ANDREA AURORA CHELSEA CHUCK CLASS CLEMENTINE ENRIQUE FINSTER FIREFIGHTER GRD_CREW JASMINE JENKINS JOGGER JOSEPHINE KEVIN KID LADY MAN MANS_VOICE MAYOR MRS_CLAUS NEWS_ANCHOR NORMAN OLD_GUY PASSERBY PENDLETON RECEPTIONIST RECORDED_VOICE RESCUER RYAN SANTA SHOPKEEPER SILVERHAIRED_LADY TEEN TREVOR VOICE WEATHER_EDITOR WOMAN SANTA clementine? SANTA what are you doing up here? CLEMENTINE i wanted to get a better look at the northern lights. to see how bad things really are. SANTA worse than you can imagine. SANTA i'm afraid christmas is in serious trouble. CLEMENTINE so what can we do? SANTA when you figure that out, be sure and let me know. CHELSEA kevin, you're the man of the house. CHELSEA are these for the christmas lights or the router? KEVIN actually, they're what's left of your old hair dryer. i saw a video on edison. i got inspired. CHELSEA okay. that's the last time i skimp on movers. everything is mislabelled. CHELSEA oh. nice t-rex. KEVIN it's a reindeer. but if you see a t-rex, let's go with that. CHELSEA pragmatic artist. guess you got the best of both parents. CHELSEA oh honey, we're going to leave in ten minutes. you're going to be late for school. KEVIN i'm not sure anybody'd notice. CHELSEA oh kev, come on. look, i know one of the hardest things to do is to fit into a new school, but it just takes time. you'll see. CHELSEA oh. that's my editor. he wants to see me in the office. come on. KEVIN probably just to tell you you're his awesomest reporter. CHELSEA you're awesome. you've always been my biggest fan. thank you. KEVIN mom, what if santa looks for us at the old house and all he sees are empty rooms? CHELSEA honey, if he can deliver a billion presents in a single night, he's got to have some sort of system that can track all of us. don't you think? CHELSEA come on. let's go. CHELSEA how is it in the making friends department? huh? KEVIN tommy chan said "sorry" when he tripped on my backpack yesterday. CHELSEA see? that's something, right? KEVIN seriously? CHELSEA okay. maybe not. but you've got to keep trying. okay? CHELSEA oh! i have an idea. why don't you think about maybe joining a team? or a club, or something like that? KEVIN well, i was thinking of starting like a christmas committee. to put up more lights and stuff at school. CHELSEA that's a great idea. come on. KEVIN lights and decorations tonight. promise? CHELSEA promise. if we have to tear through every box in the house. KEVIN great,.. KEVIN …'cause the only time you see green and red around this place is when the sixth graders dissect frogs. CHELSEA ew. gross. but i get the point. RYAN top of the morning, kev. KEVIN hey. CHELSEA who rides a bike in the winter? KEVIN mom, this is my teacher, mr. wilson. RYAN hi, i'm ryan. CHELSEA chelsea. i didn't realize kevin's teacher was irish. RYAN oh, i'm not actually. i just like to keep the kids on their toes. RYAN nice to meet you. CHELSEA yeah. CHELSEA your teacher is…unique. KEVIN yeah. i like him. he gets ya to see things differently. CHELSEA kiss for mom? CHELSEA no? i love you. CHELSEA come on, buddy. talk to somebody. WEATHER EDITOR uh, better make room by the crossword, there's something strange going on with the northern lights. CHELSEA morning, trevor. TREVOR good morning. CHELSEA hey, chuck. nice piece on the bus strike. CHUCK thanks, chelsea. CHELSEA yeah. CHUCK hey, you want some eggnog? CHELSEA no, actually eggnog and i are not friends, so you enjoy. JASMINE right choice. avoiding chuck in "christmas party" mode is the best advice this advice columnist could give you. CHELSEA hey listen, maybe you and i can have lunch today, huh? JASMINE if that means joining you at your desk for a sandwich from the vending machine again, no thanks. CHELSEA oh, i'm sorry. new kid syndrome. i just feel like i have to prove myself to the higher-ups. JASMINE well, here's your chance. CHELSEA oh… JENKINS morning, chelsea. CHELSEA i was just coming to see you. JENKINS good, good. walk with me. CHELSEA okay. JENKINS i've decided to shake things up and try you out on the city beat column. CHELSEA ah, really? oh, i won't let you down. JENKINS i know. i know. back in wisconsin you were the one who broke the story on the wholesaler who was selling cheap cheddar as gourmet gouda, right? CHELSEA yeah well, i have a nose for news. and that didn't smell right. JENKINS put that wit and tenacity in your column and you'll do just fine. CHELSEA okay. JENKINS there's your first assignment. CHELSEA okay. JENKINS the town has decided to cancel the annual christmas tree lighting in greenwood park to save a few bucks. think you can handle a politician turns scrooge story? CHELSEA yeah, of course. um, should i… CHELSEA okay. CHELSEA mr. finster? FINSTER yes. CHELSEA chelsea hastings from the examiner. i called you several times about the cancelled tree lighting ceremony. FINSTER yes, i'm sorry. we're closed for the holidays. CHELSEA but don't you think the public deserves to know why it was cancelled? FINSTER ms. hastings, right? CHELSEA yeah. FINSTER the ceremony is expensive. power, labor, liability…now the mayor made a decision and… CHELSEA what? but it's tradition around here. FINSTER a tradition that seems to be all but forgotten. listen, if you have any questions, please talk to the mayor's office. or the planning commission. CHELSEA the planning commission? what do they have to do with the tree lighting? FINSTER more than you might think. but you didn't hear it from me. CHELSEA yes, he said… CHELSEA …the planning commission, which of course is conveniently closed for the holidays. i'm telling you jasmine, there's more to this story than meets the eye. mmhm. look, i gotta go. i've got to pick up my kid. i'll call you later. RYAN "fractions are numerical quantities, when added to together comprise the whole." RYAN confused? i know i am. RYAN all right, let's see if we can make this a little clearer. RYAN suppose we took these scissors to this tie and made the tie a fraction of its length? RYAN i'd say that's about half, right? so, if i took it and cut right here it would be…all together now. CLASS one fourth! RYAN by george, i think they've got it! RYAN all right. so remember, christmas vacation starts next week, so you have exactly two days to pick your holiday project. it can be an experiment or a... paper or a plan to change the world! think bold, think big people! RYAN hey! nice to see you again. CHELSEA thanks. that was an interesting demonstration. RYAN yeah well, anything to get the point across. CHELSEA and what exactly is the point of the holiday project? KEVIN my mom's a reporter. she was born to ask questions. RYAN it's okay. the point of the project is to teach the kids creative thinking. CHELSEA well, i think your creative approach to math has turned your $20.00 tie into a penny's worth of scraps. RYAN well, you obviously don't write for the style section. 'cause it was a $6.00 tie! CHELSEA oh… CHELSEA tell me it went better today. KEVIN today was better. CHELSEA really? KEVIN no! but you told me what to say. CHELSEA spill it. KEVIN okay. this reindeer sweater, bad idea. i also heard a nasty rumour from the lunch lady that the town's tree lighting ceremony was cancelled. CHELSEA yeah. i'm actually writing an article about it. i was going to tell you today. KEVIN so it's true? KEVIN remember back home, the tree lighting ceremony in nelson square? practically the whole town got together. CHELSEA yeah. KEVIN i really miss all that. CHELSEA yeah, i know, buddy. me too. well listen, you know this place is into christmas. well hey, look, look at that inflatable reindeer right there. right? he's giving 20% off for the holidays, huh? KEVIN nice try. CHELSEA hey honey,... CHELSEA …sorry we couldn't find the box of decorations. but we'll keep looking tomorrow. okay? KEVIN it's okay. good night, mom. CHELSEA good night, honey. sleep tight. KEVIN now that was christmas. AURORA clementine! there you are. i've been looking all over for you. CLEMENTINE i'm really worried, mom. things are way worse than people realize. just look at the ornaments. there's one for every kid in the world. right? so we should easily be able to read by their glow! CLEMENTINE but they're totally dim. AURORA i have to admit i've never seen it so dark. CLEMENTINE so someone has to do something. now, before it's too late. AURORA i hope by "someone" you don’t mean you. CLEMENTINE if not me, than who? AURORA clementine, that's what you said before the glacier fiasco and the snow plow incident. CLEMENTINE hey, i'm a problem-solver. and those roads were very slushy. AURORA everyone appreciates your good intentions, but you have to admit, you do have a tendency to leap before you look. hey, focus on your studies. when you grow up you can join the rest of the family in the guild-of-brain-stretch. CLEMENTINE but mom, i just…i feel like i'm meant for something else. you know? something…something bigger. CLEMENTINE hey…wait a minute. what's that? CLEMENTINE now this kid really gets what it takes to make christmas dazzy! CLEMENTINE "kevin hastings." KEVIN why isn't christmas like it used to be? CLEMENTINE that's exactly what i've been wondering! AURORA honey, he can't hear you. CLEMENTINE it doesn't matter. i heard him. CLEMENTINE snowmg! i've got a great idea. KEVIN mom! mom! KEVIN oh…cool! KEVIN flight seven-niner-niner,… KEVIN …you're clear to land on runway alpha-charlie. KEVIN make sure your flaps… KEVIN ..and landing gear are down. CLEMENTINE whatever you say, tower. although i don't use a runaway. KEVIN who is this? CLEMENTINE if you don't who you're talking to, then why are you giving flight instructions? KEVIN i was just fooling around. CLEMENTINE i know. i'm just messing with you. so, do you like the present? KEVIN yeah. it's awesome. it totally turned around my otherwise crummy month. CLEMENTINE if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one with problems. CLEMENTINE you want to talk about it? KEVIN yeah, except my mom will freak if she catches me talking to a stranger on the radio. CLEMENTINE well, technically it's not a radio. it's a northpole communicator. KEVIN the northpole? CLEMENTINE yeah. it's where i live with my nine brothers and sisters. KEVIN you live at the north pole?! CLEMENTINE no, not the north pole. i actually live in a city call northpole. name's clementine. CLEMENTINE see? now we're not strangers anymore, right kevin? KEVIN how could you…? CLEMENTINE so, you tell me about your lousy month… CLEMENTINE …and i'll tell you about mine. KEVIN no one around here gets me. CLEMENTINE we are two of a kind, kevin. CLEMENTINE i mean, where is it written a small elf can't make a big difference? KEVIN excuse me?! KEVIN elf? wait a minute. hello? clementine! hello? CHELSEA kevin? CHELSEA hey. who you talking to? KEVIN would you believe…an elf? CHELSEA an elf? okay, mister, it's time for bed. CHELSEA an elf? RYAN who needs a gym when the library's open? CHELSEA yeah. uh, ryan, right? RYAN yeah. CHELSEA shouldn't you be in school? RYAN the kids have music class on tuesday mornings. it give me a chance to do my own homework. CHELSEA i see. new tie? RYAN oh yeah… CHELSEA yes. RYAN i buy'em in bulk on the internet. what brings you down here? CHELSEA just to run a little background work on greenwood park on an article i'm writing. and of course the research is up there, and i'm down here. RYAN you want to see some world-class mountaineering? CHELSEA think you should be doing that? RYAN don't worry. i spent a summer as a ranger in yosemite. CHELSEA yeah. RYAN well, maybe not a ranger….but i did manage a concession stand. CHELSEA ah…thank you. RYAN a parenting book, huh? everything okay with kevin? CHELSEA oh...yeah. um well, to tell you the truth…uh, kevin hasn't made any friends here. and he's been inventing a lot of stories and last night he was talking to an elf. RYAN well, the imagination can be a great coping mechanism. CHELSEA or a way to avoid facing reality. RYAN well look, i'm sure he will be fine. but i'm happy to keep an eye on him at school. CHELSEA thanks. CHELSEA happy reading. CLEMENTINE hey, randy. we've got a big problem that needs solving. how about a trip down south? CLEMENTINE whoa! look at you, all ribboned and bowed and ready to fly. CLEMENTINE all right, time to get into the snow zone. to black KEVIN hey! KID hey. KEVIN okay well, we might as well get started. at least we have two people on the christmas committee. KID christmas committee? i thought this was the gamer's group. NORMAN nice christmas committee. CHELSEA hey honey, don't stay up too late. okay? KEVIN i won't. CHELSEA and listen, i'm sorry your committee didn't take off. but i promise we'll have our own terrific christmas. okay? KEVIN all right. goodnight, mom. CHELSEA good night. CLEMENTINE hey! kevin. KEVIN clementine? CLEMENTINE sorry i lost contact last night. the northern lights are freaking. we've got to talk right away. KEVIN i don't think i'm supposed to talk to you. my mom says you're the product of an overactive imagination. CLEMENTINE your imagination's fine. it's your mom's and a lot of other people's under-active imaginations that are the problem. i mean, where's the joy? where's the happiness? KEVIN good question. CLEMENTINE glad you think so. 'cause i need you to help me find an answer to it before northpole's a goner. KEVIN goner? what are you talking about? CLEMENTINE best way to explain is to show you. put down the communicator and look out your window. KEVIN no way!! KEVIN this is so sick! CLEMENTINE yeah well, i wanted the one with racing stripes, but beggars can't be choosers. now jump in and buckle up. 'cause we've got to fly. KEVIN ah…fly? CLEMENTINE oh, do you know a faster way to northpole? KEVIN if my mom finds out about this, i'll be in my room until i'm old enough to vote. CLEMENTINE go like snow, randy! KEVIN okay. i've had some weird dreams, but this is the weirdest!! CLEMENTINE it's not a dream! that's what i'm trying to prove to you. northpole is for real! CLEMENTINE okay. look down there. CLEMENTINE those are some of the guilds where toys are made. that's the guild of yummy! CLEMENTINE and that's the guild of spin and fly. CLEMENTINE oh, and my favorite, reindeer games stadium. KEVIN this is so cool! CLEMENTINE and over there, that's the guild of bounce and spring. CLEMENTINE there's snow row. that's where i live. and those are northpole canals. KEVIN it's totally awesome! CLEMENTINE yeah well, we say "dazzy", but awesome works too. oh, you're going to have to put these on. you're not allowed up here and i'm in enough trouble already. KEVIN candy cane tights?! CLEMENTINE yeah. KEVIN green shoes? CLEMENTINE cute, right? KEVIN if anybody at school finds out about this i'll be a piñata in like three seconds flat! CLEMENTINE my town, my rules. CLEMENTINE bring 'er home, randy! CLEMENTINE all right. come on, come on, come on. remember, act like an elf. KEVIN they don't call these things tights for nothing. KEVIN this is amazing. how come they don't just use the bridge? CLEMENTINE duh…because bouncing's more fun. KEVIN makes sense. KEVIN oh, what's up with the light show? CLEMENTINE it's what we need to fix. if northpole's going to survive, we need somebody to do something to keep the cycle of happiness going! KEVIN what's the cycle of happiness? CLEMENTINE when children down south feel the joy of holiday togetherness, sparks of happiness flow up and become the northern lights. then they flow back down on the northpole as magic snowflakes. and magic snow powers everything. it's what the elf guilds use to make toys. toys make us happy. and so then the cycle continues, just like it has for generations...until now. CLEMENTINE and so, less togetherness down south means less magic snow. without some kind of miracle the northern lights could go out. which would be the end of northpole. KEVIN and the end of all the toys from santa. CLEMENTINE oh well, now you're getting the picture. KEVIN oh man, no toys?! KEVIN why am i laughing? CLEMENTINE because getting smacked with a snowball made of happy moments makes everybody giggle. CLEMENTINE anyway, now that you've seen the problem, we need to get busy. KEVIN ah….we? CLEMENTINE yeah. you and me. it's up to us to make the miracle happen. KEVIN i don't know about that, clementine. it sounds a little out of my league. SANTA clementine! CLEMENTINE oh, boy. my ice is totally cracked. KEVIN santa and mrs. claus?!! SANTA kevin hastings. you almost had me fooled. KEVIN uh…well, you see, clementine… SANTA does this have anything to do with my missing reindeer? CLEMENTINE uh-huh, but i've got a very good excuse. you see, kevin and i are working together. on the happiness problem. SANTA you volunteered, kevin? that's nice. KEVIN well….i haven't exactly volunteered. i mean, clementine's talking miracles here! i have trouble opening a jar of pickles! MRS CLAUS well, even the smallest snowflake can turn into the biggest snowball. SANTA if it gets a push. SANTA i know you're worried about me finding you in your new home. but if it'll make you feel better, you take this magic snowflake and we'll find you no matter where you are. KEVIN thanks! MRS CLAUS good luck. CLEMENTINE thank you, mrs. claus. CLEMENTINE so, what do you say? KEVIN what else can i say? i'm in! CLEMENTINE oh kevin, you are the deer's ears! now, let's get you home. come on. KEVIN mom, you're not going to believe what happened! CHELSEA good morning, bed head. whoa… KEVIN it was amazing! first i talked to clementine… CHELSEA you made a friend named clementine? KEVIN yeah! she's an elf. CHELSEA oh, you're talking to an elf again. KEVIN not just talked! she took me on a flying sleigh ride to northpole! and i met santa and saw the guilds where they make all the toys! and i was drafted on a special mission to help save northpole and protect christmas! CHELSEA wow! that was some dream. KEVIN that's what i thought at first, but it wasn't a dream. look, i got proof. CHELSEA oh, you found the rest of the christmas decorations. great. KEVIN no. santa gave me this himself, so he can find me no matter where we live. it's a magic snowflake! CHELSEA okay honey…i want you to listen to me. i know that this move hasn't been easy, but we're going to get through it, like we always do…together. KEVIN but mom i... CHELSEA honey, go get ready for school. okay? come on. KEVIN at least i know what my class project's going to be. CHELSEA magic snowflake… to black CHELSEA hi. RECEPTIONIST for the mayor? CHELSEA yes, but i have strict instructions to deliver it personally. RECEPTIONIST oh. okay. just one moment, please. RYAN so, as you guys well know, we are t-minus two days 'til christmas vacation. which means it's time to pick your projects. all right? now dazzle me! enrique? ENRIQUE my project is to measure snowfall. RYAN okay. how're you going to do that? ENRIQUE using my cat's water dish. RYAN wouldn't you rather use a beaker? ENRIQUE pico de gato won't drink from a beaker. RYAN okay. moving on. andrea, what's yours? ANDREA i was inspired by the jane goodall video we watched last week. RYAN to do a field study on learned behavior? ANDREA no, a field study on which of my christmas presents costs most. RYAN okay. kevin, what's yours going to be? KEVIN ah well…there's been some really great ideas floating around here. and i don't want to upstage anybody, so i'll tell you later. RYAN mm-mm, no sir. out with it. now i know you've got something great. what's your vacation project going to be? KEVIN i'm going to save northpole. RYAN what's that kev, i ca.., i couldn't hear you. KEVIN um…i'm going to save a place called northpole. make sure santa can still bring presents and stuff. RYAN hey, hey, hey….it is an unconventional idea, but as einstein said, imagination is even more important than knowledge. RYAN all right. look kevin, we'll talk after class. now moving on… CHELSEA thanks. MAYOR please, come in. sit down. MAYOR oh. and which happy constituent do i have to thank for this? CHELSEA chelsea hastings with the examiner. you haven't returned my phone calls. MAYOR very tricky, miss hastings. MAYOR i applaud your tenacity. CHELSEA well, it seemed better than interrupting your speech at the kiwanis. tell me, how do you feel about cancelling a century-old tradition? MAYOR ah, this is about the tree lighting. look, i was elected on an austerity platform. now, i'm not going to spend money on some ceremony that, well…hardly anybody goes to anymore. CHELSEA i'm sure it's not that bad. MAYOR have you been there? CHELSEA no, not yet. MAYOR well, it's an eyesore. the warming chalet is all boarded up, the skating rink needs maintenance... well, i'm sure you can understand my position. CHELSEA what i can't understand is why the planning commission, who usually oversees construction projects, is suddenly involved with the christmas tree lighting. MAYOR and who told you that? CHELSEA sorry, i can't reveal my source. MAYOR i can't comment any further. CHELSEA i see. well, at least i'm starting to. RYAN okay. now let me make sure i've got this right. sparks of happiness rise and form the northern lights. KEVIN right. RYAN which then float down in the middle of magic snowflakes that elves use to make toys which make kids happy and the whole cycle just repeats itself? KEVIN exactly! and boosting christmas happiness in this town means more christmas happiness overall and maybe that can snowball! RYAN wow, you really thought this through. KEVIN so, you'll let me do it? RYAN of course i will. okay, but supposing that your hypothesis here is correct, what are some of the things you can do to help spread holiday happiness here? KEVIN that's where i'm kind of stuck. RYAN well, what are some of the things that make you happy at christmas? KEVIN well, in my old town, christmas was all about caroling and baking cookies. and the best thing of all was the big christmas tree lighting. it was so cool how the whole town got together. but my mom said here they're not even going to have a tree lighting. i mean, really? RYAN i know. it's funny. it used to be huge. i guess over the years people just sort of forgot about it. KEVIN well, maybe they need to be reminded. KEVIN that's what we got to do! we've got to save the tree lighting! RYAN save the...(chuckles) okay, that's a… that is a tall order, kev. but i did ask you to dream big, didn't i? RYAN all right. let's break this down. CHELSEA hi, is this the public works department? VOICE yes. CHELSEA i wanted to see if you guys have… VOICE could you hold on, please? CHELSEA yes, of course i'll hold. RECORDED VOICE please continue to hold. OLD GUY used to be one great park. when the ice was groomed and that tree was lit up, it was magical. what you're holding in your hand means the end of all that. CHELSEA i don't think i'm following. OLD GUY those numbers are coordinates. a few days ago a couple of surveyors drove up here. peterson i think, was written on the side of their truck. CHELSEA peterson, or did it say pendleton? OLD GUY that's it. pendleton. whoever he is has something in mind for this place other than ice skating. KEVIN so how's the investigation going? CHELSEA well, it's an enigma, wrapped in a riddle inside three layers of mystery. or is that a turducken? KEVIN did you talk to the mayor yet? CHELSEA yeah. i can see why people like him. i still don't think he's being straight with me. KEVIN you always see the half empty glass. CHELSEA well honey, somebody has to, or we'd run out of milk. KEVIN who's ernie pendleton? CHELSEA that's what i'd like to know. CHELSEA oh, that's mrs. tucker. now listen, make sure you do your homework. okay? i love you. CHELSEA hi, mrs. tucker. MRS. TUCKER hello. how are you? CHELSEA good. thanks for coming over. MRS. TUCKER it's always a pleasure. he's such a good boy. never any trouble at all. CHELSEA i'll be back before dinner. MRS. TUCKER okay. MRS. TUCKER hello, kevin. KEVIN hey, mrs. tucker. MRS. TUCKER doing your school work? KEVIN mmhm. MRS. TUCKER all right, dear, i'll be watching my soaps. let me know if you need any help. KEVIN so how'd you know i'd be at home? CLEMENTINE magic snowflake. backpack. hello? KEVIN ah yeah, right. KEVIN if we're going to do something, we got to hurray. my babysitter's soap is over in exactly one hour. CLEMENTINE okay. so what do you have in mind? KEVIN i was thinking about what santa said. with you know, snowflakes turning into snowballs? CLEMENTINE and…? KEVIN and what if we get a lot of people together to do something really christmassy? CLEMENTINE like? KEVIN like saving the town's tree lighting ceremony. that could create a ton of happiness sparks. so what do you think? CLEMENTINE i thinks it's pure genius! let's go. KEVIN whoa there…not dressed like that, you can't. KEVIN throw on my old coat and switch hats. make sure to pull it over your ears. CLEMENTINE what? what's wrong with my ears? KEVIN nothing. 'cept mine are round and yours…aren't. if you get my, uh…point CLEMENTINE okay. but these clothes, they don't reflect my personal flair. KEVIN my town, my rules. CLEMENTINE okay. JASMINE slow down. you're going to melt those keys. CHELSEA you know, how come everybody at city hall runs for the hills when ask them about the cancelled tree lighting ceremony? and that survey flag i found in greenwood park? JASMINE good questions. here's another. jake, in ad sales, is a great guy and i was just wondering… CHELSEA you mean the guy who talks too much about monster trucks? yeah, no. i don't think so. thanks, though. JASMINE all right. i tried. CHELSEA mmm. KEVIN help us save the christmas tree lighting! CLEMENTINE ring in the holidays! donation here! help save the tree lighting ceremony! KEVIN help us save the tree lighting ceremony! help save the… SHOPKEEPER hey, you two! you're driving off my business with this racket! there is no panhandling here. now shoo. CLEMENTINE uh, we weren't panhandling. i'm pretty sure we would know if we were handling pans. SHOPKEEPER yeah well, just move along before i call the cops. CLEMENTINE i think he needs a little dose of happiness. KEVIN no! ? hey! KEVIN they don’t have magic snow here, remember?! run! CLEMENTINE oh-oh! sorry! merry christmas! CHELSEA i can't believe you snuck out on mrs. tucker. you almost gave her a heart attack. what has gotten into you lately? KEVIN uh, christmas? CHELSEA okay. we need to move beyond the obsession of christmas. broaden your horizons. KEVIN but i don't have time to have my horizons broadened. CHELSEA kevin, you're ten years of age. you have nothing but time. KEVIN i don't know if you've noticed, but i've only got a few days to work on my class project to save the town's tree lighting. CHELSEA that's your class project? CHELSEA i don't mean to sound like my usual negative self, but i think that's going to be a tough one to pull off. KEVIN mr. wilson says i'll learn more about doing something difficult and failing than doing something easy and succeeding. CHELSEA that's what mr. wilson says, huh? KEVIN yep. CHELSEA well, i guess that's pretty good advice. listen, no more skipping out on mrs. tucker. i mean it. KEVIN okay. KEVIN wait. we still have to get our own christmas tree. CHELSEA you're right. how about you and i go get one? KEVIN and not just any tree. the absolute best, most amazing christmas tree we can find. CHELSEA you got it. CHELSEA is that a christmas tree or a giant sequoia? KEVIN but i like this one. CHELSEA any way i can do a bait and switch and offer mini golfing instead? KEVIN sorry. too late. RYAN hey! that's quite a conifer you've got there. RYAN kind of makes this one look a little… KEVIN puny? RYAN wow, harsh, but accurate. guess i'll keep looking. CHELSEA yeah. i think we should keep looking too. KEVIN all right. hard to beat perfect, but i'll try. KEVIN bye, mr. wilson! RYAN see ya. CHELSEA funny to see you here. RYAN fifty-fifty chance. only two tree lots in the whole town. CHELSEA hmm. CLEMENTINE oh, that's a beauty. KEVIN clementine?! CLEMENTINE in northpole we light up a tree everyday of the year. KEVIN what are you doing here?! CLEMENTINE what? KEVIN and where's your hat?! CLEMENTINE oh! gosh, i'm such a snowflake! KEVIN hurray and get back to my house before anyone sees you! CLEMENTINE okay. KEVIN go! CHELSEA kevin told me about the christmas project. RYAN yeah, i asked him to think big. and boy did he ever. CHELSEA fostering imagination is fine. but you know, your assignment is enabling his whole north pole fantasy. RYAN just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. CHELSEA like elves, right? RYAN no, but… CHELSEA look, it's fine being the one filling his head with sugarplums, but i'm the one dealing with the sugar crash when it comes. and believe me it will. RYAN you ever notice how christmas trees are... kinda like people? CHELSEA what do you mean? RYAN some trees are too sappy. CHELSEA well, that's for sure. RYAN but other trees, they're just like…well, they're just way too prickly. can't get near 'em. CHELSEA hm, yeah. i get it. RYAN now kevin is just looking at things a little differently. you know? something i think everyone should do once and awhile. RYAN you okay? CHELSEA yeah. i thought i…it's nothing. to black CHELSEA let's hope it fits. CHELSEA aww. RYAN perfect. now if someone would just call me an ambulance. CHELSEA well, i thought you were a mountain man, huh? RYAN yeah. only in my mind. not in my back. CHELSEA well, thank you. we never would have gotten this monster in here if you didn't offer to help. RYAN my pleasure. CHELSEA uh, maybe some hot chocolate will make your back feel better? RYAN terrific. KEVIN two marshmallows in mine, please. CHELSEA i know that. CLEMENTINE maybe we could wrap presents and, and... and hand them out!...wrapping with me downstairs? ….i've never had that before! AURORA i don't know what to say, honey. CLEMENTINE i know, mom. i'm worried too. so things are getting worse? AURORA i'm afraid so. AURORA assembly lines have slowed and elves are starting to talk about not being able to supply enough toys for christmas. CLEMENTINE don't let your candy cane lose its stripes, mom. we're working on it. AURORA i know you are, honey. but don't get your hopes up. looks like this problem may be even bigger than your determination. KEVIN tomorrow, we kick things up a notch. KEVIN we should bake cookies… CHELSEA kevin's talking to his imaginary elf. i wish he would just make one real friend. RYAN when i was twelve and our family moved us to colorado. i became a little withdrawn, but hey…look at me now. RYAN wow, nice christmas display. all you need now is a nativity scene made out of office supplies. CHELSEA yeah, i tend to bring my work home. RYAN oh, that isn't greenwood park, is it? CHELSEA yeah. did you know it used to be called christmas tree park? been having tree lightings for almost a century. RYAN it was so cared for back then. look at these two. RYAN go ahead and take it. i got to get going. CHELSEA okay. thanks, though...for helping us with the christmas tree. CHELSEA hello? CLEMENTINE this is watson elementary. CLEMENTINE we're having an after school assembly tomorrow. so pickup will be at 5 pm. merry christmas! bee.. CLEMENTINE …eep. KEVIN you're not supposed to say the beep. CLEMENTINE oh sorry. i was just so in the moment. CHELSEA mr. pendleton! PENDLETON yes? CHELSEA chelsea hastings. from the examiner, hi. PENDLETON i have a publicist that deals with press inquiries. if you’d like to go inside and make an appointment, i… CHELSEA i just wanted to ask you a couple of quick questions about your plans for greenwood park. CHELSEA look i understand that you had a crew surveying the property. do you and the mayor have plans that i don't know about? PENDLETON please, just take my word for it. after the holidays it'll all sort itself out. CHELSEA i would be a lousy reporter if i took everybody's word at face value. i… PENDLETON i'm sorry. i, i really can't comment any further. CHELSEA mr. jenkins. JENKINS drop whatever you're doing. JENKINS there's some crazy protest going on at greenwood park. i need… JENKINS …you there. CHELSEA greenwood park? JENKINS why are we still talking, hastings? CHELSEA i'm on it, sir. MANS VOICE i need you all to stand back, please. just, just stand back. CHELSEA excuse me. sorry. CHELSEA copy desk? hey, this is chelsea. i'm here at the protest. can i dictate a story? jenkins will want this on the website asap. CHELSEA yeah. a lone protester in greenwood park cause emergency vehicles to come out this afternoon. FIREFIGHTER yeah, he's really wedged in there, captain. the bucket's going up now. CHELSEA fire officials have gathered to try to coax down the reluctant figure suspended fifty feet above the ice rink. as far as a statement from the protester… KEVIN hey, mom! CHELSEA kevin! what are you doing up there?!! KEVIN stringing up decorations. figured if nobody else would do it, we would. CHELSEA sorry. that, that's my son up there. FIREFIGHTER so i gathered. ma'am, why don’t you step aside. we'll handle this. CHELSEA as long as he's up there, i'm staying right here! FIREFIGHTER i see the ornament doesn't fall far from the tree. RESCUER did you hear your mother? GRD CREW yeah, yeah we got him. VOICE they got him. they got him now. VOICE everything's fine. LADY'S VOICE thank goodness. KEVIN i can almost see our house from up there! CHELSEA yeah? did you also see me lose ten years off my life?! CHELSEA oh, gosh. CHELSEA thank you. CHELSEA honey, i thought you were supposed to be at a school assembly making friends! KEVIN i was actually here with a friend. KEVIN clementine! clementine! oh, she was just here a second ago. CHELSEA clementine, the elf? KEVIN exactly! CHELSEA we're going home. right now. RYAN i heard what happened. is kevin all right? CHELSEA well, if you consider grounded for life "all right". i knew this was going to happen. NEWS ANCHOR and firemen were called to greenwood park today where a child was pulled from a sixty-foot tree…. CHELSEA come on, lady, get your facts straight! it was a fifty-foot tree! NEWS ANCHOR next segment, more strange activity with the northern lights. RYAN well, at least he wasn't hurt. CHELSEA yeah. but he could have been. all because of a ceremony that nobody cares about, in a park that's not going to exist in a month. RYAN what do you mean "isn't going to exist in a month"? CHELSEA mr. pendleton, the developer, he's building condos on it. RYAN what?! how could that guy be such a scrooge? CHELSEA i don't know. if i knew maybe i could change his mind. but right now, all i'm worried about is kevin. CHELSEA this whole thing has gotten out of hand. RYAN okay. RYAN okay, look, let's just take it easy. CHELSEA okay. all right. this is what i'm going to do. i'm going to pack our bags. i'm going to book us tickets to someplace warm for the holidays, away from this town and your little assignment that turned into kevin's mission. KEVIN no! i can't leave now! it's too important! you got to believe me! CHELSEA honey, it's a fantasy. it's not real. KEVIN yes, it is!! CHELSEA look, you listen to me, mister! KEVIN no! you're wrong. just 'cause you don't think it's real doesn't mean it isn't! CHELSEA kevin. honey. kevin! RYAN he's just a little boy, chelsea, who isn't quite ready to grow up. CHELSEA yeah, i know two people who are stuck in that phase. RYAN which is probably why it is so hard for you to decide whether to let kevin stay in his own little world, or drag him kicking and screaming into yours. CHELSEA good night, mr. wilson. KEVIN …and now this pendleton guy wants to demolish the park… CLEMENTINE i know, kevin. kevin…. KEVIN …so there'll never be a tree lighting ever again! CLEMENTINE i know! i heard everything. including what your mom said about wishing she knew why mr. pendleton is such a scrooge! which gave me an idea. okay. grab your coat…and let's go. CHELSEA kevin? CHELSEA kevin? CHELSEA kevin!! to black KEVIN so tell me why we're here, again? CLEMENTINE to find out why mr. pendleton's so mean he would cut down a city's christmas tree. i mean, who would do such a thing? and maybe whatever we find, your mom can use to help bring the tree lighting ceremony back on track. KEVIN sounds like kind of a long shot. CLEMENTINE right now, my friend. it's the only shot we got. RYAN i checked state street and the park on my way back over. no sign of him. CHELSEA i shouldn't have been so hard on him. RYAN and i shouldn't have encouraged him in the first place. CHELSEA i'm going to call the police. KEVIN what do you think santa will do if he catches us sneaking into the archives? CLEMENTINE don't know and don't want to find out. so pipe down. CLEMENTINE over here. KEVIN hurry. if my mom checks out my room and sees that i'm not there, she'll have bloodhounds looking for me. CLEMENTINE we're getting warmer and warmer and warmer and…bingo! we've narrowed it down to the past fifty years. KEVIN another power dip. CLEMENTINE because we're running out of magic snow. KEVIN how many "ernie q. pendletons" can there be? CLEMENTINE apparently, a lot. KEVIN what were those mothers thinking? CLEMENTINE got it! wow. age seven, eight and nine, all he asked for was a gift for a penny. money must have gone a lot further in those days. KEVIN they weren't gifts for a penny, they were gifts for a person named penny. KEVIN dear santa, can you please bring some white ice skates size four to my friend penny so we can skate together. her mom is sick and her dad says they don't have any money for skates. thank you. ernie. CLEMENTINE all he asked for was gifts for her. KEVIN but nothing for himself. CLEMENTINE which means maybe he's not all bad. KEVIN we've got to show mom. CLEMENTINE okay. help me. CHELSEA i need to file a missing persons report. KEVIN mom! CHELSEA never mind. CHELSEA kevin?! CHELSEA honey, i have been so worried about you. where have you been? KEVIN collecting information for you. about mr. pendleton? CHELSEA what? information? KEVIN yeah, about why he's so mean. and it turns out maybe you were wrong about him. maybe he is a good guy. look. KEVIN when he was a kid he never asked for any presents for himself. only for somebody named penny. CHELSEA where did you get this? KEVIN ah… CHELSEA kevin… KEVIN northpole. we found it in santa's files. CHELSEA we? as in you and clementine, the elf? CHELSEA honey, listen to me. you know you're the most precious thing in the world to me, right? KEVIN 'course. i didn't mean to scare you, mom, but i thought it was important 'cause it might help protect… CHELSEA northpole. KEVIN northpole. CHELSEA and christmas. KEVIN right. 'cause even though you don't believe it, i know it's real. CHELSEA i, um…i believe, that you believe. CHELSEA and that's good enough for me. KEVIN really? CHELSEA yeah. and if you say spreading holiday cheer is the only way to save northpole…then we better find a way to do it. KEVIN oh! that'll be clementine. CHELSEA this should be interesting. CLEMENTINE hey, ms. hastings! i'm clementine. KEVIN she's the one i've been telling you guys about. CLEMENTINE yeah. CHELSEA right. you're the…um… CLEMENTINE …only member of kevin's christmas committee! CHELSEA listen, um…thanks for being here for me. i think maybe i was a little over the top. and i'm sorry. RYAN well, i might not have any kids of my own, but from 8 to 3 i have thirty. so believe me, i can empathize. RYAN for what it's worth, i think it was a wise choice to play along with the fantasy. at least for now. CHELSEA yeah. he's not going to be innocent for much longer. i guess it's better to embrace it than to cut it short. thanks for helping me see that. RYAN does that mean the mission to save northpole is back on? CHELSEA well, we've met clementine. we can't let her be homeless, right? RYAN we? you still want me along for the ride? CHELSEA well, are you willing? RYAN why would you think otherwise? CHELSEA ask me when we have more time. right now we have a tree lighting to save, right? RYAN all right. i'll see you. CHELSEA okay. good night. RYAN good night. KEVIN 'kay. so how's this going to work, mom? CLEMENTINE yeah. how's this going to work? CHELSEA well, i suggest a two-prong attack. you guys spread the word. KEVIN sounds good to me. CLEMENTINE cool. CHELSEA we're going to need food, funds and a permit. RYAN we're on it. CHELSEA and i'm going to get something even more important. CLEMENTINE and what's that? CHELSEA leverage. CHELSEA i got the list… CHELSEA …of the mayor's biggest campaign donors. guess who's at the top, mr. and mrs. ernie pendleton. uh-huh, oh... CHELSEA yeah. i got to go. i'll see you back at the office. PENDLETON excuse me, sir. i think you dropped this. MAN no. no. PENDLETON yes, here. get some food. okay? JASMINE hey, chelsea. CHELSEA ah-ah-ah… JASMINE oh, don't worry. don't worry. i'm not going to try and set you up with anyone. i just wanted to see how your story's going. CHELSEA well you know, a couple of things aren't adding up. one of 'em i could clear up if the planning commission wasn't closed for christmas. JASMINE you know, a woman i sing with at church works for the planning commission. CHELSEA are you serious? JASMINE she'll be a choir practice after work tonight. maybe she can help. CHELSEA you are a lifesaver. JASMINE i just hope you can carry a tune. CHELSEA like, yeah… CLEMENTINE donate to the town tree lighting. CLEMENTINE save a christmas tradition. PASSERBY here's a buck for some trumpet lessons. RYAN you see now, normally i would be offended by that, but it's for a good cause. so thank you, sir! CLEMENTINE merry christmas! RYAN so kev, how's our website doing, any better than we are? KEVIN well, we've only got five hits and four of them are me. RYAN which means we've already have one hit! KEVIN yeah, yeah, yeah… RYAN yeah! CHELSEA hey, guys. hey! KEVIN hey, mom. how's your side of the attack going? CHELSEA it's coming along. how about you guys? CLEMENTINE ah so far we've raised four bucks, including two canadian quarters and a bus token. CHELSEA so that puts us about 98% short of our goal. RYAN or 2% closer to victory. CHELSEA i still think we need to find a better way to get the word out. yeah? RYAN you know, i think i just might have one. CHELSEA seriously? we're supposed to change minds with tree scraps? RYAN well, you call 'em scraps, i call 'em festive pine art. CLEMENTINE well, either way it'll be fun. which as they say back home, is the best reason to do anything. to black RYAN hi there! i'm ryan wilson and this is chelsea hastings. CHELSEA hi. RYAN any chance you remember the tree lighting in greenwood park? LADY oh, i do. haven't thought about it in years. but it was beautiful and so much fun! RYAN well, it can be again with your help. RYAN hope to see you there. CHELSEA can any woman resist your charm? RYAN i'm hoping one woman can't. CHELSEA so, how'd you get into teaching, huh? RYAN ah well, after college i did a lot of jobs. but teaching is the best by far! CHELSEA really? why? RYAN light bulbs. CHELSEA light bulbs? RYAN yeah, turning on over a kid's head when a concept they've been struggling with finally sinks in. CHELSEA hmm. RYAN i love that. RYAN oh, hey. MAN hi, there. RYAN hope to see you there. MAN thanks. CHELSEA merry christmas! MAN you, too. RYAN must be a challenge being a single mom. CHELSEA oh, it was definitely hard the first year after kevin's father left. but i never had any illusions that the world would make it easy for me, so… RYAN that why you're such a skeptic? CHELSEA uh, partially by nature, partially my job, and partially the result of living with kevin's father. RYAN hm. feel like telling me about him? RYAN well, hey! WOMAN hi! CHELSEA hi. RYAN here you go. hope to see you there. WOMAN thanks. CHELSEA yeah, sure. um, we met in college. both english majors. i wanted to be a journalist. he wanted to be a novelist. only difference is, is i worked towards my goal and he only dreamed of his. RYAN where is he now? CHELSEA oh. i don't know. probably someplace with coconuts, dreaming of his first draft. CLEMENTINE look, there's more people. KEVIN special delivery! tree lighting on christmas eve! CLEMENTINE ah, that fellow could pull a sleigh. hope to see you at the tree lighting! RYAN once you make learning fun,... RYAN …my job's easy. CHELSEA fun? yeah. CHELSEA come to the tree lighting. JOGGER thanks. CHELSEA i used to have a little bit of that before the responsibility of a pesky thing called paying the bills. you know, i used to pack a mean snowball. RYAN oh..oh really? i bet you talk a big game. CHELSEA so you don't think i'd do this, huh? RYAN oh really? it's on. CHELSEA no! KEVIN & CLEMENTINE snowball fight!!! RYAN oh, what do you want? you guys want a piece of this? oh…! JASMINE nice job. nice job everybody. let's take five. CHELSEA hi. JOSEPHINE hi. JASMINE josephine, this is my friend chelsea, the one i told you about. JOSEPHINE nice to meet you. CHELSEA thanks you so much for talking with me. JOSEPHINE well, to be honest, i'm not really sure if i should. CHELSEA look, all i need to know is january's agenda. and if it wasn't the holidays, it would be public, right? JOSEPHINE right. i guess it's okay. there're two items. a proposal to widen the crosswalk on state street. and an offer from a company called pendleton development to purchase greenwood park. CHELSEA that's all i needed to know. JOSEPHINE merry christmas. CHELSEA you, too. CHELSEA yes! JENKINS hastings! when do i get the park story? CHELSEA i'm just putting the final touches on it right now. JENKINS good. i want to go big with this in tomorrow's edition and we go to press in two hours. JENKINS chelsea? CHELSEA yes. i understand. JENKINS okay. CHELSEA okay. KEVIN okay. what's next!? CLEMENTINE okay. so now we need two mittens full of sugar. KEVIN all right. CLEMENTINE one…nice. and two. KEVIN and two. CLEMENTINE perfect. okay. and now, one bell full of sprinkles. KEVIN a whole bell full? CLEMENTINE and no skimping. there's no such thing as too many sprinkles. CHELSEA hey guys! sorry i'm late. CLEMENTINE hi. CHELSEA hey… KEVIN guess what, mom, we just got an anonymous donation from the website! CHELSEA ah… CLEMENTINE a ginormous one. RYAN yeah. ginormous enough to afford a generator and lights. CHELSEA we might actually be able to pull this off. hm? RYAN to our secret, but very generous benefactor. CHELSEA thank you. KEVIN all right. CHELSEA cheers. CLEMENTINE jingles! CHELSEA jingles! CLEMENTINE excuse me. CLEMENTINE be careful. it's hot. first batch out of the oven. CHELSEA thank you. CHELSEA oh. that is amazing. CLEMENTINE for every cup of flour, two cups of happy. got the recipe from grandma lolli, who created it with grandma dolli, with of course, a little help from grandma lacybell. CHELSEA you have a lot of grandmas. CLEMENTINE oh, tell me about it. last year, i got 204 pairs of sock for christmas. CHELSEA can i ask you something? CLEMENTINE sure. CHELSEA you and kev…you're just pretending, right? i mean, you don't really think you're from northpole? CLEMENTINE you know, sometimes it's harder for people to believe in things they've never seen, than it is for others. CHELSEA yeah. that basically describes me. CLEMENTINE but ms. hastings, for kevin, you ignored what your head was telling you and chose to listen to your heart instead. and just so you know, that meant so much to him. and what you're trying to do here, to bring the town together, to light the tree and make people happy, well that means so much to me, too. CHELSEA clementine? CLEMENTINE yeah? CHELSEA how old are you? CLEMENTINE thirteen…decades. CLEMENTINE i'm kidding! CLEMENTINE i'll get you another cookie. CHELSEA hey. oh, it looks like you've been working all night. RYAN well, i promise posters, i deliver posters. CHELSEA a man who finishes what he starts. i'm not used to that. RYAN well, maybe it's time for that to change. CHELSEA i need some more coffee. you want some? RYAN sure. CHELSEA okay, so…i have the food all set. um…you've got the posters. i just need to get the permit and we're ready for tomorrow. RYAN whoa! CHELSEA what? RYAN well, isn't this the story you've been working on? CHELSEA let me see. CHELSEA jenkins wasn't kidding when he said he was going to go big. CHELSEA ah…well, i wonder who's gonna call first, huh?... CHELSEA the mayor apologizing or pendleton's lawyer threatening to sue. CHELSEA well, i guess i don't need these anymore. CHELSEA wait a minute. i don't believe it. RYAN believe what? CHELSEA "1964 junior skating pair champions, ernie and penelope" CHELSEA penny is short for penelope. RYAN i don't get it. CHELSEA it has to be him. RYAN who? CHELSEA pendleton. RYAN yeah, i mean, it could be. i guess. but so what? CHELSEA i think i made a huge mistake. can you hold down the fort for me? CHELSEA something i've got to do. RYAN yeah. PENDLETON ms. hastings. i'm surprised to see you here. CHELSEA i wouldn't have bothered you, but… PENDLETON apparently your article's caused quite a stir. the city council's decided to launch an investigation. CHELSEA what a mess. look, i know i'm the last person you want to talk to, but if you could, if you would…wouldn't mind answering a couple more questions for me. PENDLETON why bother? you've got your headline. CHELSEA i did. i just…i think i got it wrong. to black PENDLETON i remember this as if it were yesterday. for nearly fifty years penny was the light of my life. CHELSEA was? PENDLETON i lost her six months ago. CHELSEA i'm sorry. i didn't know. PENDLETON we grew up next door to each other. walked to school together, played…skated. we had our first kiss on this rink. ah she, she loved greenwood park. CHELSEA so why build condos on it? PENDLETON condos? pendleton towers is going up by the old brickyard. CHELSEA but i know you were planning on buying the park. PENDLETON to fix it up and then donate back to the city in trust. so it could always be a place where people come together and have fun. CHELSEA why didn't the mayor tell me? why didn't you? PENDLETON that's not what penny would have wanted. no plagues, no publicity, no names over the door. the joy is in the giving, she'd say, not in the credit. CHELSEA well, now that your gift is no longer anonymous, are you still going to go through with the project? PENDLETON well even if i decided to go ahead, the city's reconsidering my offer based on what you wrote. CHELSEA i'll make sure the paper prints a retraction. CHELSEA maybe that'll help. CHELSEA mr. pendleton, did you happen to give a donation to the christmas tree lighting campaign? PENDLETON well, if i did, you know i couldn't tell you. ms. hastings? what made you bring me that picture? CHELSEA i want to begin by saying how truly sorry i am, mr. jenkins. and i assured mr. pendleton that a retraction will go to print. JENKINS a retraction is not how i intend to kick off our holiday issue. i want to be serving turkey, not eating crow. CHELSEA but… JENKINS look, we can deal with this in the new year. if anyone still cares about by then. CHELSEA this is a man's reputation. JENKINS and i'm sure you feel appropriately contrite about what you did to it. CHELSEA of course i do! JENKINS look, we'll wait. we'll see how many letters we get. anything else? CHELSEA you can expect one letter for sure. my letter of resignation. CLEMENTINE yeah… RYAN how's it going? CLEMENTINE not my best one. RYAN that's more of a toupee… CLEMENTINE it's like a mountain of frosting. RYAN ... right, yeah. CLEMENTINE okay. KEVIN it looks yummy. CLEMENTINE yes, it does. CLEMENTINE okay. KEVIN wow, this smells good. CLEMENTINE very good. a little more happy sprinkles. how's it going? KEVIN good. CLEMENTINE good? RYAN you see? CLEMENTINE it's going out of control CHELSEA hey. KEVIN mom? what's going on? CHELSEA i didn't take you seriously about mr. pendleton. and if i had, i wouldn't have made the mistake that cost him his good name. CHELSEA we didn't get the permit. the mayor rejected it himself. and he's having the maintenance department take down all the posters. CLEMENTINE what?! CHELSEA i'm really sorry. RYAN how can they do that? i mean, you were just doing your job as a journalist. CHELSEA ex-journalist. i just resigned. CHELSEA look, i'm such a skeptic…i nearly missed one of the best parts of parenting, being reminded of what i was like when i was a kid…before i became so jaded. you know, i couldn't make myself believe that kevin's friend was an elf. but i had no problem believing that mr. pendleton was a crook. CHELSEA that's just not the person i want to be. and thanks to my kid and clementine and…well, you…it's going to change. starting now. RYAN i think i just got my first christmas present. KEVIN whatcha doing? CHELSEA oh, just writing…about what i've learned in the last couple days. KEVIN it did get kind of crazy around here, didn't it? CHELSEA yeah. crazy fun. CHELSEA i love you. KEVIN ditto. CHELSEA hey, stranger. JASMINE i saw you cleaned out your desk and thought you'd left without saying goodbye. CHELSEA well, that's one of the reasons why i came back. and to ask you for a favor. JASMINE what's on it? CHELSEA an unauthorized final column. i was hoping you could sneak it in on the on-line edition for me. JASMINE is it a rant about the callous nature of the news biz? CHELSEA uh, no. JASMINE mmm, too bad. CHELSEA yeah. you'll still sneak it in for me, right? JASMINE 'course i will. CHELSEA you're the best. thank you. KEVIN i've been looking around for you. what are you doing? CLEMENTINE i was writing a note to thank you…and to say goodbye. KEVIN what? you promised to spend christmas eve with me. remember? you can't bail! CLEMENTINE i don't know what made me think that i could actually make a difference. KEVIN you did make a difference! to me. this is the most dazzy christmas ever! KEVIN you made me believe in you, clementine. it's not fair to stop believing in yourself. KEVIN mom? CHELSEA hi, there. is everything okay? KEVIN not so much. clementine's pretty worried about northpole. i mean, i'd be freakin' out too if our home was in trouble. CHELSEA hey? did you just call this place home? KEVIN ah…i guess i did. CHELSEA hm. all right. let's go talk to clementine. CHELSEA i'm glad you guys decided to spend part of your christmas eve with us. RYAN so's my dog. otherwise he'd be wearing reindeer antlers again. CHELSEA how are you clementine? CHELSEA look, i know things didn't turn out how you'd hoped, but nothing else, you and kev became friends. RYAN and we all had a good time working together. CHELSEA yeah, so i'm sure that sent some happiness to northpole. CLEMENTINE yeah. but not nearly enough. CHELSEA well, there's only one thing to do…we need to make more sparks. hm? to black CHELSEA ah permit-schermit, that's what i say. RYAN there's no law against a few citizens enjoying a public park on christmas eve. CHELSEA yep. KEVIN and having our own personal tree ceremony. CLEMENTINE yeah! RYAN there you go. CLEMENTINE i love the snow. CLEMENTINE thank you. RYAN sure. CHELSEA all right. here you go. one for you. CHELSEA clementine, for you. CLEMENTINE thank you. CHELSEA you're welcome. CLEMENTINE hey, i'll race you up there! CLEMENTINE there. ah...you know, i feel better already. KEVIN me too. RYAN i think they could use a little company though, don't you think? and…ta-da! CLEMENTINE awesome! KEVIN dazzie! RYAN uh? CHELSEA now it's perfect. CHELSEA look at that. CLEMENTINE wow. KEVIN wow. CHELSEA i guess we really did get the word out, huh? KEVIN uh...mom? RYAN oh-oh… FIREFIGHTER well, looka here. the human christmas ornament. FIREFIGHTER you, uh, have a permit for this event? CHELSEA actually, uh…not really. no. FIREFIGHTER in that case, i'm afraid…we're going to have to break out the equipment and string up the lights anyhow! KEVIN yes!! CLEMENTINE i knew i packed the treeluminator for a reason! SILVERHAIRED LADY i'd forgotten all about this until i read your column. it was wonderful. CHELSEA thank you. CHELSEA at least one person read it. JASMINE a few more than that. it got picked up by the wire services. CHELSEA the wire services! really? JASMINE almost a million hits and not slowing down. your story's flying around the world faster than santa's sled! CLEMENTINE wait. if your story went viral then…snowmygosh! i gotta go! here. KEVIN wait. hold on! KEVIN clementine! RYAN we oughtta… CHELSEA yeah. RYAN right. KEVIN clementine! where're you going? CLEMENTINE home! CHELSEA what about the tree lighting ceremony?! CLEMENTINE don't worry! i'll know when it happens! CLEMENTINE merry christmas!! CHELSEA boy, that is one special…elf. KEVIN you're going to see exactly how special in three, two, one. RYAN did i just…? CHELSEA was that…? KEVIN guess this is one christmas you'll never forget. KEVIN merry christmas, mom. CHELSEA merry christmas, sweetheart. CHELSEA i love you. KEVIN i'm going to go put on my skates. CHELSEA okay. CHELSEA well, this is actually… RYAN uh-huh. yeah, and… RYAN where's the mistletoe when you need it? CHELSEA could use your imagination. CHELSEA how 'bout right here? CHELSEA it's easy to forget what connecting with one another feels like. CHELSEA with a few key strokes on a computer, we convince ourselves that we've communicated. CHELSEA by believing that's enough, we lose sight of the importance of human contact and the joy of gathering together as a community. CHELSEA that's what's so wonderful about this special holiday. it provides an opportunity for fellowship. a chance to truly touch our neighbors, friends and families with generosity of heart and spirit. CHELSEA and if you ask this reporter, it's nothing short of miraculous! CHELSEA you weren't kidding when you said you skated worse than you played the trumpet. RYAN well, as long as i can hold onto you, i'll be fine. JENKINS chelsea! CHELSEA mr. jenkins? JENKINS the phone's been ringing all day. the newspaper's never had better…well, press. CHELSEA ryan, i'm sorry, kevin, this is mr. jenkins, my boss. well, former boss. JENKINS not so fast. listen chelsea, i was wrong. we printed the retraction. and here is some confetti for new year's eve. your letter of resignation rejected. JENKINS come and see me on monday. i'm giving you a bonus! CHELSEA christmas miracles do happen, huh? CHELSEA i'll be right back. CHELSEA mr. pendleton. i'm really glad you came. PENDLETON so am i. PENDLETON penny would have loved this. friends and neighbors reconnecting for at least one special night. MAYOR good evening, ernie. PENDLETON oh, mr. mayor. CHELSEA sir, i owe you an apology. i got it all wrong. PENDLETON except for this. as far as i'm concerned, the no-longer-secret project is still on. MAYOR well, most of the city council is here skating. so i'm sure that after tonight there'll be no problem accepting your gift. PENDLETON good. KEVIN hey mom, the tree's ready to light. MAYOR hey, you must be kevin. KEVIN yes, sir. MAYOR yeah...word is, getting our community together to celebrate christmas was all your doing. KEVIN actually, i had quite a bit of help. MAYOR well, still…i think you should do the honors. MAYOR gather around everybody! gather around! KID great job, kevin! TEEN you rock, kevin! KEVIN merry christmas to all! and to all a good…light! CHELSEA ah..it's beautiful. CLEMENTINE we did it, randy! we did it! we did it!! whoo-hooo!! CLEMENTINE whoo-hoo!! SANTA atta girl, clementine! MRS CLAUS i told you she could do it. SANTA and as always, my dear, you were absolutely right. MRS CLAUS awww…. SANTA it's time to deliver a sleigh full of happiness. CLEMENTINE put her down over there, randy!