The Santa Clause
The Santa Clause
is a story about a broken family being restored. It is about a man finding out
who he really is inside and changing to fit.
At the beginning Scott
Calvin, divorced father of one is a self-centered jerk who does not care what
lies he tells or who he hearts as long has he is happy. That includes his young
son, Charlie and ex-wife, Laura.
It’s Christmas Eve
and Laura’s new husband, Neal Miller has told Charlie that Santa is not real.
Charlie is trying to come to grips with the new “reality” and in truth does not
want to stay with his father for Christmas.
After time spent
ignoring each other while dinner burns and eating out it is story time and time
for sleep. Scott reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to Charlie. Not long
after Charlie hears a “Clatter” on the roof and wakes dad to go check on it.
Charlie is sure Santa is on the roof.
Scott finds ”Santa
Claus” on the roof! He calls out to the man on the roof asking what he is doing
there. Santa is startled and falls off the roof, “dies” and disappears, leaving
behind his Santa Suit. Charlie comes out of the house to see what is going on
and accuses his dad of killing Santa! Then he sees a ladder and climes up onto
the roof. There he finds Santa’s sleigh and reindeer.
Before Santa
disappeared Scott checked for ID and found a card that says, “If something
should happen to me, put on my suit. The reindeer will know what to do.” Once
Scott sees the sleigh he is confused and climes up the ladder to get Charlie
out of the sleigh. Charlie refuses to get out and wants his dad to put on the
suit. This starts a night of going house to house with the reindeer directing
where they go. Fireplace or heater vent pipe Scott, in the Santa Suit goes
down.
In the morning
Scott, while still in the sleigh thinks it is all a dream and tells the
reindeer to take him “home”. Instead of his condo they take him to the North
Pole where he meets the elves for the first time. He can not believe his eyes!
He denies what is happening!
Bernard, the head
elf tells Scott that he is the new Santa and that by putting on the suit and
getting into the sleigh he agreed to the Santa Clause. Not Claus but Clause as
in the last line of a legal contract! This agreement makes him the new Santa
until either by accident or choice he no longer has the suit. Scott still
things he is dreaming or crazy. Scott is also told by Judy that “Seeing is not
beliving, beliving is seeing.” Scott is told to rest in Santa’s bed that he has
11 months to get his affairs in order before he is officially on duty as Santa.
Scott wakes up in
his bed Christmas morning in the PJs that Judy, the elf gave him! He is
confused because he still considers his time at the North Pole just a dream.
Charlie starts talking about the time at the North Pole and Scott is just more
confused and stressed. When Laura and Neal come to pick up Charlie they are
concerned by Charlie’s re-found belief in Santa. They are even more concerned
by the fact Charlie is totally sure his dad is the New Santa and he spent
Christmas Eve helping deliver presents and seeing the North Pole!
The story picks up
a few months later, Scott has been called to the Miller’s house to discuss Charlie’s
behavior. He is singing Christmas Carols in the summer and pretending to be practicing
driving Santa’s sleigh! Scott sees no big concern about Charlie believing in
Santa and blows it off. Scott still does not believe that what happened was
real and tells Charlie it was all just a nice dream.
A few months more
go on and it is fall. Charlie has both his dad and Neal come to speak at Career
Day at school. Charlie picks his dad to speak first. He tells everybody in his
class that his dad is Santa Claus. He after telling the class about their adventure
Christmas Eve Charlie shows a snow globe to the class and tells them it was
given to him by the head elf, Bernard. Now Scott has to defend his son’s belief
or right to believe in Santa to the principal as well as Laura and Neal.
Soon Scott’s
physical appearance starts to change. His hair turns from dark brown to gray
and he grows a beard he can’t get rid of. He gains weight but his health is unaffected.
Strange kids just walk up to him and call him Santa and give him their wish list.
Scott still does not believe he is Santa. They even line up to talk to him.
Laura and Neal
Miller, having great concerns about Charlie’s mental health go to court and
take full custody of Charlie and get an order keeping Scott from seeing him
until after Christmas when the judge can make a final decision.
On Thanksgiving
Day Scott shows up at the Miller’s house unannounced and unwelcomed. He tries
once again to convince Charlie he is not Santa and to let it all go. He says he
would rather be able to be with his son that to be Santa. Charlie tells him
that he (Charlie) can’t be that selfish and he is worried about all the other
children in the world.
While they are
talking Laura and Neal step aside to have a conversation and Bernard the elf
shows up convincing Scott once and for all that last Christmas Eve was real! Charlie
asks if he can go with his dad. Scott starts to say he should stay with his mom
but Bernard sees no reason he can’t go. When Laura and Neal come back into the
room Scott and Charlie are gone! For the next month there is a search for
Charlie but it is to no avail. Once during this time Charlie calls his mother
and lets her know he is safe and at the North Pole. Of course nobody believes
it.
Christmas Eve,
while delivering toys with Charlie Scott/Santa stops at the Miller home to drop
off gifts that Charlie made for them. While there he is caught by the police
and locked up! Charlie and a special force of Elves free Santa. Scott and
Charlie go back to the Miller home to finish leaving the gifts for them.
Charlie comes in to see his mom and Scott says he should stay with her. They
make an agreement that Charlie can see Scott on Christmas Eve and he would stay
with the Miller’s most of the other time. Scott can come and visit Charlie
whenever he wants! Laura burns the custody papers.
The police show
up, sure that Scott will show up at the Miller’s house. They show up after
Laura papers. They search for Scott but he has gone up the chimney and is now
flying off in his sleigh. Scott swoops down low over the police and gathered
crowd wishing them all a Merry Christmas and Good Night.
Shortly after
Charlie is missing his dad. He shakes the snow-globe that Bernard gave him and
Santa returns to visit and after asking permission takes Charlie on a ride in
the sleigh leaving Laura yelling, “Not over any oceans Scott!!”
What I love about
this movie is the re-building of the family. Charlie and his dad are totally
apart until Scott becomes Santa. Scott turns from being selfish to caring about
others more than himself.
Merry Christmas!!!
My
Christmas book, “An Angel Remembers 25 Voices of Christmas” is available!!
This is a collection of 26 short Christmas stories that
together bring the amazing events of Christ’s birth alive. It is my hope that
this will help encourage families to spend 10-15 minutes a day together during
the busy holiday season remembering the true reason for the season.
You can
find it for ALL eReader formats and PDF at:
For your
Nook the link is:
It is also
available at the iTunes book store and many other ebook seller sites.
The only
big site not carrying my book is Amazon.
You can
download a Kindle version from Smashwords.com
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