Guest
It’s getting close to a very special day: Punky and Henry’s first Christmas together, but Punky is saddened that it will be her first Christmas without her mother Susan. When Henry tells Punky about some of his childhood memories of Christmas, Punky tells him that she misses Susan. At school, a bully named Billy Bahootsas (Danny Ponce) tells Punky and her friends that there is no Santa Claus, and after Punky gets home from school, Henry tells Punky that Santa is real and can do anything, but Punky is still not convinced, and neither is Cherie. While Punky and Cherie are out of earshot, Henry tells Betty that there has to be a way to convince them, which gives Betty an idea: Betty tells Henry that the school is having an awful hard time trying to find someone to play as Santa for Punky’s class, and Betty suggests that Henry be Santa for Punky’s class. With a little coaxing from Betty, a reluctant Henry agrees. At the school, Santa shows up at Punky’s class, and none of the kids know that it’s really Henry. When it’s Punky’s turn to talk to Santa, she asks Santa for just one precious gift: her mother, Susan. Later, at the photography studio, as Betty helps Henry out of the Santa suit, Henry vows to find Susan. Henry begins his search for Susan. After Punky puts a gift under the tree for Susan, Henry’s detective friend Gene Doucette calls, giving Henry a promising lead that there is a woman named Susan who is in the hospital suffering from exposure, and she fits Susan Brewster’s description. Henry heads to the hospital, and it turns out that she’s not Susan Brewster—it’s comically hinted that she’s a prostitute. While Henry is on his way home, a blizzard sidetracks him on Michigan Avenue at Nick’s Nook, an antiques store run by an old man named Nick (Iggy Wolfington), and there is something about Nick—especially since this is the part of Chicago that Henry was raised in, and Henry does not remember Nick’s Nook ever existing on Michigan Avenue. Nick tells Henry that miracles can happen, and he offers to give Henry a free jewelry box for Punky, but Henry turns it down. On Christmas morning, Punky wakes up, and she can’t find her mother in the when she opens her gifts, she notices a gift that wasn’t there before. It’s from Santa, and it’s the jewelry box that Nick tried to give Henry. Punky knows it’s Susan’s jewelry box, because Susan’s initials are on it. Also, Punky’s gift to Susan is missing. Punky understands that Susan couldn’t be there, so Santa took the gift to Susan and left the jewelry box for Punky, who has a great Christmas after all. On a hunch, Henry calls information, and he asks for the phone number of Nick’s Nook, but he’s told that Nick’s Nook doesn’t exist. Henry is now convinced that Nick was Santa.
