Santa Claus and the Tenth Avenue Kid story
Disgruntled ex-con Harold Sears is hired as a department store Santa thanks to his parole officer, Clementine Webster. Sears loathes the job but his attention is caught by a cynical poor boy who wants an expensive toy and believes that Santa is unable to give it to him. Sears steals the toy to give it to the boy for Christmas. Sears is caught by the police, but Webster understands Sears' intent and has the charges dropped. Directed by: Don Weis. Story by: Margaret Cousins, Marian Cockrell.
9 total · 2 choice · 4 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| compassion | choice | After acting Santa for a while, Harold actually became a kindly and charitable man. |
| kindness | choice | After acting Santa for a while, Harold actually became a kindly and charitable man. |
| becoming a nicer person | major | Lectured by Clementine, the ex-con Harold reluctantly straightened up his act. |
| Christmas traditions | major | Harold was hired to be a department store Santa. |
| dealing with children | major | Harold would rather do time than deal with the spoiled and cranky children in the department store. |
| treatment of prisoners | major | We saw how a repeat offender on parole was treated by society. |
| passion for flying machines | minor | A young boy who was fascinated with a fancy toy airplane expressed a desire to become a pilot when he grew up. |
| resisting a temptation | minor | Clementine took Harold's pay on Christmas because she knew he wouldn't resist the temptation to blow it all on booze. |
| sacrifice for a child | minor | Harold stole a fancy toy airplane to give to a boy in need at the risk of violating his parole. |