Essay Questions

How does Kris win his case?

Kris has been institutionalized and sent to court for claiming he is Santa Claus. He is able to eventually win his case and go free. He does this as Fred quits his high powered law firm in order to defend Kris who he believes is being taken advantage of. And by providing the court with letters from a "competent authority" which is the United States Post Office which has thousands of letters addressed to Santa taking up space at the courthouse where Kris is being tried. They have been sent by children who believe he is who he says he is and in seeing this the Judge releases Kris by dismissing the case.

Why does Doris not want Susan to believe in Santa Claus?

Doris was raised to not believe in Santa Claus during her childhood. Thus now that she is an adult she won't allow her daughter, Susan to believe in him either. So when Fred takes Susan to meet Kris, who's taken over the Santa Claus duties at the flagship Macy's on 34th street in New York City, Doris is not happy about it as he can't believe he'd allow a child to be subjected to something that she does not believe in.

What is the difference in how Kris portrays Santa at Macy's?

Kris is asked to help up the sales of Macy's products when meeting with the children. Instead he makes sure parents know where the best deals are, even by sending them to other stores. This strategy shockingly makes customers remain loyal to Macy's as their honesty is fresh and not seen. And it causes Gimbels, Macy's competitor, to do the same thing. In the end, Kris has not only created a spirit of generosity in the stores but also reconciliation between the two stores owners.