly-ip. (chuckles)

Oh no!

All right, all right, everybody give me your cards. Five-card stud, deuces wild.

(exhales) Bring it on, double the ante.

Ho, ho, ho. Here we go.

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

My rosy red cheeks in my rosy red chair. (Note humor that Santa responds to "what's going down?" as if it's not an expression of "how are you?" but to literally mean what's going down which he refers to his buttocks sitting down in the chair.)

Dealer's choice, dear.

Beautiful.

Hi, everybody!

There you go.

(overlapping chatter) Hi, Teri.

Hope I'm not interrupting anything.

No, not at all. Just a friendly game here.

Oh, you're playing cards.

Uh, it-it looks like fun.

Yeah! Y-You should play. There's an empty seat right here. Uh, next to me.

Really? You don't mind?

Well, uh, we were waiting for Mary.

Uh, I just spoke with Mary. I don't think she's going to be able to make it. She is working so hard, bless her heart.

Oh, it is such a busy time. It's hard to have fun and games when Christmas is at stake.

Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

Yeah, in her real life -- um, whatever that is -- something is going on with someone named Colin. Uh, I think. Oh! (clears throat)

Okay, the game is Anchorage Anaconda. Suicide kings are wild, blood queen is dead, top the pot buys an extra card and first one out refills the chip bowl.

Who's ready?

Hey-o, hey-o. Who's ready? Who's ready? Come to mama, come to mama.

(exhales) Boy, that was fun, huh?

Oh, hey, Teri. Yeah. It s-sure was.

Well, sorry to put a stop to your winning streak. Uh, beginner's luck, I guess.

Yeah.

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

So how are things at the workshop?

December sure is a busy month.

(full mouth) Oh, it sure is! You know, that's when Christmas is.

(chuckles) It is! Oh. Tell me, Skip. Are you happy?

Oh yeah.

Really?

Yep.

I mean, are you really, really happy?

Yeah. I'm like really, really happy. I'm really happy a lot. Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sensing some hesitation in your voice. Maybe we should have a little chat. Get to the source of your problems.

O-Okay.

So, Skip, do the elves get overtime?

Oh, Mary!

Morning, Gary.

Uh, morning. Uh, there's something -- kind of a big problem.

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

What's this?

It's our contract.

Contract? What contract?

Contract. See?

Gary, what is he talking about?

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

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

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

Uh, renegotiate.

Oh. (slight chuckle) Renegotiate. And we've got to change some things in the contract.

That's what "renegotiate" means, Skip.

(chuckles) Okay, then just that.

Wait. (laughs)

You-You had me.

That was very (chuckles) funny. All right, I'm going to get back to work.

Okay. Oh, oh-oh, yeah, right. Uh, you need to take us seriously. No contract, no toys.

Dad, are you in here?

Yeah, but I'm a little busy right now.

Have you seen this?

Yeah. Scrolls. We've had them around for many years.

It's the elves' contract.

Well, that old thing? (chuckles) Good for them, they still have it.

Good for them? Bad for us. ... Daddy, have you even read it?

Read it? I wrote it.

It's a complete mess. Half of it doesn't even make sense and the other half is in Old English.

At the time, we just called it English.

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

Honey, they're elves. All you have to do is give them a couple of cookies, point them towards something shiny, and they'll forget all about it. You have to learn how to negotiate.

I know how to negotiate. I have an MBA from Wharton.

Well, then it shouldn't be a problem.

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

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

Not anymore, I'm retired.

Honey, if this is getting to be too much to handle, why don't you ask Teri to help you?

(gasps) Hi!

Hi, Gary! (chuckles) Hello, Mary!

All right, let's get down to business. You have your list of demands?

Number one, we want a twenty percent raise across the board.

1. 20% RAISE 2. Get Paid 3. Store to spend money

(overlapping chatter) Oh. Oh, yeah. Ooh!

You don't get paid. Twenty percent of nothing is still nothing.

Ah, number two, we want to get paid.

What do you need money for anyway?

Number three, we want our own store where we can spend our money.

(overlapping chatter) Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Okay, can we just skip past the money part and hear the rest of your demands?

(paper)4. Credit

union

Um, okay, uh, credit union.

What?

Monopoly. Monopoly money... Ah, cookies.

You get cookies. All the cookies you want.

Oh yeah, but we want cookies with sprinkles.

(overlapping chatter) Yeah! Absolutely.

The cookies have sprinkles.

On top and bottom.

Ooh, that sounds good.

Oh! And we want those, uh, hats with the cups for cocoa. Trampolines at the workstation. And jet packs. And everybody gets their own chipmunk. Hey, little guy. (kisses)

Enough!

No. Nope. Never going to happen. (chuckles) Not a chance in hell. Nada. Never! (chuckles) Huh. One break every six hours. Take it or leave it.

That went well.

Gary!

Huh?

We're storming out.

Me too?

Yeah.

Okay. Bye!

(overlapping chatter) Uh, bye! Oh hey, bye, Gary! Take care.

(sighs) What?

Mary? I'm sorry, did I (over phone) catch you at a bad time?

Colin! No, no, no. Of course not. I'm so glad to hear from you.

(over phone) I just wanted to check in and see how your client retention efforts are coming.

Well, I'm-- They are coming along fine. I just have a few hands to hold through the merger.

(over phone) Good. It's vital you're able to meet the numbers we discussed if I'm going to be able to convince the board to vote for the merger.

Well, I will not let you down. (slight chuckle) (to Gary) (whispers) Go away.

(gasps) Oh, why didn't you say so?

(over phone) Mary, this thing could still fall apart. I'm afraid nothing's guaranteed at this point. (over phone) We are all relying on you.

How's she doing?

Oh, I think she's in trouble with her boss. (chuckles)

(chuckles) Oh, kind of like how you're in trouble with the elves?

What?

You know, how they all hate you because you're siding with Mary instead of your friends.

Hate me?

Oh don't worry about it. Three hundred years from now, who's going to remember who betrayed who, right?

Uh, y-you mean all of them?

Well, I haven't heard back from Hillard Corp., but (over phone) I know they love me.

Well, I'm afraid the board is looking for signatures right now, Mary, not love. (over phone) Got it? Can you give me a time estimate on any of this?

Hello? Mary? Hello? Are you there?

���� Hey, Luke! Hi.

H-Hey, there you are! I've been looking for you.

Hey, baby.

I've been crazed!

Everything all right?

Yeah, of course. Everything's fine. What's with the, uh, mail bag? You moonlighting now?

(chuckles) No. Teri's letting me help out a bit.

Teri, huh?

Uh, yeah.

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

What's that supposed to mean?

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

Oh, come on. Teri's great. Well, I-- You know me. I just like being a little part of Christmas, is all.

(chuckles) Well, that makes one of us. I just can't wait to go back home. (chuckles) Right?

Yeah, right. It's just...

Luke, we can't stay here. My life, my business -- everything is-is in the city!

Yeah, I know. Y-You know what? This isn't a good time. You have a lot of work to do and... We can talk about this later. (kiss)

(sighs) What else can go wrong?

What do we want?

Cookies!

When do we want them?

Now!

(chant) Hey, hey, hey, ho, ho, ho. Mary Claus has got to go. Hey, hey, hey, ho, ho, ho. Mary Claus has got to go.

(signs)HOHOHO 'S GOT TO GO Cookies for all!

What do we want?

Cookies!

When do we want them?

Now!

(chuckles) What do we want?

What?

And what do we want?

Cookies!

When do we want them?

Now!

You have cookies! They're inside! Wait. (scoffs) What the hell is going on here?

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

Yeah, I know what it is. Are you serious? You're going on strike at Christmas?

You didn't really give us much choice.

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

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

It's true. He's the tallest. See? Right there.

(scoffs) This is ridiculous! All right, listen. Everyone, put down your signs and go back to work!

Uh-uh-uh-uh. We didn't say "Gary says."

They can't go back to work until we talk about the list of demands.

No!

Yes.

No! I can't deal with this! You guys are on strike, my dad's on vacation! I'm just going to have to do everything myself!

No ifs, no buts! We want candy, we want nuts! No ifs, no buts! We want candy, we want nuts!

All right, how hard can this be? (grunts with effort)

Howdy, Luke.

Oh, hey, Teri.

What you looking for?

(sighs) Mary's been going through some stuff and I figured I'd make her some coffee. I-I can't find the cookies, though.

Well, you know how hungry those elves are. (slight chuckle)

Oh, I know.

Maybe we could whip up a batch ourselves.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. (chuckles) I'm not very good in the kitchen.

Come on, Luke. Let's dive in.

Um, we need flour. (slight chuckle)

There we go.

(heavy breaths) Mary Class.

Mary! Where have you been?

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

(over phone) If it is crisis mode up there, it is Armageddon down here. We've lost Gadgetech and Patterson Pharmaceuticals.

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

(over phone) This is next week! It's hard to convince a company (over phone) you're going to give them hands-on attention when you're rescheduling a conference call for the third time.

Well, where does that leave us now?

(over phone) At this point? You, me and about seven clients. Not exactly merger bait. I'm almost at the office. If you've got any (over phone) tricks left up your sleeve, now's the time.

(exhales) All right I'm on it.

Okay, guys. See you next time.

������ Later, Nick.

������ Yeah, later, brother!

Everybody having fun?

Oh yeah, you bet! (chuckles)

Dad! Where have you been? The elves have gone nuts!

I was at my drum circle, getting in touch with the sacred masculine.

The sacred what? All right, I have been more than patient, but enough is enough! My life is falling apart because you bailed on Christmas! You've had plenty of time to explore this other side of you.

What other side? This is all me.

No, it's not you! The last month has been crazy time in Santa town. I need you to just stop it and just fix Christmas.

Wait, wait.

What's going on?

What have you two been up to?

(laughs) Teri and I, we were in the kitchen. Um, um, I made you some cookies.

Mary, I know this is difficult to understand, but when I started out I had no one to help me. You're going to have to learn how to walk on your own two feet if you're going to replace me.

You're not listening. I don't want to replace you. I don't want to be Santa Claus!

�����.

So you're really going?

If I don't leave right away, my business and everything I've worked my whole life for will be gone.

And Christmas?

(exhales) Leaving is the only thing that's going to snap my father back to reality. (exhales) Where's your luggage?

Look, Mary. Up here I have a life.

It-It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but it's my life. I have my friends and my dog sledding business and my house. Back in New York all I have is...

Me?

(exhales) Mary, I love you and I want to be with you. Here.

(sighs) I can't give up what I love and what I love to do.

I know.

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

We can work this out, right?

I don't know. I don't know, Luke. I know you always say that things work out at Christmas, but that's just one day out of the year.

I'll see you later.

(exhales) Honey, I'm home! (exhales) Such as it is. (sighs)

I know, buddy. I miss her too.

����!

Am I interrupting?

Teri! What are you doing here?

Well, I-I couldn't find you anywhere. And these brownies just came out of the oven.

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

Well, I hope you have room for a brownie.

(exhales) (slight chuckle) No, I'm not really hungry right n--

(interrupts) Oh, go on, Luke. You look like you could use it.

(exhales) All right. (full mouth) Wow. Wow.

(chuckles) You see, Luke. There is no problem in life that can't be solved with a plate full of brownies.

Mm. That'd be nice.

It is lovely here, isn't it? Like nowhere else in the world. What's it like in that big city of yours?

Crowded, noisy, and the traffic is terrible.

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

It's not all that bad. (slight chuckle)

You know, Luke, maybe you shouldn't try forcing things with Mary. I mean, she-she has her life and you can have yours too. Maybe everything you need is-is already here. Right in front of you.

Really?

You need someone who appreciates you for you, Luke. Someone who shares your interests. Who'll always be there for you.

(exhales) You're so right, Teri. Mary's gone. She went back to the city.

Mary's gone?

Uh-huh.

Teri?

Wahoo!

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

Oh. Where's Mary?

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

Let you down? Nicholas, did you ever stop to consider that Mary might be right? While you've been wasting time, she's been here, sacrificing, doing your job, to keep Christmas going.

But I've been going through some things.

(chuckles) How many times have I heard that? (chuckles) I remember when you just had to have that Viking longboat. (chuckles)

(chuckles) It came with its own Vikings.

Uh, yeah, and it took me a decade to get the stains out of the carpet. (laughs)

Oh Nicholas, I just wish you'd stop this foolishness and get back to work. Before the children pay the price.

(chant) Half the work and twice the play, we want cocoa every day! Half the work and twice the play, we want cocoa--

Good news, elves! It's all over! Time to go back to work!

What about the strike?

The strike is over, Skip! Congratulations, you won!

But-But-But what did Mary say?

Good question, Gary. Anyone else have any other questions? No? Okay, back to work.

But-But-But what about Mary?

All right, who wants to sit around asking questions?

(overlapping chatter) Not me! Not here. Uh-uh.

And who wants to make some toys?

(overlapping chatter) Yay! Oh yeah!

That's what I'm talking about! Now let's get cracking because we have a lot of catching up to do. But first, give yourselves a hand.

Teri! C-Can I talk to Mary?

(sighs) I'm afraid Mary has left to pursue other interests.

��� ... Colin? What are you doing here? Come on in.

Thank you.

I thought we were meeting tomorrow.

We are. But I've been chatting up the board members informally. We're all terribly impressed with how you've turned this thing around.

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

Colin, that's fantastic!

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

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

Luke.

Luke, right, sorry. (slight chuckle)

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

Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Well, perhaps these will cheer you up.

What's all this?

The merger papers.

But I--

(interrupts) I had them ready weeks ago. I knew you could do it. (slight chuckle)

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

Problem?

No, no, I just-- I worked towards this moment my whole career, so now that it's finally here, it just... Well, it seems, um...

Wonderful?

Something like that. (exhales)

And with a stroke of the quill, Whitmore-Class is born. Will you join me in a toast?

Uh, sure!

Ta-da!

Thank you.

My pleasure.

To Mary Class. May all of her Christmas wishes come true.

Thank you.

Now, I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but I've made reservations tonight at Gianelli's. If you're available.

With the whole team?

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

(exhales) That would be nice.

Lovely.

Dave, fast. Uh, faster.

Uh, too squeaky.

Lucy.

Mm-hmm?

What color is this?

Pink.

Oh. A-And this one?

Blue.

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

Nope!

Ah! Lucy, the ribbons in the hair must match, please. Um, fix them. Okay? Fix them all. Skip? Skip! Skip!

Yeah, boss?

Don't sneak up on me like that.

I'm back!

(overlapping chatter) Santa! Yay!

Santa!

Nick! Hey, Nick. Nice to see you. Uh, just stopping by for a visit?

(chuckles) Hi.

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

Yeah, so I have heard. Which is why I have taken control. No need for you to worry, I think I hear the golf course calling your name.

Well, I appreciate the help, but I got it from here. The big man is back. Gary! Where's my Gary? There you are. Gary, situation report.

We got--

(interrupts) Uh, we a-are right at the end. I-It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. (slight chuckle) We're almost done. I'm just putting on the finishing touches.

All right, that means the toys are done. But that's only half. The rest is the deliveries. And that's the magic, that's what makes Christmas happen.

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

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

No, but-- (exhales) But I was going to do that.

But you let Mary deliver the toys last year.

Teri, you've been a good assistant and I appreciate the help. But I am Santa Claus and Mary is my daughter. That's who we are. Just as you are the mail carrier. And that's what you should be doing, you do it so well.

Oh... W--

Santa Claus. Pardon me, but may I borrow you for just a moment? In the other room? Alone?

All right.

I'll be right back.

���� We wish you a Teri Christmas

We wish you a Teri Christmas

And a happy new year

(chuckles) Ah, thanks for a great night.

I had a lovely time.

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

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

Crap, I hadn't thought about that. Is it too late to get out of it?

I'm afraid so.

Well, I'm going to call my lawyer in the morning. (chuckles)

Is something wrong?

Sharing letterhead is going to be a big enough adjustment already. I just can't handle anything else right now.

I understand.

Thank you. See you Monday?

Absolutely. Oh, and have a merry Christmas.

That's what they all say.

I beg your pardon?

Never mind. Good night.

Good night.

This is a big one, look. (chuckle) Wow. Last one in is a (indistinct) Snowball! Ooh, cool! Higher, higher!

Teri.

Teri, can I have a cookie?

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

But it's just usually--

(interrupts) You question the will of Santa?

No.

Back to work. (chomps) (slight chuckle)

Oh, looks like somebody's getting an extra chunk of potato. I hope you don't mind.

Now, I don't want any complaints, okay? I put in basil because I happen to like basil.

And I don't see you doing any of the cooking around here. ... Dig in. ... You know, it's really nice having someone to eat with.

Mary! Wow! You're back!

Okay, we'll have plenty of time for that later. Listen, we need to get to the workshop. I think my dad's in trouble. I'll explain later.

All right, let's-let's go.

All right, you can have mine.

See you!

Okay, everyone. Tonight is the big night. Let's get these last few toys on the sleigh and get ready to make Santa proud! (laughs)

(overlapping chatter) Sure. All right.

(laughs) Skip? (clears throat) Skip! Skip, w-where were you? Did you finish hanging my portrait?

I was just--

(interrupts) (scoffs) It-It doesn't matter. Look, I really need you to get on this thing and I'm telling you--

(interrupts) All right, the jig's up!

Mary. You're back. Oh joy.

Yeah, I'm back. Phoebe!

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

You figured it out. Good for you.

Well, guess I don't need these anymore.

Or these.

And what about the outfit?

My uniform? Oh, no, no, no. I think I'll keep it. After all, Santa did put me in charge. Right, everyone?

(overlapping chatter) Mm-hmm. Yeah.

He did no such thing.

Um, Skip?

Oh yeah, Santa went away. He said that Teri's in charge. He said that Teri is the new Santa. He gave Teri the suit and the sleigh and the workshop.

Went away where?

Oh, oh, I don't know, um--

(interrupts) Oh who knows? Probably on one of his crazy flights of fancy.

Yeah.

That kind of thing runs in the family

(scoffs) Gary, can you tell me what really happened?

Santa went away. He said Teri's in charge. He said Teri's the new Santa. He gave Teri the suit, the sleigh and the workshop.

(overlapping chatter) Yeah.

Santa told you Teri is in charge?

Well, no.

Uh, uh, uh, wait a second. Did anyone actually hear Santa say Teri was in charge?

(overlapping chatter) No. Uh...

So, who told you?

& Teri.

And it didn't occur to anyone that maybe she was lying?

But if Teri is lying, why would Santa put her in charge? (slight chuckle) It's--

She said her name was Teri, but it's really Phoebe. She said she was a mailman, but she's really an elf.

(gasps) You're a liar!

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

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

Well, well, well. Looks like we got ourselves a little rebellion.

You know what I have to say to that?

What?

Free cookies!

What is this doing here?

Well, it's a present. We do deliver them, you know. (bites)

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

"Do not open until after Christmas."

Mom, Dad!

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

Oh! Oh, thank goodness! (breathes heavily)

Teri is naughty.

Yeah, we got that. And her name isn't Teri. It's Phoebe. And I'll bet you fifty bucks that's why I didn't get your letter.

Of course.

How could I have missed that?

It was the hair.

And the glasses.

No, it was me. I was so much into my own nonsense, now look what happened.

Oh, no. There, there, dear.

I know what you're going to say. You're going to say, "Nicholas, don't blame yourself."

No, I wasn't going to say that.

You weren't?

No.

Uh, guys?

The sleigh's gone.

All right.

Oh no!

We've got to go after her.

Luke, we'll need the dogsled.

I'm on it, babe.

I'll drive.

You're the boss.

Come on, Dad!

No, you get the sled, I'll catch up! I have something to do.

Come on, Gary, I have an idea.

What? Oh. Huh?

Christmas is mine! (slight chuckle) All mine! (chuckles)

What--

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

There's no escape!

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

����! ... Dad!

You okay?

What the heck was that?

I made a few special modifications to the sleigh.

����! ... ����!

Toys are gone.

What did you expect?

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

NAUGHTY NICE

Can somebody say, "Creepy"?

(scoffs) You think?

I am really going to have to call my lawyer.

That's far enough!

Phoebe! What are you doing?

Don't!

Oh, no!

I'll do it, I swear.

What has gotten into you?

Me? What about you? Christmas is the most important job in the world and I am the only one that wants to do it.

You two couldn't wait to call it quits. But somehow that makes me the bad guy.

So you decided to steal Christmas?

I'm not stealing it, I'm saving it. From you two. I deserve this, Mary. After all those years of loyal service, Christmas is mine!

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

Elves? Who wants to be an elf? No one out there even knows who we are. But everyone can name the reindeer! And all they do is pull the sleigh!

(scoffs) Yeah, through the sky!

Not helping.

(whispers) Sorry.

Well, this is one elf no one's going to forget. If I can't run Christmas, no one will.

No, no!

Oh, go ahead!

What?

What did you say?

Doesn't matter. You can steal Christmas, you can destroy it, you can even save it.

We all have dreams, Phoebe. But what good is getting everything you always wanted unless you have someone to share it with?

Come on. I know you can do it.

So this is it?

All I have to do is-is hand this over and everything goes back to the way it was?

Of course.

Phoebe, it's the right thing to do.

No!

No!

Oh my God.

What have I done?

You destroyed Christmas! So what are we going to do now?

Wait! (pants) (continues)

Skip?

The toys!

It's too late!

She dropped the whole bag in the ocean.

Wha-What bag?

The bag of toys from the sleigh, Skip.

The peanut butter cookie bag?

& What?

The peanut butter cookies. I put a big bag of them in the sleigh. For Teri. Or--

Or Phoebe. You said they were your favorite. And, you know, since the kids don't usually put out peanut butter cookies... (slight chuckle) Well, I figured it'd be a nice treat.

You-You did that for me?

Well, it is Christmas.

(laughs) Skip! So the elves saved Christmas!

Looks like it.

Well, I'd better look at their contract again. It seems I've been a bit hard on the little buggers.

Oh, wait a second, Mr. C. How are you going to pull this off if you're so far behind?

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

Two can. Two can! Yeah, yeah! Two can!

Help me unhitch the reindeer, okay?

I'm on it!

Yes. Yes. (laughs)

Phoebe. We can use a hand.

Very clever, Mary. I guess I owe you one.

Oh, come on, Dad. It's two you owe me.

(chuckles) I have to say this. I'm sorry. You have your own life, I shouldn't have forced you to lead mine.

Don't worry about it, Dad. It's a mistake we all make sometimes.

You don't have to follow in my footsteps for me to be proud of you. You're the best Christmas present a father ever could ask for.

Wow. (slight chuckle) Thanks, Dad.

Are you guys sure this is going to work?

It's Christmas. It always does.

Right.

Are you ready?

Whenever you need me, Dad. (slight chuckle)

On Dasher!

On Cupid!

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Bye, Luke!

Oh, hey. You guys want a lift?

I think we'll walk.

(slight chuckle) All right. Merry Christmas.

Hike, hike! Yeah! Hike! Hike, hike! Come on, hike!

And you have four new client meetings scheduled for next week, plus the new Webber Group proposal to finish up. Busy, busy.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

(slight chuckle) Good evening, Whitmore-Class, Sandy speaking. Um, I'm afraid she's gone for the weekend, can I have her return? Okay, thank you. (to Mary) Oh, and you have a conference call with Colin Monday morning.

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

In London?

Sandy, haven't you ever been to London? Nice wide chimneys. (chuckles)

See you Monday. (exhales) On Dasher!

Whoops.

Bye.

(chuckles) Hey, babe!

Hi.

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

At last! I am starving to death.

Nicholas, it's been fifteen minutes.

But it's been a hungry fifteen minutes.

Do you realize that you're more beautiful than you were eight-hundred years ago?

Oh, Nicky. (chuckles)

What took you so long?

(exhales) Traffic was a nightmare.