Miracle on 34th Street

On the morning of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the man playing Santa Claus is drunk. An old man named Kris Kringle indignantly complains to event director Doris Walker. Doris persuades Kris to play Santa in the parade. A success, Kris is subsequently hired to play Santa at Macy's New York City store on 34th Street.

The toy department head, Mr. Shellhammer, instructs Kris to recommend overstocked items to shoppers. Instead, Kris directs a woman to another store for the hard-to-find fire engine her son wants. Impressed, the woman informs Shellhammer that she will become a loyal Macy's customer.

Attorney Fred Gailey, Doris's neighbor, takes Doris's daughter, Susan, to see Santa. After hearing Kris speak Dutch to an orphan girl from the Netherlands, Susan is amazed. Doris, who has raised Susan not to believe in fairy tales, asks Kris to tell Susan "the truth", but Kris insists that he really is Santa Claus.

Worried, Doris decides to fire Kris, but R. H. Macy, the store's owner, promises bonuses to Doris and Shellhammer because of the positive publicity Kris has generated. To alleviate Doris's misgivings, Shellhammer suggests Granville Sawyer, the store psychologist, administer an evaluation for Kris. After doing so, Sawyer insists Kris is dangerous and should be put in a mental institution. It is Sawyer's opinion that Kris will eventually display "latent maniacal tendencies". Meanwhile, Susan shows Kris a magazine photo of her dream house and tells him she wants it for Christmas. Kris promises to do his best.