Ask him. Ask him. Look at him, Grandpa. Ask him!
Judge Harper Uh, I'm sorry. He, uh... He thinks you're Santa Claus.
Kris I am. [to Harper] Merry Christmas. [leaves]
Nuts! I should have got his autograph!
Dorey Are you still coming to dinner?
Bryan Am I still invited?
Dorey Would you be our Santa Claus?
Kris Uh, me?
Dorey Well, do you have any experience?
Kris Well... Just a little.
Kris You think I'm a fraud, don't you?
Dorey Fraud is a bit too strong of a word.
Kris But you don't believe in me.
Dorey I believe that Christmas is for children.
Kris Well your daughter doesn't believe in me, either.
Dorey I don't think that there's any harm in not believing in a figure that many do acknowledge to be a fiction.
Kris Oh, but there is. I'm not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor. You know, I... I... I'm a symbol. I'm a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major part of our lives. If... You can't believe, if you can't accept anything on faith, then you're doomed for a life dominated by doubt.
Susan I can't sleep.
Dorey What's on your mind?
Susan Santa Claus.
Dorey Mr. Kringle? What about him?
Susan He talked sign language with a kid today.
Dorey That was considerate of him.
Susan He looks like every picture of Santa Claus I've ever seen.
Dorey I know. That's why I hired him.
Kris Well, I would greatly like to oblige, Mr. Collins, but I cannot make this reindeer fly.
I didn't think so.
Kris He only flies on Christmas Eve.
Judge Harper Mr. Collins, would you like to cross examine... [quietly chuckles] ...your wife?
Kris Mr. Collins, I hope you've taken down that old TV antenna. I ripped my pants on it last year.
Do I have to go to jail now?
Orderly This guy ain't dangerous. He may be off his rails a bit, but he ain't no thug. And if he wants to call himself Santa Claus, then God bless him.
We invite you to ask yourself this one simple question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Bryan Your Honor, a lot of people believe in Mr. Kringle. Including millions of children. If you rule against him, you won't destroy anyone's belief but you will destroy the man they believe in. Mr. Kringle is not concerned for himself, if he was he wouldn't be here. He is in this regrettable position because he is willing to sacrifice himself for children. To create in their minds a world far better than the one we've made for them. If this is, as Mr. Collins suggests, a masquerade then Mr. Kringle is eager to forfeit his freedom to preserve that masquerade. To subject himself to prosecution to protect the children's right to believe. If this court finds that Mr. Kringle is not who he says he is, that there is no Santa, I ask the court to judge which is worse: A lie that draws a smile or a truth that draws a tear.
Are you ready?
Dorey For what?
To get married.
Dorey Walker Susan.
Susan Walker What?
Dorey Walker What else did you ask Mr. Kringle for?
Susan Walker A baby brother. See ya.