Legal Brief for December, 2012

Does Santa Claus Exist?

This age old question, most commonly asked by the younger set, is an interesting subject to consider at this time of year.  Hollywood took a look at the issue in the Academy Award winning 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which has been cited by many as the best Christmas movie ever made (although fans of It's a Wonderful Life might beg to disagree on that point).  Let's take a look back at how things unfolded on 34th Street those many years ago.

A fellow named Kris Kringle noticed that the person assigned to play Santa Claus in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City was drunk.  Kris complains to the parade director, who persuades this Kris fellow to take his place.  Mr. Kringle does such a great job that Macy's hires him to act as their Santa for their main store on 34th Street in Manhattan.  Kris insists that he doesn't need to act, but that he actually is the real Santa Claus.  After watching him in action for a few days, the Macy's executive becomes convinced that Kris is delusional and has him committed to an asylum.  Susan, the daughter of the Macy's executive (played in her first movie role by the young Natalie Wood) is naturally very sure that Kris is the real thing.  She enlists the aid of a lawyer friend of her mother to oppose a court application seeking to to have Mr. Kringle comitted permanently.

The Judge at the court hearing advises that if there is some other "competent authority" that recognizes the legitmacy of Mr. Kringle as Santa Claus, then he will rule that Mr. Kringle is in fact who he says he is.  In the meantime Susan has written a letter addressed to "Santa Claus, c/o New York County Court House".  The letter is forwarded by the Post Office to the Court House and is delivered to Mr. Kringle, along with 12 bags of other "Dear Santa" letters that had been building up in their "dead letter room".  The Judge determines that if the Postal Service is willing to recognize Mr. Kringle as Santa, then so too should he.  The case is dismissed, and the Judge rules that Mr. Kringle must be who he says he is and that he is free to go.  As the day was December 24th, Kris is unable to stay and celebrate with Susan and her mother as he says, with a twinkle in his eye, that he has other duties to attend to.

If you have not yet had the pleasure of watching this heart warming movie, you should try to do so this Christmas season.  It is delightfully acted, and regardless of your state of mind on the existence of the jolly fellow in the red suit, you cannot help but enjoy the sentiments that it portrays.