The Christmas Gift

Susan.

Susan!

I want you to know you're my first stop today.

Bud.

Don't forget to save me a place.

First in line, Bud.

I got your place all saved.

You're first in line.

How you doing, Bud?

Hey, Bud, how are you?

Howdy, Bud.

I got you!

- Kids, don't forget to write your letters!

Don't forget.

Make your lists.

Sharpen your pencils.

Jerry McCoy, you tell your daddy, I said write his letter.

Don't be late.

Snowball.

Look, here comes Bud.

Bud! Bud wait.

Bud.

Come on, Bud, pull it in.

- I've changed my mind about that tune-up, Hank.

- Then you better treat this old clunker to a letter, Bud,

cause it ain't gonna make it to New Year's.

Jake, Jake.

There's nothing I could do.

Jake.

Jake, Jake!

Tell those kids of yours not

to forget to write their letters.

Good morning, Bud.

Morning, Clara.

Good morning Bob.

Clara, Clara!

What?

Don't you be late with

the Christmas edition of the newspaper.

- Don't you talk to me about late, Bud Sawyer.

You don't do something

about that motor of yours, it will be too late.

Merry Christmas.

Dear Santa.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Oh, Mr. Billings.

Merry Christmas, Louella.

- Mr. Renfield has been looking all over for you.

It's urgent.

He's in his lair and he's growling.

Good morning Mr. Billings.

Merry Christmas Darlene.

Hi George.

Hiya, Chris.

He said not to stop at your office,

but to go straight there.

Mr. Billings there you are.

Do you know Mr. Renfield--

- Only six more shopping days till Christmas.

Mr. Billings.

I know, I know.

I found it, Ellie.

Mr. Billings, Mr. Renfield is,

Mr. Renfield is--

I know.

Oh.

The piano.

The very last piece.

Mr. Billings, he is frantic to see you.

Alex is just gonna love this.

Don't you think?

Of course she will.

I think you'd better get to the lair

before Renfield starts chewing the furniture.

Okay?

Mm-hm.

- Now, we only have till the 31st to sow our seeds

for profit, and from you I haven't heard one unusual,

unique, or potentially profitable idea.

- Well, I say put our money in the South, Mr. Renfield.

- Right, on the coast, grab some of those islands.

Islands bring hurricanes, Edmunds.

The desert sunbelt.

No money down, and the rest of your life to pay.

It's too hot.

We'd lose our summer business.

People, people.

We're putting our money into year-round living.

We're selling clean air, 24-hour security,

trees, lots of trees.

Shade, not beachfront sand,

green lawns, golf courses, shade.

Seasons.

Spring, with its pretty little wildflowers,

autumn, with the turning of the trees,

and winter, with its snowy little wonderland.

George.

George, come in, come in, come in.

You all know George Billings,

our best and brightest architect.

Morning, George.

- Sorry, I'm late, last-minute Christmas shopping.

- George, you know about our company's relationship

with Tompkins International.

Of course, they're our biggest client.

- Yeah, and this year, it's bigger than ever.

They've filled our stockings with the largest single

tax-shelter investment that's ever come through this office.

Geor, sit down, George.

Come on, sit down.

We have to spend the money by the 31st.

You can see, we have some ideas in motion.

I certainly do, Mr. Renfield.

Looking for some land, I'd say, suitable for development

along the lines of what we did in Vermont last year.

Precisely.

Putting money in good, low-cost,

but attractive land near a small, friendly, folksy town.

But with easy access to a large city.

Right on the money.

- Something on the order of the condo complex

that I've been working on.

With a golf course, tennis courts, skiing too.

- Oh, that's brilliant, I like that.

- I am blessed with the foresight of our pioneer ancestors,

who looked to the Rocky Mountains with the knowledge

that there was but one direction to travel, west.

Colorado.

And George Billings' latest recreational development,

while it's still on the drawing board,

is the answer to how Thomas Renfield

is gonna pull this one off.

And make millions for Tomkins International.

And millions more for ourselves.

That'll be all for today.

Leave the rest to George and me.

Well, good luck, George.

Thank you, Ms. Edmunds.

We're counting on you, George.

I'll do my best, sir.

Bigger and better than your ski lodge

in Vermont last year.

I'll remember, Mr. Wiley.

Go get them, George.

So, what's this all about?

To begin with, you, George.

Me?

- Ever since you lost your wife about a year ago,

you've done nothing but throw yourself into your work.

It's been my way of dealing with it.

Of course, of course, of course.

But now it's about a week till Christmas,

that's the worst time of the year

to deal with the loss of a loved one.

I think you ought to take that little girl of yours

and go on a vacation.

To Colorado?

Georgetown, Colorado.

Tucked away in the hills, it's private, it's remote,

less than an hour from Denver.

- You want me to go there and survey the area.

Two days tops.

Just like Vermont last year?

- Exactly the same, you go in as a tourist.

So as not to make anybody suspicious

and drive the real estate prices up.

- Walk around, take pictures, make sketches.

And call you.

And I'll make Georgetown a profit

in our pocket by the 31st.

Then Alex and I can hit the slopes.

Oh, that's the spirit, George.

I knew you'd see it my way.

Get this Christmas behind us.

Let's see, this is Friday.

You leave Sunday.

George, be a big raise waiting for you when you get back.