Thora Birch, Leslie Nielsen, Lauren Bacall, Ethan Embry
This is a comedy about two New York City children who launch a hilarious scheme to get what they most want this holiday season. Ethan and his sister, Hallie, who knows how to charm her way out of a difficult situation, are intent on spending Christmas with their parents, Michael and Catherine, and grandmother Lillian. As they embark on their adventure, almost nothing goes exactly as they planned. Complicating things is a smarmy businessman named Tony Boer, who has taken an interest in Catherine. Meanwhile, Ethan is preoccupied with not only Michael and Catherine's romantic dilemma, but also his own, which brought about by his new friendship with Stephanie, his first teenage crush. What evolves is an elaborate scheme involving mice, telephone calls, and an ice cream truck as Ethan and Hallie try to achieve their goal with Stephanie's help. Their primary obstacle is Tony. They finally succeed with a little Christmas magic from Santa Claus.—"Benjamin"