The Night of the Meek - Recap

At a department store during the Christmas holiday, Children are in line to see Santa, who is absent. Manager Mr. Dundee assures them that Santa will be back at 6 p.m. . Meanwhile, Henry Corwin, the department store Santa, is drinking at a nearby bar at 6:30. As he finishes his sixth drink, two children see him and knock on the window to get his attention. Corwin waves to them, then wonders why there isn't a real Santa. The bartender, less than sympathetic, wants Corwin to pay his tab. Corwin pays up and staggers outside, and the same children come up and ask him for Christmas presents and a job for their father. Corwin, depressed, can't do anything but weep.



Corwin finally gets to the department store where Dundee tells him to talk to the children before they become disillusioned. Corwin staggers up to the chair and the first mother shoves her child over. Corwin falls over and the boy's mother storms out, furious. Dundee apologizes and fires Corwin, accusing him of being drunk. Corwin apologizes for drinking and admits he's a useless relic living in a broken down apartment with poor children. He staggers out as the children look on. As he walks home, Corwin stops by the bar but the bartender refuses to let him in. Turning away, Corwin hears the sound of sleigh bells and goes to investigate. He finds a large bag filled with presents laying in the snow.



Corwin starts passing out the presents to the neighborhood, and the men at a local mission house get word of what is happening. Corwin arrives and starts handing out presents. The bag provides exactly what each man asks for, and Corwin has no explanation for it, and doesn't care. The sister goes out and gets Officer Flaherty, who asks Corwin for a receipt. Corwin doesn't have one and the officer takes him and the bag to the station. Dundee arrives and assumes that Corwin stole everything from the department store. He starts taking items out of the bag... and realizes that there's nothing in it but junk. The officer can't hold Corwin and as he goes, Corwin gives Dundee what he wants: a rare bottle of brandy. He wishes them a Merry Christmas and Dundee and Flaherty share a drink.



Corwin continues to hand out toys to the children until they all have something and the bag is empty. Burt, one of the men from the mission comes out and Corwin says that the only thing he wants for Christmas is the opportunity to hand out gifts every year. Corwin leaves the bag behind and walks home... and finds a sled and reindeer in the alleyway. Skeptical at first, Corwin soon realizes what is happening and gets aboard the sleigh and they leave. Down the street, Dundee and Flaherty are heading home for the night and look up to see Corwin flying away on a sleigh. The two men head out for a drink to celebrate the holidays.



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