One Magic Christmas

Gideon.

Gideon!

It's Nicholas.

Yes, sir?

Tonight I give the Christmas angels their assignments.

Well, I thought you forgot about me.

Forgot about you? Oh, no, Gideon.

I have a very difficult case for you this year.

Her name is Ginnie Grainger. She never even says "Merry Christmas."

Yeah, I know. Where will I find her?

In a town to the north, called Medford.

You'll find her there tomorrow morning, in a shopping mall.

Medford, north, in a shopping mall.

Mommy!

Bye, Santa.

Mom, why can't I go see Santa Claus? Mom, why?

- Because I say so, that's why. - Come on, Ginnie, let her. It's only $4.50.

I have to work over an hour to make four and a half dollars.

You get a job, you can take her to see Santa Claus.

- Are you gonna start up with that again? - Please, Mom. Please!

Abbie, you are going to get a smack in a minute, and I mean it.

We came here to get socks and stuff, and that's it.

It's OK, honey. You don't want to see that Santa Claus anyway.

He's not the real Santa Claus, is he, Cal?

No, the real Santa Claus is up at the North Pole.

This guy's just like, you know, Santa Claus's helper.

If I don't even see Santa Claus's helper,

how does Santa Claus know what I want for Christmas?

Santa Claus! Abbie, for Pete's sake, you're nearly seven years old, so...

- Mom! - Ginnie.

It's about time you found out

that the only real Santa Claus is the one at the North Pole.

- I'm six. I already knew that. - Can we have an ice cream, Daddy?

I want a Cabbage Patch Kid, and a toy oven that really bakes.

- Just put it all in the letter to Santa. - OK, Dad.

I want a Swatch watch, too.

Forget it. You're not getting all those things. We can't afford a big Christmas.

We can't, but Santa Claus can. He has a zillion million dollars.

Hey, old Santa had a pretty tough year, too.

He might not even be able to get to some of the poor kids.

- Like Molly Monaghan? - Like Molly Monaghan.

- Don't get jelly on your jacket. - Abbie got jelly on her jacket.

I did not, jelly face.

One of these days, Abbie. To the moon!

- Hey, Dave. - Hi, Jack.

- Who's that, Dad? - That's Dave Gilchrist.

He used to work with me over at Continental. Continental Radio.

That's where your old dad got canned from by that dork, Frank Crump.

A long, long time ago.

- Hey, not that long ago. July. - June.

And Continental's making us move out. Right, Dad?

Yep. Yep, it's a company house. It's their house.

Oh, look, Cal. Our snowman fell over again.

We gotta build it again.

Where are you going?

Down the basement. Work on those bikes for the neighbour kids.

Jack, we're moving in only ten days.

We gotta start getting some of the packing done.

Come on, Ginnie, just give me half an hour, 45 minutes.

I gotta get 'em done by Christmas Eve.

So I'm supposed to do all the packing by myself on my one morning off from work?

Just give me a little while down there and then I'll give you a hand.

Hey!

Hey, Eddie.

Hey, Eddie.

Can you believe that weather we're having? Huh?

Do you think we're gonna get another blizzard?

I hope not.

- Still working on the bikes? - Working on the bikes?

Well, I don't know.

- Huh? - Oh, brother! Go on down there.

- Thanks a lot, honey. You won't be sorry. - I'm already sorry.

It's time to finish the great Jack Grainger special, huh?

No, gotta finish this one for Molly Monaghan first.

But if I can sneak a few more hours' work on it, oughta be ready for a road test.

High speed, very low energy input.

Jack, this could be some kind of breakthrough.

- You could make a mint on a bike like this. - I could?

- I thought about owning my own shop. - Really?

Yeah, sell my own special designs. I worked out the figures, though.

It'd cost me 5,000 bucks just to open the door. That's 5,000 more than I got.

Which reminds me.

I collected 18 more bucks for the town tree fund from the guys at work.

Good. Puts us over 200.

You know, everybody thinks we're nuts for doing this.

Why? It wouldn't be Christmas in Medford without the town tree lit up, right?

- Hit it over, come on! - How about passing the puck sometime?

Out of my way, Ralphie!

It's stopped snowing!

What are you getting for Christmas, Molly?

- I don't know. Nothing, I guess. - But what would you really like to get?

A bike. I'd sure like to get a bike.

- Three days till Christmas. - Does your mom like Christmas?

- Yep. - My mom don't. I wish she did.

- Your momma doesn't like Christmas? - Who are you, mister?

A friend. Just a friend.

Hey, boys, be careful. There's little kids here.

Eat snow, mister!

- I told you that'd happen. - Let's get out of here!

- That's amazing! The window broke. - The window broke!

Hey, Mom, we've got company.

- Mr Grump. - What?

Hey, how you doing, Ginnie? Frank Crump from Continental.

I just dropped by to show these folks around the premises.

Well, Mr Crump...

This is the Noonans, Mrs Grainger.

They just wanted to have a quick look-see around, you know.

Mr Crump, I haven't even made the beds, and I...

Hey, hell, who cares if the beds aren't made?

Abbie, Cal. For Pete's sake, you're tracking snow all over the carpet!

- Now go outside right this minute. - We'll just start downstairs, OK?

The basement's right down here.

Hi, Jack. Frank Crump.

Just showing the new tenants around.

You got a full basement...

All this junk out of here, you'd make a swell rec room for your kids.

This colour in the kitchen, Mr Crump, this awful yellow.

Is there something you can do about that?

We could repaint it for you, Louise. Any colour you want.

It wasn't this yellow when you moved in, was it, Ginnie?

No. I painted it myself.

I like yellow.

Well, I guess we'd better be pushing along. OK.

You're gonna be outta here by the first, right, Ginnie?

- Yes, that's right. - Right, OK.

- Mr Grump? - That's "Crump." Yes, dear?

My daddy says you're a dork.

Think it ov...

Stop! In the name of love.

Before you break my heart.

Stop! In the name of love.

Will somebody please get the phone?

- Hold up, Abbie. I gotta go. - I gotta go more than you gotta go.

Wrong number. This is not my day.

Mom, Abbie's in the bathroom and I gotta go.

Abbie? Oh, come on, I'm taking a shower, Abbie.

Now, I've got to get to work.

- Do you have to lock the door? - Got to, Mom.

Miss Badducci says to tell you Merry Christmas.

Well, tell Miss Badducci thank you.

Why don't you ever say "Merry Christmas," Mom?

Well, nobody ever really means it when they say it, anyway.

- It's free, Mom. - My turn.

Oh, no, I'm gonna...

No, Cal...

See you later, Mom.

Hi, Molly. Be my guest.

Please, in my next life, let me have two bathrooms.

Mrs Grainger!

- Cal? - What?

- What's a dork? - Dork? Well, it's, uh...

You know, like a sorta...

- Well, you're too young to know, meatball. - Oh. Thought so.

Oh, no.

You're in a lot of trouble, meatball.

Attention, Glen's Market shoppers.

Good afternoon. Here are your Saturday afternoon five-star specials.

Nabisco Shreddies in the large family box, only $1.69.

You save a dollar off our regular price.

And Glen's own boneless beef stew... stew beef,

sale priced at only $2.29 a pound.

Excellent value. Have a nice day and thank you for shopping Glen's.

- Herbie Conklin, manager. - Herbert.

Herbert.

Keep things moving here.

Hey, you already rung up them Dorito chips already.

Oh, OK. You're right. I'll take it off your tote.

See what she tried to pull on me? See that? Next time I'm going to the A&P!

Please be my guest. Next time, go to the A&P.

All right.

That's $16.64, minus the potato chips.

Got that five cents, Frankie? Come on.

OK, fine now.

Thank you.

Ginnie, let's step on it here. Your line's backing up.

Hey, Herbie, why don't you get off her back?

She's behind because she made your announcement for you.

Yeah, well...

OK, that's $26.83, Mrs Monaghan. Cash or check?

I've got these food things.

But there's only $25 worth.

I don't know what to say. I could loan you, maybe.

Oh, that's OK. I don't need this.

OK, it's...

- That's $2.29. You're down to $24.52. - Good. I'm OK, then.

- Here it comes, Dad. - OK, kids. Send it up.

Here it comes, Jack.

- It's the prettiest angel ever. - It's the biggest angel ever!

Bye, angel!

- What did you get Mom for Christmas? - A ring. A beautiful amethyst ring.

It used to belong to my Grandma Rebecca.

Whoo!

But don't tell anybody, OK? Cos it's a secret.

OK, Dad. Dad, is there such a thing as an angel?

- Of course there is. - Mommy says there isn't.

Well, I believe that there is.

I believe that whenever anybody who's really good dies,

they go up to heaven and become an angel.

A guardian angel or a Christmas angel. All kinds of angels.

Are you ready?