It's the 1940s and for Ralphie, it's a long, upward climb--literally and figuratively--to see Santa on Christmas Eve to ask for a Red Ryder BB gun. But having tolerated the annual Christmas parade, cranky elf helpers, the annoyance of his kid brother Randy and Goggles, the world's nerdiest Santa enthusiast, Ralphie finally makes it up the stairs of Frosty Mountain, the department store display on top of which Santa sits ... only to be told once again, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid," and kicked down the slide by Santa's boot.

At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, Santa is discovered to be drunk by a kindly, bearded old man (Edmund Gwynn). Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), Macy's no-nonsense special events director, persuades the old man to take his place. The old man is wildly popular and is quickly recruited to be the store Santa at Macy's. But it turns out that he calls himself Kris Kringle and he claims to be the actual Santa Claus. Despite reassurances by Kringle's doctor that he is harmless, Doris still has misgivings, especially when she has trained her daughter, Susan (Natalie Wood), to reject all notions of belief and fantasy. And yet, people, especially Susan, begin to notice there is something special about Kris and his determination to advance the true spirit of Christmas amidst the rampant commercialism around him. When a conflict with the store's cruelly incompetent psychologist erupts, Kris finds himself held at Bellevue where, in despair, he deliberately fails a mental exam. All seems lost until Doris' boyfriend, Fred Gaily, reassures Kris of his worth and agrees to represent him in the fight to secure his release. To achieve that, Fred arranges a formal hearing in which he argues that Kris is sane because he is in fact Santa Claus. What ensues is a bizarre reexamination of people's beliefs, but Kris wins out--and actor Edmund Gwynn won an Academy Award for his portrayal.

Upon discovering that the Santa job at the local mall pays $10 an hour while the Mrs. Claus job only pays $7.50 (salaries which probably haven't changed much since 1991!), Roseanne gets feminist: "Why did we burn our bras in the '60s? Why did we march on Washington? Why did Mary Tyler Moore just take her hat and throw it up in the air? For $2.50 less than Santa?"

In the end, Roseanne wins the Santa job, leaving Mrs. Claus to her long-suffering sister Jackie, and dispenses some sage, heartfelt and hilarious advice to the little ones lining up to see her. "Listen, I know when you're asleep and I know when you're awake, see?" she tells the kid who lies about not having a dad. "You step out of line one more time, you're going to wake up Christmas morning knee deep in sweaters!"

Will Ferrell stars as a man who was raised by elves at The North Pole and discovers to his dismay that he's actually human, sparking his quest to be reunited with his long-lost father (James Caan), who works as a children's book publisher in New York City and happens to be on Santa's "naughty list." While working at Gimbel's, he falls in love with a fellow Santa's helper (Zooey Deschanel). This is one warm, witty, nostalgic holiday classic with a star-studded comedic cast including Ed Asner, Bob Newhart and Amy Sedaris, and features Peter Billingsley, best known as Ralphie in A Christmas Story, as the elf foreman!

Dan Ryebeck is an unemployed entrepreneur with a wife and two children who needs to make Christmas happen big-time--or face divorce. Reluctantly, he applies for a mall Santa job, but loses his temper and the position. Little does he know that his luck is about to change with a visit from the real Santa, who needs a vacation and puts Dan in charge.

This made-for-TV movie airs December 14.

Elaine's dating a Communist. George wishes he were. Jerry's dating a woman whose boyfriend was his high school nemesis. And Kramer finally gets a job--as a mall Santa, with Mickey as his elf. What could go right?

Most mall Santas stuff their costumes with pillows, but Kumar's Santa is a stoner who packs his red velvet jacket with bags of weed, which Kumar orders while sitting on Santa's lap and picks up in the mall's parking garage. And that's just the first stop on Kumar and Harold's quest to replace Harold's uncle's Christmas tree, which Kumar accidentally burned down.

Art Carney plays Henry Corwin, possibly the most forlorn department store Santa in history. After reporting to work drunk on Christmas Eve, Henry is fired. But on his way home he finds a mysterious bag that gives out presents. With this bag he sets out to fulfill his one wish: to give some poor, homeless children a merry Christmas.

This episode was The Simpson's TV debut. When Homer receives no Christmas bonus, Christmas seems doomed for the Simpson family. So Homer secretly becomes a mall Santa Claus, hoping to make enough money to bring Marge, Bart, Lisa, and baby Maggie, a happy holiday. The only problem is that Bart happens to visit the mall and catches Homer on the job.