Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV Movie 1970)
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. The film is narrated by Fred Astaire and stars the voices of Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Robie Lester, Joan Gardner and Paul Frees, as well as an assistant song performance by the Westminster Children's Choir. The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", which was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie for Leo Feist, Inc. and introduced on radio by Eddie Cantor in 1934; and the story of Saint Nicholas.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00 Today, children everywhere are making preparations for an event of world-shaking significance,
00:07 the annual visit of Santa Claus. Informed sources report legions of junior citizens
00:18 are making monumental efforts not to cry and not to bow. Meanwhile, letters by the thousands
00:25 have been flooding postal facilities at the North Pole.
00:32 Doggone thing always conks out when you... Well, hello there. My name's Special Delivery
00:39 Kluger, S.D. for short. Oh, I've got lots of letters for Santa today. And every year
00:47 they're the same. Some ask for toys, but a lot ask questions, like you take this one.
00:54 Dear Santa, why do you wear a red suit? Uh-huh, I thought so. And this one. My turn. Dear
01:01 Santa, why do you come down the chimney when I'm asleep? How about these? Why do you have
01:06 whiskers? Why do you live at the North Pole? Why do you leave presents at... Why do you
01:11 always come on Christmas Eve? Why does some new girl call you Kris Kingle? Why? Why? Why?
01:17 Now hold on, hold on. I can answer all your questions because I know everything about
01:22 Santa. Now Santa is a busy man. He has no time to play. He's got millions and millions
01:29 of stockings to fill on Christmas Day. So you better write your letter now and mail
01:36 it right away because he's getting ready with his reindeers and his sleigh. So you better
01:43 watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why.
01:50 [music]
02:16 [music]
02:45 [music]
02:47 [music]
02:49 [music]
02:51 [music]
03:20 [music]
03:24 So you want to know all about Santa, huh? The best place to start is at the very beginning
03:29 when Santa was just a little baby. You mean Santa was once a baby? Of course. Everybody's
03:36 got to be a baby at least once in their lives. Now this was years and years ago. Oh, way
03:42 back. In one of the northern countries there was a small city called Sumter. It was a cold,
03:49 cold place which shivered in the shadows of the strange mountain of the whispering winds.
03:55 Now the main reason for all this gloom was the mayor. A mean old grouch of a fellow who
04:00 was known as Burgermeister Meisterburger. Hey Burgermeister, hey Burgermeister, look
04:07 what was discovered on your front stoop. What? What Grimsley? The milk? The daily paper?
04:13 No sir, a baby. Oh, is that all? A baby? And there's a note. Please sir, take care of my
04:25 child and protect him from the dangers of the mountain of the whispering winds. He will
04:31 be exceptional if only given the love he needs. Aye, Burgermeister Meisterburger take care
04:39 of a baby? Outrageous! What's its name? This is the only clue sir. It says claws. Oh, take
04:49 the little baggage to the orphan asylum. That's the proper place for foundlings anyway. Get
04:59 that brat out of here. Oh, the sleigh, it broke away. Oh my goodness, where are you
05:19 baby claws? Oh do come back, come back. Well that strange wind blew the little sleigh right
05:27 into the mountain of the whispering winds. Well you see, that mountain was the home of
05:39 the awful, the terrible, oh I hate to even say his name. That mountain was the home of
05:46 the winter warlock. The strange hermit of the north who lived alone in a ghostly palace
05:56 practicing his strange spells and snowy incantations. The animals knew they had to hide that baby
06:07 and fast. They knew where that baby belonged, so quick as they could they started on their
06:14 way. Where, where? Well you see, just beyond the mountain was Rainbow River Valley and
06:21 there by a bend in the magical stream was the home of the jolly family of little people,
06:27 elves you might call them. Kringle was their name. The door was answered by an elf named
06:33 Dingle. Dingle Kringle to be precise. Yes, who's there? There's who? Oh, wiggle my ears
06:41 and tickle my toes, methinks I see, a baby's nose. It's more than a nose, there's a whole
06:48 baby attached to it. Better call my brothers, Wingle, Bingle, Jingle, Zingle. What is it
06:55 Dingle? It's a baby Zingle. A baby what? Wingle, a baby baby. Kingle, I like babies. Dingle,
07:04 are babies the best baby of them all? Wingle. They brought the little fella to the elf queen,
07:11 Tanta Kringle. A baby, what a splendid idea. He shall live with us and sleep with us and
07:19 drink warm cocoa with us. What will we call him Tanta Kringle? His license says Claus.
07:26 Unusual name, however, we shall call him Chris, Chris Kringle. Yay! Well, those little Kringles
07:36 took that baby to their hearts. Soon as he was old enough, they set up a little school
07:41 and taught him all the important things. How to read and write and talk and count stars
07:47 on a crystal night and how to make toys. Make toys? Oh sure, that was the Kringle's main
07:54 occupation. They were toy makers. The only problem was there were no children to give
08:00 them to. You remember Sommertown was on the other side of the mountain with the whispering
08:05 elves and the little elves just couldn't make it past the winter warlock. So, the toys kind
08:14 of stacked up some. It's really quite sad. We will never be able to transport our toys
08:20 over the mountain. Someday when I'm bigger, I'll take them for you Tanta Kringle. That
08:26 will be the day. We will meet great toy makers again as we once were. When was that Tanta?
08:32 Oh, years and years ago. The Kringles were world renowned. For you know, we were the
08:38 very first royal toy makers. The first toy makers to the king.
08:43 It's a difficult responsibility. When you accept an appointment from his majesty. You
08:55 must strive for just the perfect quality. Then you're the first toy maker to the king.
09:03 All the soldiers must stand erect. For the kingdom they protect. The balls must bounce
09:10 much higher if they're to please his royal sire. The ballerinas must pirouette upon their
09:17 musical toes. And the clowns must make a king forget all his kingly bows.
09:25 It's a difficult responsibility. When you accept an appointment from his majesty. You
09:35 must strive for just the perfect quality. Then you're the first toy maker to the king.
09:44 All the sailboats must never sink. And the dollies always fink. The teddy bears be furry
09:51 if they're to gain his royal curry. The check-in boxes must always pop at every regal command.
09:59 And the kangaroos must learn to hop into the prince's hand.
10:05 It's a difficult responsibility. When you accept an appointment from his majesty. You
10:16 must strive for just the perfect quality. Then you're the first toy maker to the king.
10:32 So that's why he makes such wonderful toys. That's why. The Kringles taught him everything
10:42 they knew. Of course, Kris had other teachers. The animals. But the seals taught him the
10:54 most important things. How to have fun. And how to laugh. Real hard and wonderful. Like
11:05 he meant it. Well, years went by and finally Kris was a fine young man. I'm a man now,
11:13 Tanta. I can take those toys across the mountain of the whispering winds. It would be nice
11:19 if someone played with our toys. If only one of my dollies could be held tight by a little
11:26 girl. It's decided then. Tomorrow, I leave for Sombertown. Yay! Tanta Kringle, I was
11:38 just packing. Did I wake you up? I was awake anyhow. I made this for your trip. A real
11:46 Kringle suit. So that's where he got the red suit. Yup. And he's always worn one just like
11:53 it. Right to this day. Well, Kris said goodbye to all his friends. Elf and animal. Just as
12:01 night was falling, Kris started to make his way through the dismal forest which lay at
12:06 the foot of the Warlock's Mountain. Hey! Why, you're a penguin. Well, what is a penguin
12:17 doing here? You're looking for a stick? A branch? A log? A pole? The North Pole? No?
12:27 The South Pole? Well, little fella, that's on the other end of the earth. You're just
12:33 about as lost as you can get. You better travel with me. You need someone to take care of
12:38 you. Now, now, cut that out. Come on, Topper. I'll call you Topper. Okay? Come on. This
12:48 way, little fella. Who nears my mountain? Go back, or you are doomed. Come on, Topper.
13:05 I shall get him when he returns. He's got to cross my mountain on the way home. And
13:21 then, no more being a nice guy. We made it, Topper. And look, Sombertown, just sitting
13:37 there, waiting for us, and our good Kringle toys. That's what they thought. But what they
13:42 didn't realize was at that very moment, in the Sombertown City Hall, his honor, Burgermeister
13:51 Meisterburger. As I suspected, you've broken your funny bone. Oh, what caused me to trip,
14:10 Grinsley? This, sir. Huh? A toy? As I suspected. I hate toys. And toys hate me. Either they
14:22 are going, or I am going. And I am certainly not going, Grinsley. I have a job for you
14:28 to do. Now, take this down. It's a difficult responsibility that you accept from the number
14:38 one lawmaker, me. Have it known throughout the land, from sea to sea, there'll be no
14:47 more toy makers to the king. All the tin soldiers melt them down. Wash the face of every clown,
14:57 each bouncing ball deflated. No, I don't want to debate it. The ballerinas who pirouette
15:05 arrest their musical toes, outlaw the dolls and sink the boats. They bring me only woes.
15:15 It's a difficult responsibility that you accept from the number one lawmaker, me. Have it
15:25 known throughout the land, from sea to sea, there'll be no more toy makers to the king.
15:35 Every jack in the box be sealed, till my wounded pride be healed. Stuffed animals, unstuff
15:42 them. When a child objects, rip off them. No more drummers who rat-a-tat-tat, no buglers
15:49 who root-a-toot-toot. Don't let me see another toy, or you will feel my boot. It's a difficult
16:01 responsibility that he extracts from the number one lawkeeper, me. Be it known throughout
16:12 the land, from sea to sea, toys are hereby declared illegal, immoral, unlawful, and anyone
16:23 found with a toy in his possession will be placed under arrest and thrown in the dungeon.
16:31 There'll be no more toy makers to the king. Now hold it back now. Give me all your toys
16:46 by order of the Burgermeister. We'll never play again.
16:55 The townspeople didn't know what to make of Chris. Hi there. Nice day, friend. Don't
17:03 hi me. Good morning, ma'am. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man, wearing such
17:09 outlandish clothes. Clothes? Look, all I want to do is give away these toys. Toys? Toys?
17:18 Get him out of here! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get him! Get
17:25 him! What did I say? Well, what's going on here? We're doing our chores. Yeah, and no
17:34 more playing. No playing, eh? Are you washing out stockings? Uh-huh. It's one of our daily
17:43 duties. Then we hang them by the fireplace so they dry overnight. That's the only way
17:49 they judge you around here, by how many chores you do and how clean your stockings are. Is
17:54 that so? Well, uh, you don't have to look so gloom about it. Why? I don't know. I just
18:01 don't like sour faces. Now I got some real nice goodies for you. But not if you look
18:06 like this. You better watch out. Better not cry. Better not pout. Why? I'm telling you
18:14 why. Yeah? 'Cause I came to town, and look what I brought. Toys! Real toys! Why, sure.
18:24 Compliments of the Kringles. But, but what about the burglar, Meister? What about him?
18:30 If he wants a toy, he may have one. I'll save him a big red yo-yo. Come on, let's play.
18:39 Yeah, come on. Wait! You must not play with toys. And, uh, who are you? That's Miss Jessica,
18:47 our new school teacher. Kris Kringle at your service, Miss Jessica. How dare you come here
18:53 in those ridiculous clothes and make fun of me? Clothes again? I wasn't making-- And what
18:59 do you mean by giving the children toys? Don't you know toys are against the law? What? Yep,
19:06 it's true. Gee, that's kind of a silly law. If the Burgermeister saw you, we would all
19:11 be in great danger. In danger from toys? Why, that's the silliest thing I ever heard. Toys
19:19 are frivolous, impractical, unproductive, and-- What's that? For you. A china doll? I
19:31 always wanted one when I was a little girl. But my parents wouldn't-- Oh, thank you. I
19:38 mean-- Watch out for that dolly. She's a hardened criminal, I hear. Well, maybe it is a silly
19:45 law. I mean-- Oh, what do you say you help me hand out these presents, huh? It's too
19:51 big a job for one oversized Kringle and a little lost penguin. Oh, what a good girl. Oh, what
20:01 a good boy. Oh, what a big smile. All because of a toy. If you sit on my lap today, a kiss,
20:18 a toy is the price you'll pay. When you tell what you wish for in a whisper, be prepared
20:26 to pay. If you sit on my lap today, a kiss, a toy is the price you'll pay. When you sit
20:35 on my left knee, don't be stingy, be prepared to pay. If whenever you take, you give a little
20:45 back, then whoever you love will give a little love back. So give a little love, give a little
20:55 love, give a little love back, give a little love back. Don't you have a little love? A
21:01 little love. Then you'll want to get back. If you sit on his lap today, a kiss, a toy
21:10 is the price you'll pay. When you sit on his left knee, don't be stingy, be prepared to
21:18 pay. Now if you sit on my lap today, a kiss, a toy is the price you'll pay. Ah, a perfect
21:34 day. Everybody is glum. Ah, see all the little children are playing with their toys. Playing
21:44 with their toys. Stop in the name of the law. You brats are under arrest. Take them away.
21:54 Don't arrest those children. It was my fault. I gave them the toys. You? How dare you? You
22:03 are obviously an unconformist and a rebel. Me? Rebel? Arrest this man immediately. For
22:12 you. A yo-yo? I love yo-yos. I used to be able to do all kinds of tricks. Whee! Excuse
22:28 me, sir, but you're breaking your own laws. What? What do you think? What? Oh, I have
22:36 been bemboozled. Arrest him. Arrest him. Oh, look, he climbs like a squirrel, leaps like
22:47 a deer, and is as slippery as a seal. After him. He went into the woods. We'll never find
23:02 him in there. Guess we lost him, Topper. Now, slow down. Whee! Wonder where we are. You are
23:15 trespassing on the lands of the Winter Warlock. Hey! Hey, let go! Let go! You, frisky goat.
23:29 You disturbed me for the very last time. Now I have you, and you'll never get away.
23:38 Look, before you do me in, would you tell your tree friends to let me loose for a second?
23:57 You see, I have something for you. What is this? A trick? Oh, no, sir, Mr. Warlock. Or
24:05 may I call you Winter? Mr. Warlock, if you please. Well, I managed to save one little
24:12 toy, and I'd like you to have it. You wish to give me a present? A toy? Yes, sir. But
24:26 nobody ever gives mean old Warlock a toy. I'd like to start a new custom. If you'd just
24:34 call off... What? Oh, yeah. Yes, of course. But you mustn't mind the tree monsters. Their
24:44 bark is worse than their bite. Their bark is worse than their bite. Hey, Willie Willow,
24:53 Peter Pine, release the Kringle. And no tricks now. Oh, no, no, sir, Mr. Warlock. A choo-choo.
25:06 I've always wanted one. What's that? My icy heart. It's melting. Well, look, Mr. Warlock.
25:20 Please, please call me Winter. Winter? Oh, yes, yes. Suddenly, my whole outlook has changed
25:30 from bad to good. Great. Ah, but will it last? I really am a mean and despicable creature
25:39 at heart, you know. It's so difficult to really change. Difficult? Why, look here. Changing
25:51 from bad to good's as easy as taking your first step. Put one foot in front of the other,
26:01 and soon you'll be walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon
26:11 you'll be walking out the door. You never will get where you're going if you never get
26:21 up on your feet. Come on, there's a good tail wind blowing. A fast walking man is hard to
26:31 beat. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking across the floor.
26:43 Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door. If you want
26:53 to change your direction, if your time of life is at hand, don't be the rule, be the exception.
27:06 A good way to start is to stand. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be
27:16 walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking
27:26 out the door. If I want to change the reflection I see in the mirror each morning, oh you do,
27:38 you mean that it's just my election? Just that. To vote for a chance to be reformed?
27:46 You put one foot in front of the other, and soon you are walking across the floor. You
28:00 put one foot in front of the other, and soon you are walking out the door. Put one foot
28:11 in front of the other, and soon you are walking across the floor. Put one foot in front of
28:21 the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door.
28:34 Well, there's all kinds of ways we can help each other. You can bring me nice new toys,
28:41 and I can assist you with my magic. Uh, how? I'll show you. Gaze into my magic crystal
28:54 ball. Someone is looking for you. Chris! Chris! Jessica? Go to her, lad. Oh! Only me, ma'am.
29:09 I thought I'd never find you again. I wanted to bring you these. Letters and notes from
29:14 the children of Sombertown, asking for more toys. You see, the burgermeister destroyed
29:20 the ones you brought. You tell those young'uns there'll be plenty of toys, but only if they
29:24 behave themselves. No crying, or pouting, or... Oh, I'll know. I got ways of knowing.
29:34 My, uh, personal friend, the warlock, taught me this. Yes, sir? I can see 'em when they're
29:40 sleeping, and I know when they're awake. My goodness. You know if they're bad or good?
29:47 Uh-huh. So you tell 'em to be good, for goodness' sake. Oh, thank you, Chris. For what? For being
29:54 so kind. For just being you. Golly. Now, uh, about the toys. I'll have to kinda slip 'em
30:06 in after dark, when the burgermeister is asleep. So you tell all the boys and girls to leave
30:11 their doors unlocked tomorrow night. Well, Chris went back to the Kringles to get some
30:17 more toys. And what do you think those crazy Kringles did? Yes, sir, they all moved in
30:23 on all winter, lock, stock, and toy box. I guess they figured it made sense to move the
30:27 source of supply close to the demand. Oh, I'm crowded! But at least I'm loved. Chris
30:36 made a list of all the children and the toys they wanted. He checked it over once, then
30:41 checked it over twice. He tried to figure out just who was naughty and who was nice.
30:46 Well, I guess they're all pretty nice. So he packed up and was off to Soppertown. When
30:54 Chris was safe inside Soppertown, he tried all the doors. And if they were open, he knew
30:58 a child lived inside who was expecting a toy. This is outrageous! Toys! Toys everywhere!
31:08 What sort of criminal is this Kringle? Sneaking into houses by night. I hereby decree that
31:16 all the town's doors and windows will be locked tight against this prowler. Well, more and
31:26 more letters came for Chris from the children. Jessica would gather them together and then
31:31 give them to the animals who would deliver them. And Chris, well, he just couldn't turn
31:35 anybody down. But this time he found all the doors were locked to him. Now there was one
31:41 special toy he just had to deliver. Suzy, a tiny little girl who was very, very sick,
31:47 had asked Chris for a toy Noah's Ark. Chris just couldn't disappoint her. Ah, ah. Topper?
31:55 Shh. What is it? You have an idea? How to get into the house, but not through the door.
32:01 Up the sky? The moon? The stars? The chimney? Go down the chimney? Great idea! Well, here
32:16 goes. And that's how he started going down chimneys. Oh, now I understand. That's fun.
32:26 What a great job I've got. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Come on, there's a lot more chimneys
32:36 to explore tonight. More toys discovered by the hearths and the mantelpieces. Each house
32:47 in Samba Town will be searched before dawn. If any more toys are found by the fireplace,
32:54 they will be confiscated and the children severely punished. So be it. Down! But those letters
33:04 just kept right on coming. Doggone, how can I get the toys to them? They gotta have toys.
33:11 Otherwise, their life will be nothing but school and chores and washing their stockings and
33:15 the... the stockings. The stockings. Take this to Jessica. She'll know what to tell
33:26 the children. Company, halt! Search the premises. If you find so much as one marble or half
33:34 a jack, the house is under arrest. Double time, hop! We can't find anything here, Burgermeister.
33:44 Good, very good. No toys. Nothing but drying stockings. As is proper. About face! Forward
33:56 march! Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop. Phew, thank heaven there were no toys. And that's
34:07 how he started leaving presents in stockings. More toys? But how? Oh, blessed on my... I
34:19 will do what I should have done a long time ago. I will set a trap for that bothersome
34:25 Kringle. His next visit to Samba Town will be his last. Oh, no, I must warn Chris. But
34:36 it was too late. Chris had already left with his toys. Oh, Mr. Warlock. Winter, please.
34:44 You must help me stop Chris. Please, use your magic. Alas, I've been disenchanted. I have
34:53 no more powers. I can't even do card tricks. Oh, that's terrible. What shall we do? Nobody
35:03 is going to do anything. You are all under arrest for defying the law and making toys
35:11 and for being an accomplice to public enemy number one, Chris Kringle. To the dungeon!
35:20 Oh, I tell you, things didn't look good. And meanwhile, back in Samba Town... Stop! You
35:29 are under arrest. Not me. Wait, look. What can I do? You have me. To the dungeon. Children
35:44 of Samba Town, you will never, never play again. Well, sir, it looked like Chris was
36:04 finally be... Hamburger Meister, please, you must set Chris and the little Kringles free.
36:11 Set them free? Never. I promise they will never disturb you again. What good are your
36:19 promises? Goodbye, good luck, and good riddance. My own town turned against me. Well, my eyes
36:30 are beginning to open for the very first time to what life is really all about. And I know
36:36 just where I belong, with Chris, wherever he is. Today is not the end, it's only the
36:44 beginning. All the little kids, victim of the way, suddenly have disappeared with yesterday.
37:01 Tossed about the fields and lost among the winds, my world is beginning today. Oh, so
37:17 many times have I walked this way and never seen the little things I see today. Never had
37:33 I ever thought I'd find my way. I know something's gonna happen, but it's out of my hands. Things
37:55 are gonna start smacking without any plan. All the little kids, victim of the way, suddenly
38:11 have disappeared with yesterday. Tossed about the fields and lost among the winds, my world
38:27 is beginning today. My world is beginning today. Well, Jessica realized the first thing
38:43 she had to do was set Chris and the others free. Mr. Warlock. Jessica, Winter, please.
38:52 What are you doing here? Trying to set you all free, but I don't know how. If only you
38:59 had your magic powers back. Alas, I've nothing but a few meager magic leftovers here in my
39:05 pockets. A short-circuited wand, useless. A dried up magic potion, powerless. The tiny
39:14 stubs of a hundred or so magic candles, and a few last handfuls of magic feed corn, just
39:21 junk. On me. Magic feed corn? Well, it's of no use to us. It can't dissolve prison walls.
39:29 All it can do is make reindeer fly. Reindeer fly? Yes, yes, ridiculous, isn't it? Later
39:36 that night, Jessica rounded up some of Chris's reindeer friends. They just had to take one
39:42 nipple of that corn and... Ooh-wee, look at them go. I bet you know their names. Dasher
39:50 and Dancer. And Prancer and Vixen. And Comet and Cupid. And Donner and Blitzter. Yes, sir.
39:58 And don't forget... No, that's another story. Halt! Stop! Stop! Let's go, Donner. Let's
40:14 go. Onward, Vixen, onward! Well, I still have a little magic. Oh, I'm not such a loser
40:23 after all. And that's how Santa's reindeer started to fly. That's just the way it happened.
40:31 We Meisterburgers shall hunt them down throughout the land. Those rebels will not have one moment's
40:38 peace until they are captured again. It's not even safe here. The guardsmen will be coming
40:45 back. We'll have to push on. I'll go anywhere you say, Chris. Like Robin Hood of old, Chris
40:52 suddenly found himself called an outlaw. Wanted, dead or alive, the terrible toy maker, Chris
41:01 Kringle. Well, those posters are not going to do them any good now. Oh, Chris, let me
41:12 take a good look at it. Pretty grand, eh? It's perfect. Well, since I'm a Kringle, I had
41:21 to grow one sooner or later. So that's why he has whiskers. Ah, but you should not use
41:29 your Kringle name. It's dangerous. Not call myself Kringle? What other name would suit
41:35 me? There is one. You were wearing this when we found you as a baby. See what it says?
41:42 Claus. Claus? Your real name. You must use it now. I knew it. I knew it. That's where
41:52 he got his name from. And it was that name he asked Jessica to share. It was that name
41:59 Jessica agreed to take as his wife. Jessica. Oh, she became Mrs. Santa Claus. It was a
42:06 lovely wedding. Yes, sir. They held it on Christmas Eve. And since no town would welcome
42:12 them, they stood before the Lord in the silent winter woods. And a grove of pine trees was
42:18 their cathedral. They put all that pretty stuff onto the pine trees. And then Chris
42:24 and Jessica placed their wedding gifts to each other under the trees. No church ever
42:30 looked nicer. Oh, please. Let me have just a little magic. The very first Christmas trees.
42:45 What better way to tell you how much you mean to me than a token of affection placed beneath
43:13 a Christmas tree? The custom started long, long ago when first the wise men dreamed.
43:40 Gave gifts of love, of love to a newborn baby.
44:09 But there was no rest for our little group of outcasts. Soon they were forced up beyond
44:16 the reaches of civilization, up far past the most northern city, past where even most animals
44:22 live, up to the North Pole. This is it, people. Yes, this is it. We'll build ourselves a nice
44:29 house. Heck, while we're at it, we'll build ourselves a castle. And the best toy factory
44:38 in the world. And that's just what they did. And in no time at all. Santa's Castle and
44:45 Workshop up at the North Pole. Well, as soon as the buildings were built, they settled
44:51 in and started making toys in urgence. Oh, they needed toys. Because you see, despite
44:57 everything the Meisterbergers tried, the legend of Kris Kringle, or Klaus, as he now was known,
45:03 was through and through. And as the years went by, animals delivered letters by the
45:09 thousands. Oh, just look at this list. Well, load up the sleigh. This is the fourth trip
45:19 this month. You see, he still had to travel by night because he was considered an outlaw.
45:26 But when did they stop calling him an outlaw? Well, as time went by, that changed. You see,
45:31 the Meisterbergers, they kind of died off and fell out of power. And by and by, the
45:37 good people realized how silly the Meisterberger laws were. Well, everybody had a wonderful
45:42 laugh and then forgot all about him. Yes, sir. The older he got, the more famous he
45:47 became and the more folks loved him. He's very good, isn't he? Uh-huh. Isn't that
45:54 why he's called Santa Claus? That's why, honey. That's why. It turned into quite a
46:03 proposition. I can hardly keep up with the orders. I'm afraid I'm going to have to
46:09 limit my journeys to one a year. But on which night should I go out? I wonder. It wasn't
46:17 a hard decision to make. They chose, of course, the holiest night of the year, the night of
46:22 profound love, which was the perfect night for giving. Christmas Eve? Christmas Eve.
46:30 And that's how it all started. How goes it, Mr. Warlock? Winter, please. I've got my
46:42 magic power working just fine. I can cast up a big freeze. Yes, sir. I think I can guarantee
46:50 a white Christmas. Wonderful. Then let's be off. Away we go. And that is the story
47:04 of Santa Claus. Gee, he's so wonderful. Everybody must love him. Well, most everybody. Oh, he's
47:13 not considered an outlaw anymore. But there still are some. Bah. Humbug. Christmas is
47:21 a bother. The noise, the crowds. I really wish it were outlawed. How can they talk about
47:26 Santa Claus when there's so much unhappiness in the world? Poor misguided folks. They missed
47:33 the whole point. Lots of unhappiness? Maybe so. But doesn't Santa take a little bit of
47:40 that unhappiness away? Doesn't a smile on Christmas morning scratch out a tear cried
47:46 on a Saturday? Not much, maybe. But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and
47:54 learn to give as only he can give of ourselves, our talents, our love, and our hearts? Maybe
48:05 if we could all learn Santa's beautiful lesson, maybe there would finally be peace on earth
48:11 and goodwill toward man. Hey, it's getting late. And I've got these letters to deliver.
48:19 And you better be getting home, too. And remember, behave yourselves. 'Cause Santa can still
48:26 look into his magic snowball and see just what you're up to. And now that you know all
48:31 about him, you can be darn sure that come snow or high water, Santa Claus is coming
48:38 to town. You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'll tell you
48:47 why. Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list and checking it twice. He's gonna find
48:57 out who's naughty or nice. Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you're sleeping.
49:07 He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness
49:15 sake. Oh, you better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'll tell you
49:22 why. Santa Claus is coming to town. With little tin horns and little toy trucks, booty-toot-toots
49:33 and rubby-tum-tums, Santa Claus is coming to town. And curly-haired dogs, the Tom, the
49:43 Doll and Poo, elephants, boats and kid cars too, Santa Claus is coming to town. The kids
49:54 in girl and boy land will have a jubilee. They're gonna build a toy land town all around
50:03 the Christmas tree. So you better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'll
50:10 tell you why. Santa Claus is coming. Santa Claus is coming. Santa Claus is coming to
50:21 town. Merry Christmas!
50:26 (music)
50:34 (music)