It’s a few days before Christmas and I wanted to check out at least one classic Christmas movies I haven’t seen before, and as it turns out, there are a bunch of them! I’ve actually just seen most people’s annual holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life 13 years ago in 2009. I also tried to see the comedy classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on the plane earlier this month but y’know what, I actually didn’t bother finishing it, it’s just too silly and not as funny as I had hoped (I guess comedy is subjective). So after browsing a few selections on my Apple TV, I settled on Miracle on 34th Street, the 1947 original, NOT the 1994 remake with Richard Attenborough.

I was immediately struck by the fact that one of the main characters, Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) is a divorced single mother with a career, which I thought is pretty progressive for a 1940s film. It begins at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where the camera follows a whiskered, Santa-like old man walking around Manhattan. The movie immediately makes it clear this gentleman thinks of himself as the real Santa Claus… he corrects a storekeeper when he notices the man isn’t setting up the reindeer correctly on his store window. He then berates an inebriated actor scheduled to play Santa. Doris is the special events director for Macy’s who coordinates the parade and she convinces the old man who calls himself Kris Kringle to take the drunk actor’s place as Santa.

Naturally, Kris is so good at being Santa (I mean, he’s Father Christmas/Saint Nick after all) that Macy’s quickly recruits him permanently. Not only does he spread joy and holiday cheer for the kids, but he manages to make parents happy when he helps them get the right gifts for their children by telling them exactly where to get them. Obviously, he’s not motivated by Macy’s bottom line so he has no qualms about sending potential shoppers to other stores (even Macy’s competitor Gimbels). It ends up being a good PR for Macy’s and boosts their sales. I read that both Macy’s and Gimbel’s gave their permission to have both companies depicted in the movie.

My favorite moments are between Kris and Doris’ precocious and adorable little girl Suzan (Suzy) who’s been trained by her cynical mother there is no such thing as Santa Claus. She basically rejects all notions of belief and fantasy, considering them to be harmful to kids and adults alike. But the more Kris spends time with Suzy (then 8-year-old Natalie Wood), the more he chips away at her disbelief. Meanwhile, Doris’ neighbor Fred (John Payne) who’s clearly smitten with Doris doesn’t share her disbelief, especially after he offers Kris a place to stay at his apartment.

Edmund Gwenn is absolutely wonderful as Santa, according to IMDb trivia, a cast member said ”[Gwenn] was a really nice guy, always happy, always smiling. He had this little twinkle in his eye.” O’Hara added “…by the time we were halfway through the shoot, we all believed Edmund really was Santa Claus. I’ve never seen an actor more naturally suited for a role.” Like many kids out there, I believe there is a Sinterklaas (Dutch version of Santa) and I’ve always imagined him to look and behave like Kris Kringle in this movie!

The court scenes are amusingly fantastical but entertaining. Even the idea of Santa getting a court hearing just makes me laugh, but the movie plays it straight as if something like this could happen in real life. John Payne is absolutely charming as Kris’ defense attorney while Gene Lockhart and Porter Hall are quite funny as the conflicted judge and Macy’s incompetent therapist, respectively. The scene stealer is definitely little Natalie Wood, who’s absolutely adorable as Suzy.

Directed by George Seaton and co-written by Seaton and Valentine Davies, this movie truly captures the spirit of Christmas … about goodwill, generosity, kindness, and serving others. It’s especially meaningful as it speaks about what faith is all about… that is believing things when common sense tells you not to. The movie also makes me want to spend another Christmas season in New York City, though I read that it was shot during a bitterly cold New York winter. I’ve only been to Manhattan once during Christmas and the store windows always look so festive during the holidays. The scenes at Macy’s were apparently shot on location at the flagship location on 34th Street itself.

Some people say it just isn’t Christmas without seeing Miracle on 34th Street and I can see why! I wanted to say I wish Hollywood wouldn’t remake this movie, but of course, they already did (see above). Not sure I want to see that one, as I can’t imagine it topping this one. I always associate Attenborough with Dr. John Hammond in Jurassic Park anyway, so it’ll be hard for me to think of him as Santa. I’m glad I finally caught up with this Christmas classic, just like It’s A Wonderful Life, I can see myself rewatching this many Christmases to come.

Have a wonderful Christmas if you’re celebrating… happy holidays everyone!!

Have you seen Miracle on 34th Street? I’d love to hear what you think!

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