My Secret Santa (2025) Movie Script
Keep the snow and sleigh rides
Keep those silver bells
Keep the gifts beneath the tree
Give them to someone else
Keep that magic snowman
Keep those twinkly lights
Keep the reindeer
My heart already knows how to fly
Keep the mistletoe
Unless below is what I need
Oh Santa, can't you hear me?
Found another one.
What's wrong with it?
Look at Santa's face.
He is clearly depressed.
Does someone need a little time off
from the old cookie factory?
Yeah, living large off
of my Christmas bonus? Yes, I do.
Ms. Jacobson.
Mr. Clotz.
May I speak with you for a moment?
Certainly.
Taylor, you may not know this,
but demand
for store-bought Christmas cookies
has reached a disturbing low.
Oh!
Unfortunately,
Clotz Cookies needs to downsize.
Wait. Are are you firing me?
I'm afraid so.
No, no, no. No, Mr. Clotz.
Please. I can't afford to lose my job.
My daughter and I
are barely making it as it is.
Listen, I'm afraid there's just never
a good time for this sort of thing.
So you picked Christmas?
I'm so sorry.
Oh, sh...
Ms. Jacobson?
Hi, Doralee.
No. Don't "Hi, Doralee" me.
You're late with the rent again.
I'm sorry, okay?
I had to put a new carburetor in my van,
and Zoey wants
a new snowboard for Christmas.
- What is that? Do you hear that?
- What?
Sounds like not my problem in the key of
I don't care.
Rent is due on the first of the month,
and you've been late four months in a row.
I'm gonna get it to you
by the end of the week, I promise.
Zoey?
The daughter in distress thing
is getting old.
Zoey?
Zoey!
- I got in!
- Zoey?
Mom, I got in!
- You you got what now?
- Look.
You got what? "You"
"You have been accepted
to the Sun Peaks Snowboard Academy"?
Honey, you didn't tell me about this.
I didn't wanna say anything
in case I didn't get in.
This is amazing. I'm so proud of you.
It's like the best snowboarding school
in all of the country.
Yeah.
What's that number?
Um
I think that's the tuition fee.
Oh.
That's a lot of zeroes.
Yeah, I really didn't think
it was gonna be that much.
It's okay.
I'm gonna figure it out.
I'm gonna figure it out.
Trust me.
It's okay, Mom.
I don't even really wanna go.
It's not even that good of a school.
So, it's fine.
I have some homework
I'm gonna do. So, you know
- But I
- I'm gonna go and do that.
It's honestly okay, Mom.
Okay.
- I love you.
- Love you.
Well, um
So, what do you think?
Hmm. I don't know.
- Could probably give you a buck each.
- What? That's it?
You got a lot of stuff
but nothing really all that valuable.
Except maybe for this one.
- You know The Screaming Kittens?
- Yeah. You kidding?
I grew up in this town.
These guys were legends.
Come on. They only made, like, one album.
Yeah, but that one album rocks.
Have you even heard this thing?
Check this out. The lead singer,
she's a total badass, amazing voice.
And there was just something about her,
you know?
Anyway, the Screaming Kittens
actually inspired me
to pick up guitar and learn to sing.
- You sing?
- A little.
I mean, not as good as her, but
Wait a minute.
This is you.
Used to be.
That's her, man. This is you.
You're You're Taylor Jacobson.
What are you How
- What happened to the blue hair?
- I grew out of it.
Darn. And, uh, what about the band?
Grew out of that too.
Really? So what do you do now?
Apparently, I'm talking to strange men
in used record stores.
Good for you.
- Sorry.
- It's okay.
All right, how much?
- Hundred bucks for the box.
- A hundred...
Sorry. Sorry.
Hi. Strange man in a record store.
Did you say 100 bucks for the
This is a collector's item.
I mean, I don't mean to intrude, but I
I think you're worth more than that.
- Well, thank you.
- Okay, 150.
And thank you. Bye.
See ya.
Should I go after her?
- I believe so.
- Okay.
Hey, Screaming Kittens. Hey.
I was just on my way out too.
That's so weird.
Ever think about
getting the band back together?
What? No, no.
- I I have a daughter now.
- Oh.
You can't really be a rock star
and a mom at the same time.
Says who?
Uh Me, from experience.
Fair enough.
Hey, I was wondering
if you could help me with something.
- How's that?
- I haven't been back in town in years.
And maybe you know a place
to get a good cup of hot chocolate?
My treat.
We could debate guitar solos
and, ooh, favorite Christmas songs.
Oh. Does this sort of thing
usually work for you?
All the time. It's not working right now,
but it often does.
No, no, no. Look, I appreciate the effort.
I really do.
- But I'm
- Married?
- No.
- No.
No, I'm not married. I just
My life is
kind of a balancing act right now,
and I I'm just not dating.
So don't take it personally or anything.
If it helps,
we don't have to call it a date.
Just call it
two people drinking hot chocolate.
Okay, there's a bistro
at the end of the block.
Yeah.
They make a great hot chocolate.
- So then
- If you
- Me.
- For you.
- I could go.
- You could go.
Got it.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
You do know Halloween's over, right?
Not if you love horror movies.
We start building our costumes
November 1st.
November 1st. I know.
You guys are adorable.
Anyways, I did manage
to get two interviews.
- Uh-huh.
- Oh.
And I've been asking around town
for leads.
But no one is hiring until the new year,
you know? And her class starts in a week.
I barely have enough money for rent.
I need to come up with the tuition.
Hey, what's a big brother for?
I can lend you some cash, no problem.
Okay.
- Ooh! That could be a problem.
- It's
Look, Zoey's a smart kid.
I'm sure she'll understand how things are.
I know. But she's had to understand
how things are since she learned to walk.
Sometimes it feels like we've been
in survival mode her entire life.
I just
I don't want to disappoint her again.
I'm gonna come up with the tuition money.
Even if I have to sell off
one of my organs,
she's gonna go to that school.
You might want to hold on to your kidney.
Have you seen this?
- "50% off tuition"
- What?
"for employees of Sun Peaks Ski Resort."
50% off? I could swing that.
Uh, except for one minor detail.
I don't work at Sun Peaks.
Christmastime
What do you mean Santa Claus quit?
Joe Cranston's been our Santa
for a dozen Christmases.
Our guests love him.
Mr. Cranston decided that Christmas
was the most fitting time to retire.
What? It was bad enough
when our general manager ran off
with that Latvian ski instructor.
Now this?
- Fix it!
- Yes, sir.
Um, actually, I was hoping to talk to you
about the general manager position
- if you had...
- Oh! This is beautiful!
Yes, sir, but...
Christmas at this ski resort
is our most profitable time of the year.
Natasha, we have
a Christmas party to plan,
a Christmas Eve concert to arrange,
and in less than 72 hours,
a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
- We have to be ready.
- Yes, sir.
Whoa.
Well, you've really outdone yourself
this year.
I like this. It's nice. It's, um, magical.
Matthew.
Wow, what a surprise.
Good to see you too, Dad.
I'm sorry.
We don't have anything available.
Listen, Blake. Can I call you Blake?
Listen, I will do absolutely anything.
I mean, literally anything.
I'll park cars. I'll clean toilets,
even in men's bathrooms.
I can unpack and pack people
like a butler or a butleress.
Is it "butleress"?
Whatever butlers do, I can do that.
I can pick up dog poo outside.
Like, whatever you need, I'm your girl.
I can keep your information on file,
but I...
Okay, can...
- But you
- Excuse me.
said you were gonna keep my information.
We need someone to start right away,
and it pays $2,000 a week.
I will be doing interviews
here at the hotel Friday.
If you hear of anybody,
anybody at all, let me know. Thank you.
Excuse me.
I am so sorry.
Um, I couldn't help but overhear.
The man at the front desk told me there
weren't any job openings at the hotel.
There are not.
Unless you are an old man with a beard
who can play Santa Claus.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Okay, Kenny, what's he done this time?
Damage to rental car, $12,000.
- Damage to statue, $23,000.
- Yep.
Damage to caf and sidewalks
around statues Wow!
- Is that five zeroes or six?
- Six.
Thank you, Kenny.
Mm-hmm.
You know, in my defense,
the street signs were all in Italian.
That's because you were in Italy.
Makes sense.
Matthew, before your mother died,
I promised her that I would raise you
the best that I possibly could.
I thought that meant
an endless supply of money.
But this time, this time...
Okay, Dad.
I get it. I'm sorry.
You're right. I need to
Clean my act up.
- I promise it won't happen again.
- You're right. It won't.
You're gonna work your debt off
and come and work for me.
What? Me? Work?
Uh, sorry. It sounded like you said
I'm gonna work for you.
I don't know the first thing
about working for a hotel, Dad.
This is something
your mother and I always dreamed of.
Plus, my VP of marketing, Natasha,
would be happy to show you the ropes.
Natasha? The one
who's always giving me the stink eye?
No reason to be rude, Matthew.
You could learn a great deal from Natasha.
Dad, I appreciate it. I really do.
But, um, it's not happening, okay?
Because I'm a free spirit,
and you can't hold me down like this.
So I'm sorry, but, uh
it's just not gonna work.
Well, I hope for your sake that it does.
Otherwise, there are
a couple of Italian cops
who would really love to speak with you.
- Dad.
- General manager?
- Him?
- Yes.
And I can't think of anyone
better suited to train him than you.
Me? Train him?
Exactly.
Matthew, work with Natasha
on that Santa thing.
I'll be back from New York
for the tree lighting ceremony.
And above all else,
make sure the hotel and resort
is ready for the holidays
to go off without a hitch.
Yes, sir.
Well
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Your support means a lot.
She seems really
Sweet.
Hey, Zoey?
Honey?
Oh.
Merry Christmas.
50% off for Sun Peaks employees.
Okay, let me understand this.
You want us to make you into an old man
so you can get a job as Santa Claus
at the ski resort
so you can get your daughter
half-price snowboard lessons.
Look, this is the dumbest idea
I've ever heard.
Ridiculous.
When do we start?
The color is perfect,
and I want to make sure
that I'm a little rounder.
- Rounder, yes.
- Rounder.
I've been waiting for this
Asking for some Christmas cheer
It's so lonely out in the snow
Watching couples walking slow
I've been keeping all my wishes tight
Now I'm cashing in for just one night
To be close to the one
You know what I've been hoping
Man
Just a love to be so true
Okay, let's
Okay, let's see it.
A love to make me feel brand
Huh?
- Aw!
- Yeah.
Santa, don't take me off that list
You know what I want
For my Christmas wish
Take her sweet heart, wrap it in a bow
I want her and me under the mistletoe
Santa, won't you bring her love my way
Make me so happy on Christmas day
Take her
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Yeah?
Give me the one who loves me so
Merry Christmas to all
- Okay. Just
- Right.
and to all a good night!
No.
Absolutely not.
No.
No.
Uh, thanks, everybody. We'll be in touch.
- This is a disaster.
- I know.
I need holiday spirit,
not silent night of the living dead.
Where's Matthew?
He's supposed to be here too.
Typical. He's lazy.
He's immature. He's unreliable.
And he's going to be
our new general manager.
I thought Mr. Layne would've
given you that job. Funny, huh?
Yes, hilarious.
Is this where the Santa auditions are?
This is the place.
You brought a costume?
Uh Sure did.
- Sign in here.
- Great.
Thank you.
Have you been a Santa before?
Oh, ho, ho, ho, yes, yes.
Mr. Layne, it's nice of you to join us.
Your email said four o'clock.
Ah, well, you must have misread it.
I'm pretty sure it said three.
Anyway, this is Matthew Layne.
I I didn't get your name.
You.
Sorry. Did you say Hugh?
Man.
Your name is Hugh Mann?
Hugh. Mann.
- You pause between the words.
- Right.
Interesting.
Well, um, Mr. Mann is interested
in being our new Santa.
Good, great.
Sorry. You look really familiar.
Have we met somewhere?
Have you been to the North Pole?
Um It's been a really
long sleigh ride, so
You know, you don't
You don't buy hot cocoa. You rent it.
- Hmm.
- Am I right?
Excuse me, I'm gonna
Just be I'll be right back.
- Sure.
- Excuse me.
Okay. Nice meeting you.
So, what do you think?
I just met the guy. Don't we have to do
a background check or something?
No. We haven't got much time.
The tree lighting ceremony
is in three hours,
and all of the really good Santas
are already taken.
It's up to you, Matthew.
Do we have our new Santa?
Matthew Layne? The Matthew Layne?
I'm telling you. I think he recognized me.
He asked me out at a record store
the other day.
What? Tell me you said yes.
Why would I say yes? I am perfectly happy
without a man in my life.
That's not a man. That's Matthew Layne.
- How have you never heard of him?
- Yeah, a trust fund baby.
Bit of a party animal. He's always
on the news for getting into trouble.
His dad owns the entire resort.
And a half dozen other ones
around the world.
Oh my God, I could be the brother-in-law
of the son of a billionaire.
This is the ladies' room, sir.
I'm so sorry. Excuse me.
I really I don't think
this is a good idea anymore.
Of course it is.
Zoey's gonna love snowboard school.
I know she does. I know.
- Mr. Mann.
- Hi. Hello.
Mr. Layne has made his decision.
Congratulations, Hugh.
Welcome to the Sun Peaks Ski Resort.
Wow.
That's fantastic. That's great. Thank you.
You're very welcome.
Oh, and I would like for you
to meet someone.
Season's greetings.
My name is Jimmy, Chief Elf,
and let me just say
it is an honor to be at your service.
Thank you, Jimmy.
- Let me grab that for you.
- Yes.
Anyway, let's show our new Santa
to the change room, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, here you go.
I know it's not exactly
a private dressing room,
but unfortunately,
it's the best we've got. Here you go.
Thank you, Jimmy.
Ho, ho, ho. Jingle bells.
- Right. See you later, Hugh.
- Okay.
Excuse me.
Okay.
- Hey.
- Oh!
- Hugh.
- Oh! How are you?
- You looking for a free locker?
- Oh yeah.
- There's one right here.
- Perfect.
Just grabbing a quick steam
before we get out in that cold air, right?
Yeah. Yeah.
You all set for the tree lighting?
I'm sorry?
What The, um
The Christmas tree.
Oh!
Yes, I love a good Christmas tree.
- Don't you?
- Yeah.
Yeah, Natasha's got me
hosting the event tonight.
I wrote a quick speech on my phone.
I'm just
Not very good at
the whole public speaking thing.
Well, you can always do that old trick
you know,
where you just picture everybody naked.
Yeah.
It just doesn't feel like me.
You know, the suit, the tie, all of this.
I mean, I spent my whole life
avoiding the family business,
and now, here I am,
learning how to run the hotel.
Mmm.
Things don't always work out
the way we want them to.
Yeah.
Hey, do me a favor. Would you mind?
I don't think I ever actually tied
one of these in my life.
Oh, I don't know
Come on. All you old guys know
how to tie a tie, right?
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
Uh
All right, your dad never taught you
how to tie a tie?
No, the only thing my dad ever taught me
was how to make more money.
Huh.
I never wanted to be like that.
It's funny.
I wish I could talk to him like this.
You know, just honest, man-to-man.
Well
You know, sometimes it's easier
with a stranger.
Except you don't feel like a stranger.
Crazy, but I swear we've met somewhere.
Santa Claus.
Santa Claus.
Jingle bells. There you go. All done.
Um, hey, do you want me
to help you with your suit?
Nope. Nope. I'm good.
- No?
- Thank you.
Oh. You dropped
your pink unicorn kissable ChapStick.
Well, you try riding
in an open-air sleigh at 10,000 feet.
Lucky I have lips at all.
- Right.
- Mmm.
- Okay, I'm just gonna head over here.
- Okay.
- Hey, good talk.
- Oh yeah, great talk.
Okay, thanks. Thank you, Jimmy.
Hey, everybody! How's it going?
Well, I'm Matthew Layne.
Hey, Matthew, I don't recognize you
with your clothes on.
That's a good one. Got a comedian.
Going swimming with any swans lately?
Yeah, that was That was one time.
And as you can see,
we're here for the for the tree.
I mean, the, uh Christmas
Christmas tree, obviously.
The lighting of said tree.
I'm afraid he's not very good
at this sort of thing, is he?
Uh, anyway,
let's get back to the lighting.
- Come on and bring out Santa already.
- Yeah!
Santa, Santa, Santa!
That is a very good idea.
Without further ado,
here comes Santa Claus.
Yeah!
Hey.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas.
Who's ready to light that tree, huh?
Here we go.
Let's all join together
for one big, festive countdown.
- All right.
- Five
four, three, two, one.
Oh no. No!
I'm so sorry.
- Oh boy.
- Sorry.
What was that?
- You okay, Hugh?
- Oh yeah.
Here. Let me help you up. So sorry.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
Got it? Okay.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
What are you doing in Ms. Jacobson's van?
Hey, um
She She let me borrow it.
And who are you?
I'm I'm, um
I'm Taylor's father, Taylor Sr.
I'm here for the holidays.
- What's with the getup?
- Christmas party. Ho, ho, ho.
You go alone? No
Mrs. Claus?
Oh Uh
No. No, just me.
I'm Doralee. I'm the building super.
If you need anything during your stay,
I'm in apartment 305,
just down the hall from Ms. Jacobson.
Oh, okay. I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you.
Okay. Good night.
Oh my God.
This is, like,
the best day of my whole life.
Hey, nice outfit. The '90s called.
They want their board back.
Ew. Don't listen to them.
They're just jealous.
You sure we can afford this place, Mom?
Yes. Yes, honey.
Don't worry about it, okay?
Just stay bundled up
so you don't catch a cold.
And keep your helmet on.
We cannot afford any trips to the ER
this close to Christmas.
Okay, Mom, you're completely, totally,
utterly embarrassing me.
- I'm sorry. I'm gonna be cool.
- Okay.
- I'll be cool.
- Hey.
Screaming Kittens, what are you
what are you doing here?
- My daughter's taking lessons.
- Oh great.
- I'm a huge fan of your mom's.
- My mom has fans?
Nope. Zoey, this is Matthew Layne.
He's the general manager of the resort.
Yeah, well, actually, just a trainee,
and after last night,
I'm not even sure I'm still that.
Oh, come on.
I say nothing says "happy holidays"
like an exploding Christmas tree.
- You were there?
- I wasn't there. I just heard about it.
- Heard about that, huh?
- People talk.
- Do they?
- Yeah.
A little rough. Maybe I could tell you
about it over a hot chocolate?
- You know, I'm extremely busy.
- Really?
Mom, you spent last Saturday night
organizing your sock drawer
in alphabetical order.
Exactly. I'm extremely busy.
I like to keep things in order.
Busted.
Okay. If you change your mind,
you know where to find me.
I'll be in this place.
- Nice to meet you, Zoey. Have fun.
- Hey.
He is really cute.
I hadn't noticed. Cute? No.
Uh, what did he mean when he said
he was a big fan of yours, Mom?
You're not doing some weird online thing
for money, are you?
No. Ew, gross, honey.
I gotta go. Okay.
Have fun, sweetie.
I love you so much.
What are Screaming Kittens?
I don't know.
Kittens that are screaming? Not sure.
Okay.
See the snowflakes glisten
In this amber sun
Memories we made, the dreams we chase
You know we've come so far
There's no need to wait
Let's celebrate the fire in our hearts
Everybody loves Christmas
Everybody wants winter fun
Okay.
Get us hoping to find someone
Happy holiday wishes
Oh uh oh ooh
Everybody loves Christmas
Welcome. Welcome, everyone,
to this year's Santa's Village.
Please put your hands together once again
for our general manager,
Mr. Matthew Layne.
Okay. Wow, this is great!
Look at how everybody came out.
Uh, this is exciting.
Uh, okay, so here we are. It's a big day.
Sun Peaks is
Uh, proudly presents
"I now declare Santa's Village open."
That's good.
I now declare Santa's Village open.
Ho, ho, ho!
Ho, ho, ho!
Ho, ho, ho!
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Okay, so you want a pony for Christmas.
Oh, that's nice. I used to want a pony.
They're like reindeer without antlers.
Let's think about the logistics of this.
- Do you live in an apartment?
- Yeah.
Where you gonna keep the pony?
In your room?
You know it's gonna poop on the floor.
So, how about a good book for Christmas?
Next.
Okay, so you want
a motor scooter for Christmas.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Okay, well, I know your mother,
and I know she's a waitress,
and I don't think she can afford that.
So how about a nice sweater?
Next.
There's a lot of plaque buildup
in there, okay?
How about Santa gives you
a nice toothbrush and some dental floss?
Next.
Oh my goodness!
You're getting some antibiotics
for Christmas, aren't you?
Okay, Merry Christmas.
Next.
Santa!
Oh my goodness.
Uh
Uh-oh.
Ho, ho, ho.
Uh, it's it's time for Santa
to feed the reindeer.
Excuse me. Pardon me.
Excuse me. Pardon me.
Pardon me. Excuse me. Excuse me.
Looks like Santa's
all finished for the day.
Be sure to come back tomorrow.
Zoey! Over here.
Hey, Zoey.
Nice ride. You live in that thing?
What's your problem?
I'm clearly not the one here
with a problem.
Hey. Are you okay?
I'm all right, Mom.
I've been walking in the streets
This evening
You can tell
Wow, she sounds pretty mean.
- Want me to talk to your coach about her?
- No, I don't, Mom.
I don't need my mom taking care of things
for me. I'm not a kid anymore.
- I can handle it myself.
- Okay, okay.
Good evening, Ms. Jacobson.
Hi.
- Betty?
- It's Zoey.
Sure.
Um, listen, I'm gonna have the check
for you by...
Pishposh! Let's not talk
about such things.
Or, um
you could have your dad drop it on by
when he has a chance.
Grandpa's in town?
We had a lovely conversation
the other night.
You never told me he was so handsome
or so single.
Single? Grandpa?
He's not home. He's not here.
He doesn't He's not
- Oh.
- But...
You know what? Tell him I have snacks,
and he can come by.
- Yeah. Okay.
- I make a great fruitcake.
- Good night, Doralee.
- Good night, Ashley.
I need snacks.
What was she talking about?
I don't know.
You know Doralee. She's so crazy.
A canoe! Well, that sounds like fun.
However, it does take
a lot of adult supervision.
But since you live by the river,
how about a nice pair of water shoes?
Go along. Ho, ho, ho.
The only reason we're here is
all the other Santas had a line for miles.
- Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.
- Not much of a crowd.
- Matthew.
- Hm?
Thank you.
- What are you gonna do about this?
- Well, I'm going to
I don't I don't know.
Well, you might be interested
to hear this.
"Sun Peaks' Santa is a flop."
Ouch.
"Their new Santa
doesn't connect with the kids."
"This year's Sun Peaks Ski Resort Santa
is a jerk."
Jerk? They said, "Jerk"?
Well, he may have to go.
Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas to you.
- Run along.
- Bye, Santa.
Mr. Layne is not gonna be
very happy about this.
Exactly.
Hugh.
There's my boss. I'll take
those two flaming candy canes now.
Coming up.
- Hey, Hugh.
- Oh, hey.
- How you doing, man?
- Good. Good. How are you?
- Good. Thanks for, uh, meeting me.
- Yeah.
So uh
Okay.
It is my understanding
that around Christmastime,
when the kids ask Santa Claus
for something,
Santa usually just says
"Yes."
Ah, and then leaves
the parents on the hook.
That's how you get credit card debt.
Cred...
That's not really your problem.
Well
Uh, no offense, boss, but
You seem just a little bit out of touch.
How's that?
Well, maybe you've never had
to budget, say, a paycheck
to make sure you can buy Christmas gifts
and put food on the table.
Right, because
I'm the, uh, spoiled rich kid.
You know what?
You're right. But, um
You know, not everything
they print about me is true.
You know that feeling where everybody
thinks they know who you are,
but nobody really does?
My point is, I'm trying.
I'm trying to make better choices,
and that is
exactly what I'm asking you to do.
Hey, Mrs. Claus could agree
with that, right?
Oh, well, you know, Santa's been single
for some time.
- Yeah?
- We've got that in common.
Well, not exactly.
Oh. You have You have
somebody significant in your life?
No. No. No.
I mean, maybe. I I don't know.
Um, there's this girl,
and, actually, her daughter's taking
snowboarding lessons here.
But I I asked her out,
and she turned me down.
Well, I'm sure
she probably had her reasons. Hmm?
- Yeah.
- Hmm.
Yeah, like what?
Oh gosh, I don't know. Maybe
You know, maybe she's had
a bad relationship in the past.
You know, she's a little gun-shy
about meeting someone new.
It's funny. I
- I feel like I can talk to you, you know?
- Hmm.
The truth is,
I can't stop thinking about her.
It's like everywhere I go,
she's just right here in front of me.
You know?
- Weird.
- Yeah.
It is.
Two flaming candy canes.
What do you think I should do?
You think I should try again?
Oh, uh, yeah. Uh
Well
Maybe there will be a Christmas miracle.
- Yeah.
- Huh?
- Ho, ho, ho.
- Maybe.
- Oh God! Your beard
- What?
- What?
- Fire! Beard Beard fire.
What? Uh-oh!
You know what? I think I hear
Jimmy calling me. Excuse me.
I can totally see
why you wouldn't wanna go out with him.
Ugh. Yeah, he's, like, handsome and rich.
You guys. He's my boss, okay?
It wouldn't be ethical.
Oh, ethical. Okay.
And how ethical was it
for you to trick the hotel
to hire you as Santa Claus?
So what's this really all about?
I'm scared, obviously,
and I have responsibilities.
You know, I have Zoey.
Yes, but Zoey's 15.
In four years, she's gonna be 19.
She'll probably be
a professional snowboarder. What then?
I don't know.
I will figure it out when I get there.
Where's my sister,
you know, the wild one,
the one who had her own rock band at 16,
the one who mooned the crowd
at high school graduation?
Whatever happened to her?
I guess she got lost someplace.
Well, maybe this is your chance
to find her again.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.
Is it just me, Hugh,
or is there not
a lot of Christmas spirit around here?
Uh, you know what, Jimmy? Can you
Can you go keep the sleigh warm?
What?
Santa needs a minute, okay?
Ho, ho, ho.
Merry Christmas to you, young lady.
I don't believe in Santa Claus.
Oh, well, that's okay. I believe in you.
So, why don't you tell Santa
what you would like for Christmas?
Yeah, right.
Oh, come on. It never hurts to try.
Okay. You wanna know
what I want for Christmas?
I am all ears.
For my mom to get a boyfriend.
Beg your pardon?
Yeah, I want her to start dating.
Have a life outside
of just being my mom all the time.
Oh, well, I'm sure
your mom loves being your mom.
And I love her.
I just wish she'd relax a bit.
She's so serious.
- You know, she used to be in a band.
- You don't say.
Uh-huh. The Screaming Kittens.
She never told me about it.
I had to look it up online.
Oh wow.
That's her. Awesome, right?
Oh.
Oh, she looks very young.
I wish I knew her back then.
Why's that?
'Cause it looks like
she used to be really fun.
Ah.
Next!
- Hello, young fella. What's your name?
- Max.
- What would you like for Christmas?
- Some play clay.
Play clay.
Well, you know, the thing about that is
that it can be very gooey.
And sometimes these drippy globs,
they fall on the rug,
and then your parents step on them
and then
You know what?
Play clay is really fun.
So I'm gonna look into that for you.
Hey, Max.
Uh-huh?
Is there anything else that you want
for Christmas? Like something special?
- Like what?
- Like, uh, not a toy.
But maybe something special
that you can wish for from your heart.
- I wish I wasn't scared of the dark.
- Yeah.
The dark can be pretty spooky.
I have a secret.
- I'm scared of the dark too.
- Really?
Yep, totally. Totally freaked out.
But you know what I did?
I got those glow-in-the-dark sticky stars,
and I put them all over my ceiling.
So that now, every night,
I feel like I'm an astronaut.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
It's okay to be afraid sometimes.
But you don't need
to let your fear be the boss of you, okay?
You be the boss of it.
Yeah. Thanks, Santa Claus.
You're welcome.
Merry Christmas, buddy.
- Santa?
- Hm?
That was awesome.
Oh.
Next!
Natasha, where are those invitations
for the Christmas party?
I really need to get those out.
- I left them on your desk.
- Did you?
Uh, it's funny, because I looked for them,
and I didn't see them.
They're hard to miss, Matthew.
Now, what about the invoices
for the extra catering supplies,
and the work order installments
for the plumbing renovations in 526,
and not to mention the new shift schedule
for the housekeeping staff?
We need those ASAP.
I'm still trying to get through
the stack of papers you left me yesterday.
It's almost like
you don't want me to get through them.
Well
You're the one whose father wants him
to be general manager of this hotel.
So, manage.
You know, I did manage to check
that email you sent on the first day,
and, uh, it did say four o'clock.
Kenny, what is it?
You guys need to see this.
Since you haven't had the third
Something changed, and they all
started showing up about an hour ago.
What happened?
He's really great with kids. He gets them
to open up about their feelings, fears
- Merry Christmas.
- hopes and dreams.
Perhaps instead of Santa's Village,
we should open a therapy center.
I'm so excited to see Santa.
Hello, young lady.
I really like your snowflake shirt.
That's very pretty. What's your name?
Michelle.
Michelle. Oh, I like that name.
That's a very pretty name.
- How old are you, Michelle?
- Nine.
And what's your Christmas wish?
I wish
I didn't stutter.
Oh yes. Yes, I understand.
You know, I heard that singing
can actually help with a stutter.
Do you want to try it together?
I don't know.
Oh, I think it'll be really fun.
We could try "Jingle Bells."
We could all sing together.
Mr. Layne? Come on, let's do it.
- Uh, sure. Yeah, sure.
- Yeah?
Yeah, I think it'd be fun.
You mind if I sing with you?
All right, here we go.
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun It is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Everybody!
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey. Nice work.
You know what? Forget what I said earlier.
Hugh stays with us.
You did so great.
Ho, ho, ho.
Dad, I got something
I think you're gonna wanna see.
Oh, Matthew, what have you done now?
Do I call PR, have them prepare
some kind of a statement?
No, Dad, Dad, it's actually not bad.
It's good. So, the little girl there,
that's Michelle. She has a stutter,
but the Santa Claus we hired
had her singing like a bird.
It was really cute.
Everybody started singing and
Anyway, the online reaction
has been amazing.
We've had thousands of likes and comments,
and there is currently
a waiting list about a mile long
of people wanting to book a room
at the resort
just so their kids can visit
your Santa Claus.
My Santa!
Oh, that's great!
- Sounds like we're back on track.
- Yeah, we're on our way.
Well done. I'll be back in time
for the Christmas party.
And tell "my Santa"
that he will be the guest of honor there.
- You got it.
- See you soon.
See you, Dad.
Kenny. No, no, you're not in trouble.
I need you to go to the HR file
and get me all of the information
you have on Hugh Mann.
- Hey, honey.
- Hey, Mom.
- Since appearing online
- Mr. Layne's on the news.
this heartwarming video
has racked up almost a million views,
which is translating into big business
here at Sun Peaks,
and it's all thanks
to their superstar Santa Claus.
Here's Matthew Layne now.
Excuse me, Mr. Layne?
- Hi there.
- Uh, yes. Sorry, excuse me.
Why do you think it is
that the public has responded so much
to your Santa Claus this Christmas?
Uh, well, because he's
Because he's the best. He really is.
He's charming. He's sincere. He's, uh
He's real.
There you go, folks.
He's both charming and real.
And I gotta say
the people here sure seem to love him.
Yeah, well, they're not the only ones. I
Honestly, I love him too.
That's all for us.
Back to you, Bill, with the weather.
He is completely hot.
I can't believe you turned him down.
Don't you have, like,
homework or something?
Oh, hey, Mom. Can I ask you something?
Sure.
Why didn't you ever tell me
about the Screaming Kittens?
Who?
You know, there's this little thing
called the Internet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Why the big secret?
It's not a secret. It's just
You know, it happened a long time ago.
It's just something in my past.
Like my dad?
Yeah, something like that.
If it's in the past, why don't you
go on a date with Mr. Layne?
What? Because it's I
You wouldn't understand, okay?
It's complicated.
Mom, I'm 15. I understand complicated.
And besides, he only asked you
to go out for a hot chocolate.
What's so complicated about that?
Nothing.
Hm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I think you might be a little early.
You know, Santa doesn't start
till, like, noon.
Tomorrow.
Yeah, well, figured I'd beat the rush.
You know, we're getting
pretty big crowds these days.
Yeah. I saw you on the news.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
Seems like you're really
turning things around here.
Yeah, well, I wish
I could take the credit, but it's not me.
It's, uh
It's Hugh.
Well, my guess is there's probably
a lot more to it than you think.
You know, so don't sell yourself short.
I don't know. People just
People love the guy. You know, there's
- Hmm.
- There's something about him.
Anyway, what are you, uh, doing here?
Do you know
where to get a good hot chocolate?
Wait, how do you grow up
in a ski town but not know how to ski?
Well, I did when I was a kid.
I just haven't in years.
They say it's like riding a bike.
I don't know.
I say it's like a waste of time.
Since when is having fun a waste of time?
You obviously have never been a mother.
- Moms deserve to have fun too, don't they?
- Yeah.
- So has it always just been you and Zoey?
- Yep, it's always been her and me.
I, uh I got pregnant in college
and dropped out.
And her father wanted to be a rock star,
so he left town,
and I never saw him again.
What about your family?
Yeah, just me and my dad.
My mom died when I was 15.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
It's okay. Thanks. It's
I didn't really handle it well.
I got into a lot of trouble,
and things kind of stayed that way.
Well, you were grieving.
Yeah, didn't make it
any easier on my dad, though.
Just I don't know. I wanted to rebel
against anything and everything.
You know? Discover the world, myself.
Ended up back here anyway.
- And now you're running the place.
- Yeah, kind of.
Nobody told me
there was gonna be so much paperwork.
Every day I'm signing things,
I don't even know what for.
I'm horrible at organizing things.
- I can help you with that.
- Right, sock drawer.
- Exactly.
- Great.
Thanks, by the way.
For the second chance.
- Oh, what? I just like hot chocolate.
- Sure.
Well, then
maybe we could do it again sometime.
Ooh.
I don't know.
That's like dangerously close to a date.
Pfft!
- Nobody wants that.
- I know.
Dates are gross.
- You all right?
- I think I landed on my phone.
I'm coming.
- Oh my gosh.
- You're getting so much better.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
You stayed up like 30 seconds that time.
And you didn't even scream,
"I'm gonna die!"
That's progress.
Come on. Who says this is a waste of time?
Why do I feel guilty then?
Like I'm supposed to be doing
something productive?
We are. We're having fun.
You know, some people
might even call this a date.
- We agreed, this is a skiing lesson.
- Just a ski lesson.
So if I were to invite you
to the Christmas party that we're throwing
at the hotel this weekend,
that also would definitely not be a date.
Well, I don't know.
That's kind of a gray area.
Yeah.
Would I have to dress up for this party?
The rules, I see. Um
Well, it's a family gathering
with board members,
and investors, and their kids.
Yeah. You might have to dress up.
A little.
Well, then
- That's an event.
- Right.
And that is different than a date.
- Oh! Ooh!
- Whoa. Hey!
- You all right?
- Yeah.
So is that a yes?
Thank you.
Thanks a lot.
- That was fantastic.
- I'm just messing around.
I had no idea you were that good.
Thank you.
That means a lot coming from you.
Well
We hope you're having
a great night here at Peaks Lounge.
Yeah.
Oh, it's a popular brand.
Oh, is it?
Now, before we start this next song,
I wanted to give a shout-out
to someone special
in our audience tonight.
She's a legend in the local music scene
here in Lincoln.
From the band the Screaming Kittens,
put your hands together
- I didn't
- for Taylor Jacobson!
Come on up and do a song with us.
Come on. You gotta get up there.
I don't think so.
Aw, come on. Just one song.
Oh, um
I really don't want to.
What? Are you crazy?
Look, everybody's going insane for you.
You gotta get up there.
Um
Uh, thank thank you for the drink.
- I'm gonna I'm gonna go.
- Wait.
Wait. Wait.
Taylor, wait!
- Hey.
- What?
- I'm sorry.
- I know.
I didn't know it was gonna upset you.
I thought
People were excited to see you.
I thought it'd be fun.
Look, I get it. I'm sorry.
I just I can't
I can't do that.
What is it?
I mean, it's like riding a bike, right?
No. No, it's not like
riding a freaking bicycle, Matthew.
That was my dream.
Okay? Music was my life.
That was gonna be my life,
and I had to give it up.
I had a child to raise on my own.
I had bills to pay.
I had to take any crappy job that I could
just so I could put food on the table.
Okay, I'm sorry. I understand.
You don't understand.
It's not your fault, okay?
How's a person like you supposed
to understand a person like me?
Yeah.
Look, I know
that we come from different worlds,
and I'll never know what it feels like
to go through what you did,
but I want to try. Can you let me try?
There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
than right here with you.
Look, I thought I was ready
to do this again, but I just
I don't
I don't think I can.
I gotta I've gotta get home.
Will you come back inside? Please.
Can I drive you home at least?
What the
Hello, Santa.
- Oh.
- Oh.
Here you go. All paid up.
Great! Thanks.
Is, um everything all right?
Yeah.
Yeah, everything's, uh
everything's just great.
You didn't tell me your dad was Santa.
Well, you know, he's not the real Santa.
Oh, honey, I know he's not the real Santa,
but he is good enough for me.
I'm not picky.
Tell him I made a fresh batch
of gingerbread. I made it with Scotch.
- Good night.
- Yeah.
Night.
Hey, Santa Claus. Aren't you
supposed to be in the North Pole
loading up your sleigh for Christmas?
Well, aren't you supposed to be
sliding down a hill
on a waxed piece of wood?
How do you know that?
Ho, ho, ho.
Well
Santa Claus.
Whatever. I got kicked out for the day.
Hmm.
Now, what exactly do you have to do
to get kicked out of snowboarding school?
There's this girl.
I guess I said something
that she didn't like, and
I don't even wanna be there anyway.
My mother just put me in that class
so she didn't have to deal with me
on the weekends.
- What about your father?
- He lives in London.
They split up last year,
so she came here for work.
Ah.
Well
Must be hard on you.
Nah. I love not being able to see my dad,
and my mother works so much
I hardly ever get to see her either,
so it's just great.
I get it. I get it.
Being a teenage girl is tough, I know.
I mean You know, I can imagine.
I know another girl
who never even met her father.
Her name's Zoey.
How do you know Zoey?
Again, Santa Claus.
Yeah, right. So she tell you I'm a bully?
You know, I, uh
I don't really think you're a bully.
I just think that sometimes,
when people get hurt,
they want everybody else around them
to feel bad too, same way they do.
What makes you think you know how I feel?
Santa Claus.
I'll tell you a little secret.
Santa's been hurt too.
And, uh, he's been carrying around
his hurts a lot longer than you have.
So what are we supposed to do? Just smile
and pretend like everything's okay?
No. No.
You know what, I have an idea.
Let's make a Christmas wish.
- Seriously?
- Yeah, yeah.
Let's wish for both of us
to let go of our hurt
and get on with our lives.
You make it sound really easy.
It's not.
But if it were
Everybody would be Santa.
Ho, ho, ho.
- Mr. Layne?
- Yeah. Just give me a sec, Kenny.
You have a delivery.
Hot chocolate.
Um, but I didn't order any hot chocolate.
How about an apology?
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
Um, that's
I'm sorry too. Let's just forget it.
Well, listen,
I've been doing a lot of thinking, and
- You know, like about you and me.
- Mm-hmm.
Us.
Anyway, I was just wondering if, um
If the invitation is still open?
The invita... Oh, you mean
the invitation to the "event."
- The event. Yes.
- Right. Uh-huh.
Um
I was thinking it might be fun
if we called it a date.
That does sound like fun.
Yeah.
Cool.
It's the perfect opportunity
to introduce you to Hugh.
Hugh?
My dad wants to show off
our new Santa Claus
at the Christmas party.
I told you about him.
At the same party we're gonna go to.
Yeah, same one.
You'll be there, he'll be there.
Great chance to say hi.
Ah.
He's awesome. You're gonna love him.
Um But Christmas
Santa Claus must be pretty in demand.
Um Are you sure he can make it?
Well, he better. He works for us.
- Besides, he's Santa Claus.
- Yeah.
- He can be everywhere, right?
- Mmm.
I can't cancel on him.
I made such a big deal
about this being our first official date.
I don't think he would ever forgive me.
Plus,
I really like him.
- Then what if Santa is a no-show?
- I can't do that either.
'Cause Matthew's father is insisting
Santa Claus be at the party.
And I can't give him any reason
to fire me. I need the gig.
So, what do you want us to do?
Well,
I have an idea.
Oh wow.
Uh, I don't think I'm gonna fit in here.
You and me both.
We'll be all right.
Here we go.
We have officially sold out
for the Christmas season,
and people are even
starting to inquire about next year,
and it's all because of my son.
Matthew, we were just talking
about what an incredible job
you're doing here at the hotel.
- Ah, yeah! He's great, isn't he?
- That's very kind.
Dad, this is who I've been wanting you
to meet. Taylor Jacobson, my dad, Robert.
Oh, hi. I'm sorry.
What a pleasure to meet you, Taylor.
And how did you two meet?
Oh, um
- We met at a very reputable used...
- Pre-owned.
pre-owned record store
where we discovered a mutual appreciation
for vinyl and, you know,
the finer aspects of punk rock.
Ah.
Uh, Matthew, where is our Santa Claus?
We have a lot
of very important people here
who can't wait to meet the man in red
who's making us all this green.
Yeah, I He should be here any minute.
Probably just hit a little traffic
on his way down from the North Pole.
I'm gonna go freshen up. Okay.
Yeah.
Hi.
- Go, go, go.
- Yeah. Hi. Okay. Okay.
Come on.
- Can't believe you couldn't get us a room.
- I'm sorry! The entire hotel was booked.
- Jeez.
- Oh. Sorry.
God.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Ho, ho, ho.
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
And Merry Christmas to you, little one.
Ho, ho, ho.
I have never received so many emails
from guests singing someone's praises.
- You're the hit of the holiday season.
- Oh, well, it all comes from the top.
I think your son is going to be
an excellent general manager someday.
Thanks, Hugh. That's very kind.
Hey, I'd love you to meet Taylor
when she gets back. She's really special.
Might I remind you, Matthew,
the last woman you described as special
sold her story to a gossip magazine
for a great deal of money.
Yeah, well, Taylor's not like that, Dad.
She's She's a good person.
You know, she's honest, kind.
I think I'm falling for her.
Are you okay?
- It just went down the wrong chimney.
- Oh, sure.
- Excuse me.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
- Uh-huh.
Sure, could work.
Yeah, you're right.
And our cost analysis
shows potential
for significant financial benefits.
Hey. What did I miss?
Oh. Well, we were just discussing
my idea of rebranding Sun Peaks.
We could revamp our loyalty program
with some perks.
Wine tasting, spa treatments,
that sort of thing.
And then we raise prices
and increase profit margins exponentially.
I like it.
Huh.
You don't agree?
Oh no, those are all great ideas.
I just, um
Don't you think
there should be some fun events
or activities for kids too?
You know, so their parents can relax
and enjoy the resort.
Like what, pin the tail on the donkey?
No. Like, how about a craft night,
karaoke, or an escape room?
Kids love to connect with each other
in real life,
and if you win over the kids,
then you'll win over the parents too.
Sorry. You got a little
Don't know what that was.
Okay, thank you.
- It's time to give out the gifts.
- Oh yeah.
Now, where is our Santa?
He was just here.
Oh, I got a
- You okay? You all right?
- Little It's just
I just have to My contact is
I don't I'll be Thank you.
- I'll be
- Contact issue.
- Hey. Hey!
- Hey. Coast is clear.
- Yeah, okay. Okay.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Did you bring something to eat?
I'm starving.
I'm so sorry. Next time, I promise. Okay?
Jerry just called.
Guess who's in the Peaks Lounge.
Stephen King.
Take that off.
Okay. Good. Okay.
- Come on.
- There. Come up.
I got it. There we go. All right.
There Oh!
No. Over there.
No. Get down.
Uh Sorry. Sorry to interrupt.
Everything okay in there?
Yeah, all good.
Out in a minute.
Good.
Okay. We gotta get you out of here.
Hugh.
Hi. I didn't
We should get back to the party.
Sure, that's a good idea.
- Okay. Let's go.
- Okay.
Okay, kids,
who wants presents from Santa Claus?
Ho, ho.
Hello.
- Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, kids.
- Hey, do you know where Taylor is?
No, I don't.
But I know who does,
and it's time for you all
to know the truth.
And one for you
This man is an imposter.
He's no imposter. He's Santa Claus.
No. I mean he is a fraud.
He's using a fake name
and your little girlfriend's
Social Security number.
What? Hugh, is this true?
Uh, I don't I don't know
what she's talking about.
Don't play innocent with me, Kris Kringle.
They're probably working together
on some evil scheme to ruin my career.
I mean, Christmas.
How much champagne have you had?
It's time to tell the truth, Santa Claus.
Who are you really? What is your name?
Well, um
Taylor Jacobson?
Is Taylor Jacobson in here?
There's been an accident on the ski slope.
Her daughter's been hurt.
Zoey?
Taylor?
- Did you see what happened?
- No.
You're gonna be okay. I know you are.
She's gonna be okay, right?
Zoey!
Oh my God, Zoey!
Zoey! It's okay. I'm here.
What happened?
Ava, what happened?
She tried a new trick on the half-pipe,
and she landed bad.
- Like, really, really bad.
- Oh my God.
Excuse me.
Mom! Mom!
- Ava! Are you all right?
- I'm fine. Zoey had the accident.
I was the only one around,
so I called 911.
Thank goodness.
That was quick thinking, Ava.
Honey, can you hear me? It's me.
You're gonna be okay. Okay? Mommy's here.
Santa Claus?
Why do you sound like my mother?
I
Whoa.
Mom?
Just lay still, okay, honey?
Matthew, listen...
- Zoey needs you. You should go.
- I know, but I can explain.
It's okay. Just go.
Okay.
We could charge her
with fraud, and trespassing,
and probably a few other things
I haven't thought of.
No, no. We're not gonna do that.
I'm not gonna have this hotel's reputation
dragged through the mud
any more than it already has been.
How could you let this happen?
We had someone working with children
without proper ID,
without a background check.
Think of the ethics. Think of the morals.
Think of the lawsuits.
Now, Matthew, I can understand,
but Natasha,
I trusted you
to keep your eye on things around here.
I'm sorry, Robert, but...
If anybody's to blame, Dad, it's me.
Don't blame Natasha. It's not her fault.
I'm the one who hired Hugh.
I mean
Taylor.
I made the mistake.
Well, apparently, so did I.
Natasha, you'll take the lead
at the concert tonight
and speak for the hotel.
Matthew
You've done enough.
Hey.
Have you heard anything about Zoey?
Is she gonna be okay?
She's got really good doctors, sweetie.
She just needs some rest.
I feel awful, Mom.
I've been really mean to her,
and she's a good snowboarder,
and she's got a really cool mom too.
- Her mother's a fraud, dear.
- No, she's not.
She's a real mom. She listened to me.
I listen to you.
But you don't hear me.
Since you and Dad split, it's like
you're a completely different person.
You're always at work. I never see you.
I miss my mom.
I know.
Here, let's talk.
Okay.
Mom! Mom, come here.
You just hit 100,000 views.
Aha!
Well, at least
the Internet still likes me.
- You still haven't heard from Matthew?
- No.
No. And
I don't think I will unless it's in court.
I still can't believe you did all this
just to get me into a snowboarding camp.
Honey, I love you.
I love you.
So, you're not, like,
totally and utterly embarrassed
by your mother?
Of course not. How many kids get to say
that they have Santa Claus for a mom?
That's a really good point.
Thanks.
Hi, Doralee.
Just a reminder. The rent's due next week.
Yes, I will have a check for you tomorrow.
Hmm.
I heard what happened up at Sun Peaks.
So, the man who said he was your father,
that was you?
Yeah. I'm sorry.
Guess I must've looked really stupid,
all dressed up
for someone who didn't even exist.
You must've gotten a good laugh
on that one.
I never meant to hurt anybody.
Why is it the only people
who ever say that are the ones that do?
Um
Is there anything that I can do
to apologize?
Oh, honey. From what I'm hearing,
I'm not the one you owe an apology to.
Matthew, there you are.
Um
Listen, Matthew,
I am so sorry about Ms. Jacobson.
Oh.
Yeah, me too.
Ava and I had a long talk today.
The first meaningful one
we've had in a while.
It wouldn't have happened
if it wasn't for Taylor.
- I just wanted to say thank you.
- For what?
For not throwing me under the bus
with your father.
Oh.
After the way I behaved,
why would you do that?
I spent a long time
avoiding responsibility for anything.
I figured maybe it's time I grow up.
I think you should speak
at the concert tonight.
Me?
No. No, my father said...
Your father said I'm supposed to teach you
how to be general manager.
Consider it your final exam.
Nice work, guys. Hey, let's give it up
for Santa's Helpers, huh?
All right. You guys remember me.
I'm Matthew Layne. I'm the
Well, I used to work here.
But I'm sure you all heard
what happened with Santa.
We're still figuring out
where to go from here,
but in the meantime,
it looks like this year,
Sun Peaks won't have a Santa.
Yeah. But it doesn't mean
we won't celebrate Christmas.
Because what is Santa Claus, really?
I mean, he's not just a beard,
or a suit, or a big jolly belly.
He's an idea. He's an idea
that we can all be a part of,
no matter who we are.
What's Matthew doing up there?
Looks like he's saving
our Christmas season.
Santa Claus is kindness,
and generosity, and love.
He's all the things
that make us here at Sun Peaks
- You okay?
- a family.
So I hope you'll join me in celebrating,
even if it's just for tonight,
the very best of who we are,
of who we can be.
Hope you'll join me in saying
Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night!
A good night!
Uh
What are you doing here?
Go up there, Mom.
- Hey. Um
- Hey.
- Sorry. I didn't
- Just kind of
I know. I'm sorry. I just
I needed to apologize to you,
and the resort, and to everyone else.
The truth is, I needed a job.
You needed a Santa Claus.
I wanted to help my daughter,
and I think
things just got a little out of hand.
A little bit, yeah.
Yeah.
And what's she doing here?
It's okay. It's a good thing.
You know,
the worst part of it is, is that I
I didn't think
I could ever have something like this.
I didn't think I deserved it.
But there you were,
and I just
I didn't think I'd ever meet
somebody like you.
Certainly didn't think
I was gonna fall for you.
Um
Anyway, I just
I'm sorry
for all the trouble that I caused, and
I hope you can have a Merry Christmas.
Um, sorry.
No.
Don't leave him.
- Thanks, man.
- Yeah.
Wait. Wait. Um
Taylor.
I miss Hugh.
- You miss Hugh?
- I do.
- I miss his puffy cheeks
- Stop.
and his beard, and his scent.
- He smells really good.
- Oh my God. You're ridiculous.
I'm sorry I came up with that stupid idea.
No, no, I
I'm glad you did.
It was a little weird looking
into Santa's eyes and feeling
- Yeah.
- something, you know? It was confusing.
But if you hadn't done that,
I never would have had the chance
to get to know
the you underneath that beard and
To fall for the real you.
Maybe we can start
with just spending Christmas together.
Maybe we could call it a date.
I mean, I guess so.
Hey, Taylor, how about a song?
I know it's been a while,
but they say it's like riding a bike.
- You told him to say that.
- I did not.
- You knew I was coming.
- I said nothing.
Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!
Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!
All right, why not? Yeah, sure, let's go.
Out of all the reindeers
You know you're the mastermind
Run, run, Rudolph
Randolph ain't too far behind
Run, run, Rudolph
Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa, make him hurry
Tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run, Rudolph
Reeling like a merry-go-round
Hey!
Said Santa to a boy child
"What have you been longing for?"
"All I want for Christmas
Is a rock-and-roll electric guitar"
Hey, yeah!
Then away went Rudolph
Whizzing like a shooting star, yeah
That's my son!
Come on!
Run, run, Rudolph
Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa, make him hurry
Tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run, Rudolph
Reeling like a merry-go-round
Ow!
Yeah!
You got it.
You got it. Give me five.
- Merry Christmas!
- Merry Christmas!
- Can you believe Mom got me this?
- Mmm.
Just be careful of your other arm, okay?
Well, I'd love to propose a toast,
if I may.
First to Natasha, our new London GM,
and to the newest member
of the Sun Peaks team,
Executive Director of Family Events,
Ms. Taylor Jacobson.
Hear, hear.
Cheers. Merry Christmas. Cheers.
And cheers to you.
All right.
And if I may.
To my son,
who proved all the doubters wrong,
including me,
and made his father
and his late mother very proud.
Oh
- Thanks, Dad.
- Cheers.
Thanks.
Well done, son.
The board is very, very happy
Hi.
- Today isn't rent day.
- No.
But it's Christmas.
I got a new dress at Ross.
- Oh! Congratulations.
- Thank you. Hey.
- Merry Christmas. Cheers.
- Merry Christmas.
Cheers, Zoey.
- She is so fun. Yeah. Yes.
- I really like her. I do. Yeah.
Well, hello.
You're pretty easy on the eyes.
Oh, what's that?
So sweet.
He's in trouble.
Take it from me,
he doesn't stand a chance.
How did you get so good at Christmas?
Well
Santa Claus.
- Mmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- Ho, ho, ho.
- Mm-hmm.
Donner and Blitzen are itchin'
Gettin' ready to fly
Prancer and Vixen
Are polishin' them reindeer smiles
Dancer's showin' Comet
How to rock it in the new free style
And all the village elves
Are workin' through the night
Stockin' up the shelves
From the left and to the right
Gettin' it done
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Click your heels and run, Rudolph
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Bobby's got a school play
Jenny's got the lead in the choir
Baby's got a toothache
With no pacifier
In traffic all the way
It's like she's screamin'
Through an amplifier
Mama needs a break
Papa wants a drink
Oh, for heaven's sake
Everybody's on the brink
It won't be long
Till Santa's takin' over the town
Tell everyone
That Santa's takin' over the town
Let's have some fun
And let Santa take over the town
Like a son of a gun
Santa's takin' over the town
Ooh
C'mon, Rudolph! Run!
I think I see a sleigh!
Maybe we should stay up to hear
some hooves on the roof.
What do you think?
I hope it won't be too long.
'Cause all the little kids
They're tryin' to toe the line
But something's gotta give
Before they lose their little minds
It won't be long
Till Santa's takin' over the town
They'll be awake before the dawn
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Let's have some fun
Let Santa take over the town
Like a son of a gun
Santa's takin' over the town
Keep those silver bells
Keep the gifts beneath the tree
Give them to someone else
Keep that magic snowman
Keep those twinkly lights
Keep the reindeer
My heart already knows how to fly
Keep the mistletoe
Unless below is what I need
Oh Santa, can't you hear me?
Found another one.
What's wrong with it?
Look at Santa's face.
He is clearly depressed.
Does someone need a little time off
from the old cookie factory?
Yeah, living large off
of my Christmas bonus? Yes, I do.
Ms. Jacobson.
Mr. Clotz.
May I speak with you for a moment?
Certainly.
Taylor, you may not know this,
but demand
for store-bought Christmas cookies
has reached a disturbing low.
Oh!
Unfortunately,
Clotz Cookies needs to downsize.
Wait. Are are you firing me?
I'm afraid so.
No, no, no. No, Mr. Clotz.
Please. I can't afford to lose my job.
My daughter and I
are barely making it as it is.
Listen, I'm afraid there's just never
a good time for this sort of thing.
So you picked Christmas?
I'm so sorry.
Oh, sh...
Ms. Jacobson?
Hi, Doralee.
No. Don't "Hi, Doralee" me.
You're late with the rent again.
I'm sorry, okay?
I had to put a new carburetor in my van,
and Zoey wants
a new snowboard for Christmas.
- What is that? Do you hear that?
- What?
Sounds like not my problem in the key of
I don't care.
Rent is due on the first of the month,
and you've been late four months in a row.
I'm gonna get it to you
by the end of the week, I promise.
Zoey?
The daughter in distress thing
is getting old.
Zoey?
Zoey!
- I got in!
- Zoey?
Mom, I got in!
- You you got what now?
- Look.
You got what? "You"
"You have been accepted
to the Sun Peaks Snowboard Academy"?
Honey, you didn't tell me about this.
I didn't wanna say anything
in case I didn't get in.
This is amazing. I'm so proud of you.
It's like the best snowboarding school
in all of the country.
Yeah.
What's that number?
Um
I think that's the tuition fee.
Oh.
That's a lot of zeroes.
Yeah, I really didn't think
it was gonna be that much.
It's okay.
I'm gonna figure it out.
I'm gonna figure it out.
Trust me.
It's okay, Mom.
I don't even really wanna go.
It's not even that good of a school.
So, it's fine.
I have some homework
I'm gonna do. So, you know
- But I
- I'm gonna go and do that.
It's honestly okay, Mom.
Okay.
- I love you.
- Love you.
Well, um
So, what do you think?
Hmm. I don't know.
- Could probably give you a buck each.
- What? That's it?
You got a lot of stuff
but nothing really all that valuable.
Except maybe for this one.
- You know The Screaming Kittens?
- Yeah. You kidding?
I grew up in this town.
These guys were legends.
Come on. They only made, like, one album.
Yeah, but that one album rocks.
Have you even heard this thing?
Check this out. The lead singer,
she's a total badass, amazing voice.
And there was just something about her,
you know?
Anyway, the Screaming Kittens
actually inspired me
to pick up guitar and learn to sing.
- You sing?
- A little.
I mean, not as good as her, but
Wait a minute.
This is you.
Used to be.
That's her, man. This is you.
You're You're Taylor Jacobson.
What are you How
- What happened to the blue hair?
- I grew out of it.
Darn. And, uh, what about the band?
Grew out of that too.
Really? So what do you do now?
Apparently, I'm talking to strange men
in used record stores.
Good for you.
- Sorry.
- It's okay.
All right, how much?
- Hundred bucks for the box.
- A hundred...
Sorry. Sorry.
Hi. Strange man in a record store.
Did you say 100 bucks for the
This is a collector's item.
I mean, I don't mean to intrude, but I
I think you're worth more than that.
- Well, thank you.
- Okay, 150.
And thank you. Bye.
See ya.
Should I go after her?
- I believe so.
- Okay.
Hey, Screaming Kittens. Hey.
I was just on my way out too.
That's so weird.
Ever think about
getting the band back together?
What? No, no.
- I I have a daughter now.
- Oh.
You can't really be a rock star
and a mom at the same time.
Says who?
Uh Me, from experience.
Fair enough.
Hey, I was wondering
if you could help me with something.
- How's that?
- I haven't been back in town in years.
And maybe you know a place
to get a good cup of hot chocolate?
My treat.
We could debate guitar solos
and, ooh, favorite Christmas songs.
Oh. Does this sort of thing
usually work for you?
All the time. It's not working right now,
but it often does.
No, no, no. Look, I appreciate the effort.
I really do.
- But I'm
- Married?
- No.
- No.
No, I'm not married. I just
My life is
kind of a balancing act right now,
and I I'm just not dating.
So don't take it personally or anything.
If it helps,
we don't have to call it a date.
Just call it
two people drinking hot chocolate.
Okay, there's a bistro
at the end of the block.
Yeah.
They make a great hot chocolate.
- So then
- If you
- Me.
- For you.
- I could go.
- You could go.
Got it.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
You do know Halloween's over, right?
Not if you love horror movies.
We start building our costumes
November 1st.
November 1st. I know.
You guys are adorable.
Anyways, I did manage
to get two interviews.
- Uh-huh.
- Oh.
And I've been asking around town
for leads.
But no one is hiring until the new year,
you know? And her class starts in a week.
I barely have enough money for rent.
I need to come up with the tuition.
Hey, what's a big brother for?
I can lend you some cash, no problem.
Okay.
- Ooh! That could be a problem.
- It's
Look, Zoey's a smart kid.
I'm sure she'll understand how things are.
I know. But she's had to understand
how things are since she learned to walk.
Sometimes it feels like we've been
in survival mode her entire life.
I just
I don't want to disappoint her again.
I'm gonna come up with the tuition money.
Even if I have to sell off
one of my organs,
she's gonna go to that school.
You might want to hold on to your kidney.
Have you seen this?
- "50% off tuition"
- What?
"for employees of Sun Peaks Ski Resort."
50% off? I could swing that.
Uh, except for one minor detail.
I don't work at Sun Peaks.
Christmastime
What do you mean Santa Claus quit?
Joe Cranston's been our Santa
for a dozen Christmases.
Our guests love him.
Mr. Cranston decided that Christmas
was the most fitting time to retire.
What? It was bad enough
when our general manager ran off
with that Latvian ski instructor.
Now this?
- Fix it!
- Yes, sir.
Um, actually, I was hoping to talk to you
about the general manager position
- if you had...
- Oh! This is beautiful!
Yes, sir, but...
Christmas at this ski resort
is our most profitable time of the year.
Natasha, we have
a Christmas party to plan,
a Christmas Eve concert to arrange,
and in less than 72 hours,
a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
- We have to be ready.
- Yes, sir.
Whoa.
Well, you've really outdone yourself
this year.
I like this. It's nice. It's, um, magical.
Matthew.
Wow, what a surprise.
Good to see you too, Dad.
I'm sorry.
We don't have anything available.
Listen, Blake. Can I call you Blake?
Listen, I will do absolutely anything.
I mean, literally anything.
I'll park cars. I'll clean toilets,
even in men's bathrooms.
I can unpack and pack people
like a butler or a butleress.
Is it "butleress"?
Whatever butlers do, I can do that.
I can pick up dog poo outside.
Like, whatever you need, I'm your girl.
I can keep your information on file,
but I...
Okay, can...
- But you
- Excuse me.
said you were gonna keep my information.
We need someone to start right away,
and it pays $2,000 a week.
I will be doing interviews
here at the hotel Friday.
If you hear of anybody,
anybody at all, let me know. Thank you.
Excuse me.
I am so sorry.
Um, I couldn't help but overhear.
The man at the front desk told me there
weren't any job openings at the hotel.
There are not.
Unless you are an old man with a beard
who can play Santa Claus.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Okay, Kenny, what's he done this time?
Damage to rental car, $12,000.
- Damage to statue, $23,000.
- Yep.
Damage to caf and sidewalks
around statues Wow!
- Is that five zeroes or six?
- Six.
Thank you, Kenny.
Mm-hmm.
You know, in my defense,
the street signs were all in Italian.
That's because you were in Italy.
Makes sense.
Matthew, before your mother died,
I promised her that I would raise you
the best that I possibly could.
I thought that meant
an endless supply of money.
But this time, this time...
Okay, Dad.
I get it. I'm sorry.
You're right. I need to
Clean my act up.
- I promise it won't happen again.
- You're right. It won't.
You're gonna work your debt off
and come and work for me.
What? Me? Work?
Uh, sorry. It sounded like you said
I'm gonna work for you.
I don't know the first thing
about working for a hotel, Dad.
This is something
your mother and I always dreamed of.
Plus, my VP of marketing, Natasha,
would be happy to show you the ropes.
Natasha? The one
who's always giving me the stink eye?
No reason to be rude, Matthew.
You could learn a great deal from Natasha.
Dad, I appreciate it. I really do.
But, um, it's not happening, okay?
Because I'm a free spirit,
and you can't hold me down like this.
So I'm sorry, but, uh
it's just not gonna work.
Well, I hope for your sake that it does.
Otherwise, there are
a couple of Italian cops
who would really love to speak with you.
- Dad.
- General manager?
- Him?
- Yes.
And I can't think of anyone
better suited to train him than you.
Me? Train him?
Exactly.
Matthew, work with Natasha
on that Santa thing.
I'll be back from New York
for the tree lighting ceremony.
And above all else,
make sure the hotel and resort
is ready for the holidays
to go off without a hitch.
Yes, sir.
Well
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Your support means a lot.
She seems really
Sweet.
Hey, Zoey?
Honey?
Oh.
Merry Christmas.
50% off for Sun Peaks employees.
Okay, let me understand this.
You want us to make you into an old man
so you can get a job as Santa Claus
at the ski resort
so you can get your daughter
half-price snowboard lessons.
Look, this is the dumbest idea
I've ever heard.
Ridiculous.
When do we start?
The color is perfect,
and I want to make sure
that I'm a little rounder.
- Rounder, yes.
- Rounder.
I've been waiting for this
Asking for some Christmas cheer
It's so lonely out in the snow
Watching couples walking slow
I've been keeping all my wishes tight
Now I'm cashing in for just one night
To be close to the one
You know what I've been hoping
Man
Just a love to be so true
Okay, let's
Okay, let's see it.
A love to make me feel brand
Huh?
- Aw!
- Yeah.
Santa, don't take me off that list
You know what I want
For my Christmas wish
Take her sweet heart, wrap it in a bow
I want her and me under the mistletoe
Santa, won't you bring her love my way
Make me so happy on Christmas day
Take her
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Yeah?
Give me the one who loves me so
Merry Christmas to all
- Okay. Just
- Right.
and to all a good night!
No.
Absolutely not.
No.
No.
Uh, thanks, everybody. We'll be in touch.
- This is a disaster.
- I know.
I need holiday spirit,
not silent night of the living dead.
Where's Matthew?
He's supposed to be here too.
Typical. He's lazy.
He's immature. He's unreliable.
And he's going to be
our new general manager.
I thought Mr. Layne would've
given you that job. Funny, huh?
Yes, hilarious.
Is this where the Santa auditions are?
This is the place.
You brought a costume?
Uh Sure did.
- Sign in here.
- Great.
Thank you.
Have you been a Santa before?
Oh, ho, ho, ho, yes, yes.
Mr. Layne, it's nice of you to join us.
Your email said four o'clock.
Ah, well, you must have misread it.
I'm pretty sure it said three.
Anyway, this is Matthew Layne.
I I didn't get your name.
You.
Sorry. Did you say Hugh?
Man.
Your name is Hugh Mann?
Hugh. Mann.
- You pause between the words.
- Right.
Interesting.
Well, um, Mr. Mann is interested
in being our new Santa.
Good, great.
Sorry. You look really familiar.
Have we met somewhere?
Have you been to the North Pole?
Um It's been a really
long sleigh ride, so
You know, you don't
You don't buy hot cocoa. You rent it.
- Hmm.
- Am I right?
Excuse me, I'm gonna
Just be I'll be right back.
- Sure.
- Excuse me.
Okay. Nice meeting you.
So, what do you think?
I just met the guy. Don't we have to do
a background check or something?
No. We haven't got much time.
The tree lighting ceremony
is in three hours,
and all of the really good Santas
are already taken.
It's up to you, Matthew.
Do we have our new Santa?
Matthew Layne? The Matthew Layne?
I'm telling you. I think he recognized me.
He asked me out at a record store
the other day.
What? Tell me you said yes.
Why would I say yes? I am perfectly happy
without a man in my life.
That's not a man. That's Matthew Layne.
- How have you never heard of him?
- Yeah, a trust fund baby.
Bit of a party animal. He's always
on the news for getting into trouble.
His dad owns the entire resort.
And a half dozen other ones
around the world.
Oh my God, I could be the brother-in-law
of the son of a billionaire.
This is the ladies' room, sir.
I'm so sorry. Excuse me.
I really I don't think
this is a good idea anymore.
Of course it is.
Zoey's gonna love snowboard school.
I know she does. I know.
- Mr. Mann.
- Hi. Hello.
Mr. Layne has made his decision.
Congratulations, Hugh.
Welcome to the Sun Peaks Ski Resort.
Wow.
That's fantastic. That's great. Thank you.
You're very welcome.
Oh, and I would like for you
to meet someone.
Season's greetings.
My name is Jimmy, Chief Elf,
and let me just say
it is an honor to be at your service.
Thank you, Jimmy.
- Let me grab that for you.
- Yes.
Anyway, let's show our new Santa
to the change room, please.
Yes, ma'am.
Well, here you go.
I know it's not exactly
a private dressing room,
but unfortunately,
it's the best we've got. Here you go.
Thank you, Jimmy.
Ho, ho, ho. Jingle bells.
- Right. See you later, Hugh.
- Okay.
Excuse me.
Okay.
- Hey.
- Oh!
- Hugh.
- Oh! How are you?
- You looking for a free locker?
- Oh yeah.
- There's one right here.
- Perfect.
Just grabbing a quick steam
before we get out in that cold air, right?
Yeah. Yeah.
You all set for the tree lighting?
I'm sorry?
What The, um
The Christmas tree.
Oh!
Yes, I love a good Christmas tree.
- Don't you?
- Yeah.
Yeah, Natasha's got me
hosting the event tonight.
I wrote a quick speech on my phone.
I'm just
Not very good at
the whole public speaking thing.
Well, you can always do that old trick
you know,
where you just picture everybody naked.
Yeah.
It just doesn't feel like me.
You know, the suit, the tie, all of this.
I mean, I spent my whole life
avoiding the family business,
and now, here I am,
learning how to run the hotel.
Mmm.
Things don't always work out
the way we want them to.
Yeah.
Hey, do me a favor. Would you mind?
I don't think I ever actually tied
one of these in my life.
Oh, I don't know
Come on. All you old guys know
how to tie a tie, right?
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
Uh
All right, your dad never taught you
how to tie a tie?
No, the only thing my dad ever taught me
was how to make more money.
Huh.
I never wanted to be like that.
It's funny.
I wish I could talk to him like this.
You know, just honest, man-to-man.
Well
You know, sometimes it's easier
with a stranger.
Except you don't feel like a stranger.
Crazy, but I swear we've met somewhere.
Santa Claus.
Santa Claus.
Jingle bells. There you go. All done.
Um, hey, do you want me
to help you with your suit?
Nope. Nope. I'm good.
- No?
- Thank you.
Oh. You dropped
your pink unicorn kissable ChapStick.
Well, you try riding
in an open-air sleigh at 10,000 feet.
Lucky I have lips at all.
- Right.
- Mmm.
- Okay, I'm just gonna head over here.
- Okay.
- Hey, good talk.
- Oh yeah, great talk.
Okay, thanks. Thank you, Jimmy.
Hey, everybody! How's it going?
Well, I'm Matthew Layne.
Hey, Matthew, I don't recognize you
with your clothes on.
That's a good one. Got a comedian.
Going swimming with any swans lately?
Yeah, that was That was one time.
And as you can see,
we're here for the for the tree.
I mean, the, uh Christmas
Christmas tree, obviously.
The lighting of said tree.
I'm afraid he's not very good
at this sort of thing, is he?
Uh, anyway,
let's get back to the lighting.
- Come on and bring out Santa already.
- Yeah!
Santa, Santa, Santa!
That is a very good idea.
Without further ado,
here comes Santa Claus.
Yeah!
Hey.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas.
Who's ready to light that tree, huh?
Here we go.
Let's all join together
for one big, festive countdown.
- All right.
- Five
four, three, two, one.
Oh no. No!
I'm so sorry.
- Oh boy.
- Sorry.
What was that?
- You okay, Hugh?
- Oh yeah.
Here. Let me help you up. So sorry.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
Got it? Okay.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
What are you doing in Ms. Jacobson's van?
Hey, um
She She let me borrow it.
And who are you?
I'm I'm, um
I'm Taylor's father, Taylor Sr.
I'm here for the holidays.
- What's with the getup?
- Christmas party. Ho, ho, ho.
You go alone? No
Mrs. Claus?
Oh Uh
No. No, just me.
I'm Doralee. I'm the building super.
If you need anything during your stay,
I'm in apartment 305,
just down the hall from Ms. Jacobson.
Oh, okay. I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you.
Okay. Good night.
Oh my God.
This is, like,
the best day of my whole life.
Hey, nice outfit. The '90s called.
They want their board back.
Ew. Don't listen to them.
They're just jealous.
You sure we can afford this place, Mom?
Yes. Yes, honey.
Don't worry about it, okay?
Just stay bundled up
so you don't catch a cold.
And keep your helmet on.
We cannot afford any trips to the ER
this close to Christmas.
Okay, Mom, you're completely, totally,
utterly embarrassing me.
- I'm sorry. I'm gonna be cool.
- Okay.
- I'll be cool.
- Hey.
Screaming Kittens, what are you
what are you doing here?
- My daughter's taking lessons.
- Oh great.
- I'm a huge fan of your mom's.
- My mom has fans?
Nope. Zoey, this is Matthew Layne.
He's the general manager of the resort.
Yeah, well, actually, just a trainee,
and after last night,
I'm not even sure I'm still that.
Oh, come on.
I say nothing says "happy holidays"
like an exploding Christmas tree.
- You were there?
- I wasn't there. I just heard about it.
- Heard about that, huh?
- People talk.
- Do they?
- Yeah.
A little rough. Maybe I could tell you
about it over a hot chocolate?
- You know, I'm extremely busy.
- Really?
Mom, you spent last Saturday night
organizing your sock drawer
in alphabetical order.
Exactly. I'm extremely busy.
I like to keep things in order.
Busted.
Okay. If you change your mind,
you know where to find me.
I'll be in this place.
- Nice to meet you, Zoey. Have fun.
- Hey.
He is really cute.
I hadn't noticed. Cute? No.
Uh, what did he mean when he said
he was a big fan of yours, Mom?
You're not doing some weird online thing
for money, are you?
No. Ew, gross, honey.
I gotta go. Okay.
Have fun, sweetie.
I love you so much.
What are Screaming Kittens?
I don't know.
Kittens that are screaming? Not sure.
Okay.
See the snowflakes glisten
In this amber sun
Memories we made, the dreams we chase
You know we've come so far
There's no need to wait
Let's celebrate the fire in our hearts
Everybody loves Christmas
Everybody wants winter fun
Okay.
Get us hoping to find someone
Happy holiday wishes
Oh uh oh ooh
Everybody loves Christmas
Welcome. Welcome, everyone,
to this year's Santa's Village.
Please put your hands together once again
for our general manager,
Mr. Matthew Layne.
Okay. Wow, this is great!
Look at how everybody came out.
Uh, this is exciting.
Uh, okay, so here we are. It's a big day.
Sun Peaks is
Uh, proudly presents
"I now declare Santa's Village open."
That's good.
I now declare Santa's Village open.
Ho, ho, ho!
Ho, ho, ho!
Ho, ho, ho!
Merry Christmas, everyone.
Okay, so you want a pony for Christmas.
Oh, that's nice. I used to want a pony.
They're like reindeer without antlers.
Let's think about the logistics of this.
- Do you live in an apartment?
- Yeah.
Where you gonna keep the pony?
In your room?
You know it's gonna poop on the floor.
So, how about a good book for Christmas?
Next.
Okay, so you want
a motor scooter for Christmas.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Okay, well, I know your mother,
and I know she's a waitress,
and I don't think she can afford that.
So how about a nice sweater?
Next.
There's a lot of plaque buildup
in there, okay?
How about Santa gives you
a nice toothbrush and some dental floss?
Next.
Oh my goodness!
You're getting some antibiotics
for Christmas, aren't you?
Okay, Merry Christmas.
Next.
Santa!
Oh my goodness.
Uh
Uh-oh.
Ho, ho, ho.
Uh, it's it's time for Santa
to feed the reindeer.
Excuse me. Pardon me.
Excuse me. Pardon me.
Pardon me. Excuse me. Excuse me.
Looks like Santa's
all finished for the day.
Be sure to come back tomorrow.
Zoey! Over here.
Hey, Zoey.
Nice ride. You live in that thing?
What's your problem?
I'm clearly not the one here
with a problem.
Hey. Are you okay?
I'm all right, Mom.
I've been walking in the streets
This evening
You can tell
Wow, she sounds pretty mean.
- Want me to talk to your coach about her?
- No, I don't, Mom.
I don't need my mom taking care of things
for me. I'm not a kid anymore.
- I can handle it myself.
- Okay, okay.
Good evening, Ms. Jacobson.
Hi.
- Betty?
- It's Zoey.
Sure.
Um, listen, I'm gonna have the check
for you by...
Pishposh! Let's not talk
about such things.
Or, um
you could have your dad drop it on by
when he has a chance.
Grandpa's in town?
We had a lovely conversation
the other night.
You never told me he was so handsome
or so single.
Single? Grandpa?
He's not home. He's not here.
He doesn't He's not
- Oh.
- But...
You know what? Tell him I have snacks,
and he can come by.
- Yeah. Okay.
- I make a great fruitcake.
- Good night, Doralee.
- Good night, Ashley.
I need snacks.
What was she talking about?
I don't know.
You know Doralee. She's so crazy.
A canoe! Well, that sounds like fun.
However, it does take
a lot of adult supervision.
But since you live by the river,
how about a nice pair of water shoes?
Go along. Ho, ho, ho.
The only reason we're here is
all the other Santas had a line for miles.
- Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.
- Not much of a crowd.
- Matthew.
- Hm?
Thank you.
- What are you gonna do about this?
- Well, I'm going to
I don't I don't know.
Well, you might be interested
to hear this.
"Sun Peaks' Santa is a flop."
Ouch.
"Their new Santa
doesn't connect with the kids."
"This year's Sun Peaks Ski Resort Santa
is a jerk."
Jerk? They said, "Jerk"?
Well, he may have to go.
Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas to you.
- Run along.
- Bye, Santa.
Mr. Layne is not gonna be
very happy about this.
Exactly.
Hugh.
There's my boss. I'll take
those two flaming candy canes now.
Coming up.
- Hey, Hugh.
- Oh, hey.
- How you doing, man?
- Good. Good. How are you?
- Good. Thanks for, uh, meeting me.
- Yeah.
So uh
Okay.
It is my understanding
that around Christmastime,
when the kids ask Santa Claus
for something,
Santa usually just says
"Yes."
Ah, and then leaves
the parents on the hook.
That's how you get credit card debt.
Cred...
That's not really your problem.
Well
Uh, no offense, boss, but
You seem just a little bit out of touch.
How's that?
Well, maybe you've never had
to budget, say, a paycheck
to make sure you can buy Christmas gifts
and put food on the table.
Right, because
I'm the, uh, spoiled rich kid.
You know what?
You're right. But, um
You know, not everything
they print about me is true.
You know that feeling where everybody
thinks they know who you are,
but nobody really does?
My point is, I'm trying.
I'm trying to make better choices,
and that is
exactly what I'm asking you to do.
Hey, Mrs. Claus could agree
with that, right?
Oh, well, you know, Santa's been single
for some time.
- Yeah?
- We've got that in common.
Well, not exactly.
Oh. You have You have
somebody significant in your life?
No. No. No.
I mean, maybe. I I don't know.
Um, there's this girl,
and, actually, her daughter's taking
snowboarding lessons here.
But I I asked her out,
and she turned me down.
Well, I'm sure
she probably had her reasons. Hmm?
- Yeah.
- Hmm.
Yeah, like what?
Oh gosh, I don't know. Maybe
You know, maybe she's had
a bad relationship in the past.
You know, she's a little gun-shy
about meeting someone new.
It's funny. I
- I feel like I can talk to you, you know?
- Hmm.
The truth is,
I can't stop thinking about her.
It's like everywhere I go,
she's just right here in front of me.
You know?
- Weird.
- Yeah.
It is.
Two flaming candy canes.
What do you think I should do?
You think I should try again?
Oh, uh, yeah. Uh
Well
Maybe there will be a Christmas miracle.
- Yeah.
- Huh?
- Ho, ho, ho.
- Maybe.
- Oh God! Your beard
- What?
- What?
- Fire! Beard Beard fire.
What? Uh-oh!
You know what? I think I hear
Jimmy calling me. Excuse me.
I can totally see
why you wouldn't wanna go out with him.
Ugh. Yeah, he's, like, handsome and rich.
You guys. He's my boss, okay?
It wouldn't be ethical.
Oh, ethical. Okay.
And how ethical was it
for you to trick the hotel
to hire you as Santa Claus?
So what's this really all about?
I'm scared, obviously,
and I have responsibilities.
You know, I have Zoey.
Yes, but Zoey's 15.
In four years, she's gonna be 19.
She'll probably be
a professional snowboarder. What then?
I don't know.
I will figure it out when I get there.
Where's my sister,
you know, the wild one,
the one who had her own rock band at 16,
the one who mooned the crowd
at high school graduation?
Whatever happened to her?
I guess she got lost someplace.
Well, maybe this is your chance
to find her again.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.
Is it just me, Hugh,
or is there not
a lot of Christmas spirit around here?
Uh, you know what, Jimmy? Can you
Can you go keep the sleigh warm?
What?
Santa needs a minute, okay?
Ho, ho, ho.
Merry Christmas to you, young lady.
I don't believe in Santa Claus.
Oh, well, that's okay. I believe in you.
So, why don't you tell Santa
what you would like for Christmas?
Yeah, right.
Oh, come on. It never hurts to try.
Okay. You wanna know
what I want for Christmas?
I am all ears.
For my mom to get a boyfriend.
Beg your pardon?
Yeah, I want her to start dating.
Have a life outside
of just being my mom all the time.
Oh, well, I'm sure
your mom loves being your mom.
And I love her.
I just wish she'd relax a bit.
She's so serious.
- You know, she used to be in a band.
- You don't say.
Uh-huh. The Screaming Kittens.
She never told me about it.
I had to look it up online.
Oh wow.
That's her. Awesome, right?
Oh.
Oh, she looks very young.
I wish I knew her back then.
Why's that?
'Cause it looks like
she used to be really fun.
Ah.
Next!
- Hello, young fella. What's your name?
- Max.
- What would you like for Christmas?
- Some play clay.
Play clay.
Well, you know, the thing about that is
that it can be very gooey.
And sometimes these drippy globs,
they fall on the rug,
and then your parents step on them
and then
You know what?
Play clay is really fun.
So I'm gonna look into that for you.
Hey, Max.
Uh-huh?
Is there anything else that you want
for Christmas? Like something special?
- Like what?
- Like, uh, not a toy.
But maybe something special
that you can wish for from your heart.
- I wish I wasn't scared of the dark.
- Yeah.
The dark can be pretty spooky.
I have a secret.
- I'm scared of the dark too.
- Really?
Yep, totally. Totally freaked out.
But you know what I did?
I got those glow-in-the-dark sticky stars,
and I put them all over my ceiling.
So that now, every night,
I feel like I'm an astronaut.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
It's okay to be afraid sometimes.
But you don't need
to let your fear be the boss of you, okay?
You be the boss of it.
Yeah. Thanks, Santa Claus.
You're welcome.
Merry Christmas, buddy.
- Santa?
- Hm?
That was awesome.
Oh.
Next!
Natasha, where are those invitations
for the Christmas party?
I really need to get those out.
- I left them on your desk.
- Did you?
Uh, it's funny, because I looked for them,
and I didn't see them.
They're hard to miss, Matthew.
Now, what about the invoices
for the extra catering supplies,
and the work order installments
for the plumbing renovations in 526,
and not to mention the new shift schedule
for the housekeeping staff?
We need those ASAP.
I'm still trying to get through
the stack of papers you left me yesterday.
It's almost like
you don't want me to get through them.
Well
You're the one whose father wants him
to be general manager of this hotel.
So, manage.
You know, I did manage to check
that email you sent on the first day,
and, uh, it did say four o'clock.
Kenny, what is it?
You guys need to see this.
Since you haven't had the third
Something changed, and they all
started showing up about an hour ago.
What happened?
He's really great with kids. He gets them
to open up about their feelings, fears
- Merry Christmas.
- hopes and dreams.
Perhaps instead of Santa's Village,
we should open a therapy center.
I'm so excited to see Santa.
Hello, young lady.
I really like your snowflake shirt.
That's very pretty. What's your name?
Michelle.
Michelle. Oh, I like that name.
That's a very pretty name.
- How old are you, Michelle?
- Nine.
And what's your Christmas wish?
I wish
I didn't stutter.
Oh yes. Yes, I understand.
You know, I heard that singing
can actually help with a stutter.
Do you want to try it together?
I don't know.
Oh, I think it'll be really fun.
We could try "Jingle Bells."
We could all sing together.
Mr. Layne? Come on, let's do it.
- Uh, sure. Yeah, sure.
- Yeah?
Yeah, I think it'd be fun.
You mind if I sing with you?
All right, here we go.
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun It is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Everybody!
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
Hey. Nice work.
You know what? Forget what I said earlier.
Hugh stays with us.
You did so great.
Ho, ho, ho.
Dad, I got something
I think you're gonna wanna see.
Oh, Matthew, what have you done now?
Do I call PR, have them prepare
some kind of a statement?
No, Dad, Dad, it's actually not bad.
It's good. So, the little girl there,
that's Michelle. She has a stutter,
but the Santa Claus we hired
had her singing like a bird.
It was really cute.
Everybody started singing and
Anyway, the online reaction
has been amazing.
We've had thousands of likes and comments,
and there is currently
a waiting list about a mile long
of people wanting to book a room
at the resort
just so their kids can visit
your Santa Claus.
My Santa!
Oh, that's great!
- Sounds like we're back on track.
- Yeah, we're on our way.
Well done. I'll be back in time
for the Christmas party.
And tell "my Santa"
that he will be the guest of honor there.
- You got it.
- See you soon.
See you, Dad.
Kenny. No, no, you're not in trouble.
I need you to go to the HR file
and get me all of the information
you have on Hugh Mann.
- Hey, honey.
- Hey, Mom.
- Since appearing online
- Mr. Layne's on the news.
this heartwarming video
has racked up almost a million views,
which is translating into big business
here at Sun Peaks,
and it's all thanks
to their superstar Santa Claus.
Here's Matthew Layne now.
Excuse me, Mr. Layne?
- Hi there.
- Uh, yes. Sorry, excuse me.
Why do you think it is
that the public has responded so much
to your Santa Claus this Christmas?
Uh, well, because he's
Because he's the best. He really is.
He's charming. He's sincere. He's, uh
He's real.
There you go, folks.
He's both charming and real.
And I gotta say
the people here sure seem to love him.
Yeah, well, they're not the only ones. I
Honestly, I love him too.
That's all for us.
Back to you, Bill, with the weather.
He is completely hot.
I can't believe you turned him down.
Don't you have, like,
homework or something?
Oh, hey, Mom. Can I ask you something?
Sure.
Why didn't you ever tell me
about the Screaming Kittens?
Who?
You know, there's this little thing
called the Internet.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Why the big secret?
It's not a secret. It's just
You know, it happened a long time ago.
It's just something in my past.
Like my dad?
Yeah, something like that.
If it's in the past, why don't you
go on a date with Mr. Layne?
What? Because it's I
You wouldn't understand, okay?
It's complicated.
Mom, I'm 15. I understand complicated.
And besides, he only asked you
to go out for a hot chocolate.
What's so complicated about that?
Nothing.
Hm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I think you might be a little early.
You know, Santa doesn't start
till, like, noon.
Tomorrow.
Yeah, well, figured I'd beat the rush.
You know, we're getting
pretty big crowds these days.
Yeah. I saw you on the news.
Congratulations.
Thanks.
Seems like you're really
turning things around here.
Yeah, well, I wish
I could take the credit, but it's not me.
It's, uh
It's Hugh.
Well, my guess is there's probably
a lot more to it than you think.
You know, so don't sell yourself short.
I don't know. People just
People love the guy. You know, there's
- Hmm.
- There's something about him.
Anyway, what are you, uh, doing here?
Do you know
where to get a good hot chocolate?
Wait, how do you grow up
in a ski town but not know how to ski?
Well, I did when I was a kid.
I just haven't in years.
They say it's like riding a bike.
I don't know.
I say it's like a waste of time.
Since when is having fun a waste of time?
You obviously have never been a mother.
- Moms deserve to have fun too, don't they?
- Yeah.
- So has it always just been you and Zoey?
- Yep, it's always been her and me.
I, uh I got pregnant in college
and dropped out.
And her father wanted to be a rock star,
so he left town,
and I never saw him again.
What about your family?
Yeah, just me and my dad.
My mom died when I was 15.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
It's okay. Thanks. It's
I didn't really handle it well.
I got into a lot of trouble,
and things kind of stayed that way.
Well, you were grieving.
Yeah, didn't make it
any easier on my dad, though.
Just I don't know. I wanted to rebel
against anything and everything.
You know? Discover the world, myself.
Ended up back here anyway.
- And now you're running the place.
- Yeah, kind of.
Nobody told me
there was gonna be so much paperwork.
Every day I'm signing things,
I don't even know what for.
I'm horrible at organizing things.
- I can help you with that.
- Right, sock drawer.
- Exactly.
- Great.
Thanks, by the way.
For the second chance.
- Oh, what? I just like hot chocolate.
- Sure.
Well, then
maybe we could do it again sometime.
Ooh.
I don't know.
That's like dangerously close to a date.
Pfft!
- Nobody wants that.
- I know.
Dates are gross.
- You all right?
- I think I landed on my phone.
I'm coming.
- Oh my gosh.
- You're getting so much better.
- Oh yeah?
- Yeah.
You stayed up like 30 seconds that time.
And you didn't even scream,
"I'm gonna die!"
That's progress.
Come on. Who says this is a waste of time?
Why do I feel guilty then?
Like I'm supposed to be doing
something productive?
We are. We're having fun.
You know, some people
might even call this a date.
- We agreed, this is a skiing lesson.
- Just a ski lesson.
So if I were to invite you
to the Christmas party that we're throwing
at the hotel this weekend,
that also would definitely not be a date.
Well, I don't know.
That's kind of a gray area.
Yeah.
Would I have to dress up for this party?
The rules, I see. Um
Well, it's a family gathering
with board members,
and investors, and their kids.
Yeah. You might have to dress up.
A little.
Well, then
- That's an event.
- Right.
And that is different than a date.
- Oh! Ooh!
- Whoa. Hey!
- You all right?
- Yeah.
So is that a yes?
Thank you.
Thanks a lot.
- That was fantastic.
- I'm just messing around.
I had no idea you were that good.
Thank you.
That means a lot coming from you.
Well
We hope you're having
a great night here at Peaks Lounge.
Yeah.
Oh, it's a popular brand.
Oh, is it?
Now, before we start this next song,
I wanted to give a shout-out
to someone special
in our audience tonight.
She's a legend in the local music scene
here in Lincoln.
From the band the Screaming Kittens,
put your hands together
- I didn't
- for Taylor Jacobson!
Come on up and do a song with us.
Come on. You gotta get up there.
I don't think so.
Aw, come on. Just one song.
Oh, um
I really don't want to.
What? Are you crazy?
Look, everybody's going insane for you.
You gotta get up there.
Um
Uh, thank thank you for the drink.
- I'm gonna I'm gonna go.
- Wait.
Wait. Wait.
Taylor, wait!
- Hey.
- What?
- I'm sorry.
- I know.
I didn't know it was gonna upset you.
I thought
People were excited to see you.
I thought it'd be fun.
Look, I get it. I'm sorry.
I just I can't
I can't do that.
What is it?
I mean, it's like riding a bike, right?
No. No, it's not like
riding a freaking bicycle, Matthew.
That was my dream.
Okay? Music was my life.
That was gonna be my life,
and I had to give it up.
I had a child to raise on my own.
I had bills to pay.
I had to take any crappy job that I could
just so I could put food on the table.
Okay, I'm sorry. I understand.
You don't understand.
It's not your fault, okay?
How's a person like you supposed
to understand a person like me?
Yeah.
Look, I know
that we come from different worlds,
and I'll never know what it feels like
to go through what you did,
but I want to try. Can you let me try?
There's nowhere in the world I'd rather be
than right here with you.
Look, I thought I was ready
to do this again, but I just
I don't
I don't think I can.
I gotta I've gotta get home.
Will you come back inside? Please.
Can I drive you home at least?
What the
Hello, Santa.
- Oh.
- Oh.
Here you go. All paid up.
Great! Thanks.
Is, um everything all right?
Yeah.
Yeah, everything's, uh
everything's just great.
You didn't tell me your dad was Santa.
Well, you know, he's not the real Santa.
Oh, honey, I know he's not the real Santa,
but he is good enough for me.
I'm not picky.
Tell him I made a fresh batch
of gingerbread. I made it with Scotch.
- Good night.
- Yeah.
Night.
Hey, Santa Claus. Aren't you
supposed to be in the North Pole
loading up your sleigh for Christmas?
Well, aren't you supposed to be
sliding down a hill
on a waxed piece of wood?
How do you know that?
Ho, ho, ho.
Well
Santa Claus.
Whatever. I got kicked out for the day.
Hmm.
Now, what exactly do you have to do
to get kicked out of snowboarding school?
There's this girl.
I guess I said something
that she didn't like, and
I don't even wanna be there anyway.
My mother just put me in that class
so she didn't have to deal with me
on the weekends.
- What about your father?
- He lives in London.
They split up last year,
so she came here for work.
Ah.
Well
Must be hard on you.
Nah. I love not being able to see my dad,
and my mother works so much
I hardly ever get to see her either,
so it's just great.
I get it. I get it.
Being a teenage girl is tough, I know.
I mean You know, I can imagine.
I know another girl
who never even met her father.
Her name's Zoey.
How do you know Zoey?
Again, Santa Claus.
Yeah, right. So she tell you I'm a bully?
You know, I, uh
I don't really think you're a bully.
I just think that sometimes,
when people get hurt,
they want everybody else around them
to feel bad too, same way they do.
What makes you think you know how I feel?
Santa Claus.
I'll tell you a little secret.
Santa's been hurt too.
And, uh, he's been carrying around
his hurts a lot longer than you have.
So what are we supposed to do? Just smile
and pretend like everything's okay?
No. No.
You know what, I have an idea.
Let's make a Christmas wish.
- Seriously?
- Yeah, yeah.
Let's wish for both of us
to let go of our hurt
and get on with our lives.
You make it sound really easy.
It's not.
But if it were
Everybody would be Santa.
Ho, ho, ho.
- Mr. Layne?
- Yeah. Just give me a sec, Kenny.
You have a delivery.
Hot chocolate.
Um, but I didn't order any hot chocolate.
How about an apology?
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
Um, that's
I'm sorry too. Let's just forget it.
Well, listen,
I've been doing a lot of thinking, and
- You know, like about you and me.
- Mm-hmm.
Us.
Anyway, I was just wondering if, um
If the invitation is still open?
The invita... Oh, you mean
the invitation to the "event."
- The event. Yes.
- Right. Uh-huh.
Um
I was thinking it might be fun
if we called it a date.
That does sound like fun.
Yeah.
Cool.
It's the perfect opportunity
to introduce you to Hugh.
Hugh?
My dad wants to show off
our new Santa Claus
at the Christmas party.
I told you about him.
At the same party we're gonna go to.
Yeah, same one.
You'll be there, he'll be there.
Great chance to say hi.
Ah.
He's awesome. You're gonna love him.
Um But Christmas
Santa Claus must be pretty in demand.
Um Are you sure he can make it?
Well, he better. He works for us.
- Besides, he's Santa Claus.
- Yeah.
- He can be everywhere, right?
- Mmm.
I can't cancel on him.
I made such a big deal
about this being our first official date.
I don't think he would ever forgive me.
Plus,
I really like him.
- Then what if Santa is a no-show?
- I can't do that either.
'Cause Matthew's father is insisting
Santa Claus be at the party.
And I can't give him any reason
to fire me. I need the gig.
So, what do you want us to do?
Well,
I have an idea.
Oh wow.
Uh, I don't think I'm gonna fit in here.
You and me both.
We'll be all right.
Here we go.
We have officially sold out
for the Christmas season,
and people are even
starting to inquire about next year,
and it's all because of my son.
Matthew, we were just talking
about what an incredible job
you're doing here at the hotel.
- Ah, yeah! He's great, isn't he?
- That's very kind.
Dad, this is who I've been wanting you
to meet. Taylor Jacobson, my dad, Robert.
Oh, hi. I'm sorry.
What a pleasure to meet you, Taylor.
And how did you two meet?
Oh, um
- We met at a very reputable used...
- Pre-owned.
pre-owned record store
where we discovered a mutual appreciation
for vinyl and, you know,
the finer aspects of punk rock.
Ah.
Uh, Matthew, where is our Santa Claus?
We have a lot
of very important people here
who can't wait to meet the man in red
who's making us all this green.
Yeah, I He should be here any minute.
Probably just hit a little traffic
on his way down from the North Pole.
I'm gonna go freshen up. Okay.
Yeah.
Hi.
- Go, go, go.
- Yeah. Hi. Okay. Okay.
Come on.
- Can't believe you couldn't get us a room.
- I'm sorry! The entire hotel was booked.
- Jeez.
- Oh. Sorry.
God.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, everyone.
Ho, ho, ho.
Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
And Merry Christmas to you, little one.
Ho, ho, ho.
I have never received so many emails
from guests singing someone's praises.
- You're the hit of the holiday season.
- Oh, well, it all comes from the top.
I think your son is going to be
an excellent general manager someday.
Thanks, Hugh. That's very kind.
Hey, I'd love you to meet Taylor
when she gets back. She's really special.
Might I remind you, Matthew,
the last woman you described as special
sold her story to a gossip magazine
for a great deal of money.
Yeah, well, Taylor's not like that, Dad.
She's She's a good person.
You know, she's honest, kind.
I think I'm falling for her.
Are you okay?
- It just went down the wrong chimney.
- Oh, sure.
- Excuse me.
- Okay.
- Thank you.
- Uh-huh.
Sure, could work.
Yeah, you're right.
And our cost analysis
shows potential
for significant financial benefits.
Hey. What did I miss?
Oh. Well, we were just discussing
my idea of rebranding Sun Peaks.
We could revamp our loyalty program
with some perks.
Wine tasting, spa treatments,
that sort of thing.
And then we raise prices
and increase profit margins exponentially.
I like it.
Huh.
You don't agree?
Oh no, those are all great ideas.
I just, um
Don't you think
there should be some fun events
or activities for kids too?
You know, so their parents can relax
and enjoy the resort.
Like what, pin the tail on the donkey?
No. Like, how about a craft night,
karaoke, or an escape room?
Kids love to connect with each other
in real life,
and if you win over the kids,
then you'll win over the parents too.
Sorry. You got a little
Don't know what that was.
Okay, thank you.
- It's time to give out the gifts.
- Oh yeah.
Now, where is our Santa?
He was just here.
Oh, I got a
- You okay? You all right?
- Little It's just
I just have to My contact is
I don't I'll be Thank you.
- I'll be
- Contact issue.
- Hey. Hey!
- Hey. Coast is clear.
- Yeah, okay. Okay.
- Mm-hmm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Did you bring something to eat?
I'm starving.
I'm so sorry. Next time, I promise. Okay?
Jerry just called.
Guess who's in the Peaks Lounge.
Stephen King.
Take that off.
Okay. Good. Okay.
- Come on.
- There. Come up.
I got it. There we go. All right.
There Oh!
No. Over there.
No. Get down.
Uh Sorry. Sorry to interrupt.
Everything okay in there?
Yeah, all good.
Out in a minute.
Good.
Okay. We gotta get you out of here.
Hugh.
Hi. I didn't
We should get back to the party.
Sure, that's a good idea.
- Okay. Let's go.
- Okay.
Okay, kids,
who wants presents from Santa Claus?
Ho, ho.
Hello.
- Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas, kids.
- Hey, do you know where Taylor is?
No, I don't.
But I know who does,
and it's time for you all
to know the truth.
And one for you
This man is an imposter.
He's no imposter. He's Santa Claus.
No. I mean he is a fraud.
He's using a fake name
and your little girlfriend's
Social Security number.
What? Hugh, is this true?
Uh, I don't I don't know
what she's talking about.
Don't play innocent with me, Kris Kringle.
They're probably working together
on some evil scheme to ruin my career.
I mean, Christmas.
How much champagne have you had?
It's time to tell the truth, Santa Claus.
Who are you really? What is your name?
Well, um
Taylor Jacobson?
Is Taylor Jacobson in here?
There's been an accident on the ski slope.
Her daughter's been hurt.
Zoey?
Taylor?
- Did you see what happened?
- No.
You're gonna be okay. I know you are.
She's gonna be okay, right?
Zoey!
Oh my God, Zoey!
Zoey! It's okay. I'm here.
What happened?
Ava, what happened?
She tried a new trick on the half-pipe,
and she landed bad.
- Like, really, really bad.
- Oh my God.
Excuse me.
Mom! Mom!
- Ava! Are you all right?
- I'm fine. Zoey had the accident.
I was the only one around,
so I called 911.
Thank goodness.
That was quick thinking, Ava.
Honey, can you hear me? It's me.
You're gonna be okay. Okay? Mommy's here.
Santa Claus?
Why do you sound like my mother?
I
Whoa.
Mom?
Just lay still, okay, honey?
Matthew, listen...
- Zoey needs you. You should go.
- I know, but I can explain.
It's okay. Just go.
Okay.
We could charge her
with fraud, and trespassing,
and probably a few other things
I haven't thought of.
No, no. We're not gonna do that.
I'm not gonna have this hotel's reputation
dragged through the mud
any more than it already has been.
How could you let this happen?
We had someone working with children
without proper ID,
without a background check.
Think of the ethics. Think of the morals.
Think of the lawsuits.
Now, Matthew, I can understand,
but Natasha,
I trusted you
to keep your eye on things around here.
I'm sorry, Robert, but...
If anybody's to blame, Dad, it's me.
Don't blame Natasha. It's not her fault.
I'm the one who hired Hugh.
I mean
Taylor.
I made the mistake.
Well, apparently, so did I.
Natasha, you'll take the lead
at the concert tonight
and speak for the hotel.
Matthew
You've done enough.
Hey.
Have you heard anything about Zoey?
Is she gonna be okay?
She's got really good doctors, sweetie.
She just needs some rest.
I feel awful, Mom.
I've been really mean to her,
and she's a good snowboarder,
and she's got a really cool mom too.
- Her mother's a fraud, dear.
- No, she's not.
She's a real mom. She listened to me.
I listen to you.
But you don't hear me.
Since you and Dad split, it's like
you're a completely different person.
You're always at work. I never see you.
I miss my mom.
I know.
Here, let's talk.
Okay.
Mom! Mom, come here.
You just hit 100,000 views.
Aha!
Well, at least
the Internet still likes me.
- You still haven't heard from Matthew?
- No.
No. And
I don't think I will unless it's in court.
I still can't believe you did all this
just to get me into a snowboarding camp.
Honey, I love you.
I love you.
So, you're not, like,
totally and utterly embarrassed
by your mother?
Of course not. How many kids get to say
that they have Santa Claus for a mom?
That's a really good point.
Thanks.
Hi, Doralee.
Just a reminder. The rent's due next week.
Yes, I will have a check for you tomorrow.
Hmm.
I heard what happened up at Sun Peaks.
So, the man who said he was your father,
that was you?
Yeah. I'm sorry.
Guess I must've looked really stupid,
all dressed up
for someone who didn't even exist.
You must've gotten a good laugh
on that one.
I never meant to hurt anybody.
Why is it the only people
who ever say that are the ones that do?
Um
Is there anything that I can do
to apologize?
Oh, honey. From what I'm hearing,
I'm not the one you owe an apology to.
Matthew, there you are.
Um
Listen, Matthew,
I am so sorry about Ms. Jacobson.
Oh.
Yeah, me too.
Ava and I had a long talk today.
The first meaningful one
we've had in a while.
It wouldn't have happened
if it wasn't for Taylor.
- I just wanted to say thank you.
- For what?
For not throwing me under the bus
with your father.
Oh.
After the way I behaved,
why would you do that?
I spent a long time
avoiding responsibility for anything.
I figured maybe it's time I grow up.
I think you should speak
at the concert tonight.
Me?
No. No, my father said...
Your father said I'm supposed to teach you
how to be general manager.
Consider it your final exam.
Nice work, guys. Hey, let's give it up
for Santa's Helpers, huh?
All right. You guys remember me.
I'm Matthew Layne. I'm the
Well, I used to work here.
But I'm sure you all heard
what happened with Santa.
We're still figuring out
where to go from here,
but in the meantime,
it looks like this year,
Sun Peaks won't have a Santa.
Yeah. But it doesn't mean
we won't celebrate Christmas.
Because what is Santa Claus, really?
I mean, he's not just a beard,
or a suit, or a big jolly belly.
He's an idea. He's an idea
that we can all be a part of,
no matter who we are.
What's Matthew doing up there?
Looks like he's saving
our Christmas season.
Santa Claus is kindness,
and generosity, and love.
He's all the things
that make us here at Sun Peaks
- You okay?
- a family.
So I hope you'll join me in celebrating,
even if it's just for tonight,
the very best of who we are,
of who we can be.
Hope you'll join me in saying
Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night!
A good night!
Uh
What are you doing here?
Go up there, Mom.
- Hey. Um
- Hey.
- Sorry. I didn't
- Just kind of
I know. I'm sorry. I just
I needed to apologize to you,
and the resort, and to everyone else.
The truth is, I needed a job.
You needed a Santa Claus.
I wanted to help my daughter,
and I think
things just got a little out of hand.
A little bit, yeah.
Yeah.
And what's she doing here?
It's okay. It's a good thing.
You know,
the worst part of it is, is that I
I didn't think
I could ever have something like this.
I didn't think I deserved it.
But there you were,
and I just
I didn't think I'd ever meet
somebody like you.
Certainly didn't think
I was gonna fall for you.
Um
Anyway, I just
I'm sorry
for all the trouble that I caused, and
I hope you can have a Merry Christmas.
Um, sorry.
No.
Don't leave him.
- Thanks, man.
- Yeah.
Wait. Wait. Um
Taylor.
I miss Hugh.
- You miss Hugh?
- I do.
- I miss his puffy cheeks
- Stop.
and his beard, and his scent.
- He smells really good.
- Oh my God. You're ridiculous.
I'm sorry I came up with that stupid idea.
No, no, I
I'm glad you did.
It was a little weird looking
into Santa's eyes and feeling
- Yeah.
- something, you know? It was confusing.
But if you hadn't done that,
I never would have had the chance
to get to know
the you underneath that beard and
To fall for the real you.
Maybe we can start
with just spending Christmas together.
Maybe we could call it a date.
I mean, I guess so.
Hey, Taylor, how about a song?
I know it's been a while,
but they say it's like riding a bike.
- You told him to say that.
- I did not.
- You knew I was coming.
- I said nothing.
Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!
Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!
All right, why not? Yeah, sure, let's go.
Out of all the reindeers
You know you're the mastermind
Run, run, Rudolph
Randolph ain't too far behind
Run, run, Rudolph
Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa, make him hurry
Tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run, Rudolph
Reeling like a merry-go-round
Hey!
Said Santa to a boy child
"What have you been longing for?"
"All I want for Christmas
Is a rock-and-roll electric guitar"
Hey, yeah!
Then away went Rudolph
Whizzing like a shooting star, yeah
That's my son!
Come on!
Run, run, Rudolph
Santa's gotta make it to town
Santa, make him hurry
Tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run, Rudolph
Reeling like a merry-go-round
Ow!
Yeah!
You got it.
You got it. Give me five.
- Merry Christmas!
- Merry Christmas!
- Can you believe Mom got me this?
- Mmm.
Just be careful of your other arm, okay?
Well, I'd love to propose a toast,
if I may.
First to Natasha, our new London GM,
and to the newest member
of the Sun Peaks team,
Executive Director of Family Events,
Ms. Taylor Jacobson.
Hear, hear.
Cheers. Merry Christmas. Cheers.
And cheers to you.
All right.
And if I may.
To my son,
who proved all the doubters wrong,
including me,
and made his father
and his late mother very proud.
Oh
- Thanks, Dad.
- Cheers.
Thanks.
Well done, son.
The board is very, very happy
Hi.
- Today isn't rent day.
- No.
But it's Christmas.
I got a new dress at Ross.
- Oh! Congratulations.
- Thank you. Hey.
- Merry Christmas. Cheers.
- Merry Christmas.
Cheers, Zoey.
- She is so fun. Yeah. Yes.
- I really like her. I do. Yeah.
Well, hello.
You're pretty easy on the eyes.
Oh, what's that?
So sweet.
He's in trouble.
Take it from me,
he doesn't stand a chance.
How did you get so good at Christmas?
Well
Santa Claus.
- Mmm.
- Mm-hmm.
- Ho, ho, ho.
- Mm-hmm.
Donner and Blitzen are itchin'
Gettin' ready to fly
Prancer and Vixen
Are polishin' them reindeer smiles
Dancer's showin' Comet
How to rock it in the new free style
And all the village elves
Are workin' through the night
Stockin' up the shelves
From the left and to the right
Gettin' it done
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Click your heels and run, Rudolph
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Bobby's got a school play
Jenny's got the lead in the choir
Baby's got a toothache
With no pacifier
In traffic all the way
It's like she's screamin'
Through an amplifier
Mama needs a break
Papa wants a drink
Oh, for heaven's sake
Everybody's on the brink
It won't be long
Till Santa's takin' over the town
Tell everyone
That Santa's takin' over the town
Let's have some fun
And let Santa take over the town
Like a son of a gun
Santa's takin' over the town
Ooh
C'mon, Rudolph! Run!
I think I see a sleigh!
Maybe we should stay up to hear
some hooves on the roof.
What do you think?
I hope it won't be too long.
'Cause all the little kids
They're tryin' to toe the line
But something's gotta give
Before they lose their little minds
It won't be long
Till Santa's takin' over the town
They'll be awake before the dawn
'Cause Santa's takin' over the town
Let's have some fun
Let Santa take over the town
Like a son of a gun
Santa's takin' over the town