SANTA CLAUS SCHOOL synopsis

LOGLINE

Twelve students enter a Saint Nick merry-making boot camp and learn to be the good in the world. 

PITCH

Santa Claus School in Santa Claus, Indiana, prides itself on graduating the best Santa Clauses in the nation. More than money-making ventures, Clement Winter, the school’s teacher, wants his students to have real Christmas spirit. Despite their less-than-merry attitudes, he teaches them all the crucial skills for becoming the “real Santa Claus.” By the time his class graduates its 10-week Santa Boot Camp, his 12 students are ready for a very Merry Christmas indeed. 

SYNOPSIS

Every September, Santa Claus School in Santa Claus, Indiana, welcomes twelve students who want to improve their holiday-making skills as men in the merry-red coats and hats with white beards. Although the applications come through the U.S. mail, and they are scrutinized for the best Christmas-cheer, Clement Winter, the school’s teacher, can never be too sure what to expect on the first day of school. The ten-week class covers all the basics and then some on how to uphold the tradition of Santa Claus. More than any other school in the country, Santa Claus School prides itself in graduating the best Santa Clauses. The school has been having financial troubles, so Clement hopes the students’ successes help it stay afloat. Looking at the new class, he feels saddened at their lack of enthusiasm. It takes a certain amount of gusto and Christmas values to pull off being a genuine Santa Claus. 

As Clement proceeds, he looks up to hear snoring, burping, and cursing from the students, and he takes radical action. “This year we’re running class like Boot Camp!” he announces, astounded that many of the students have not shaved their brown stubble. One student is hiding a Vodka bottle in his bag. One of them even picks his nose. Another one won’t turn off his cell phone and keeps taking calls from his various girlfriends. A handful of them try to budget how much money they can make during the holiday season if they keep on track, even attempting to get free gifts. On the contrary, a few of them read their Bibles openly and pray during class, ignoring Clement altogether. 

 

Clement makes a new rule, saying that the students either get themselves to the classroom by 6 a.m. ready to go, or they’re gone. By the end of Week One, Santa Claus School starts to look a little more like Christmastime. By the end of Week Two, each of the students finally have their own outfits, and only one of the Santas rips his pants when he bends over. As Week Three rolls around, the men have to learn to sing, talk, dance, and walk like Santa Claus. Week Four and Week Five are not so much different, being that children skills are similar to reindeer skills. During week six, learning how to interact with Mrs. Claus might be the toughest week of all. Although Week Seven with flying lessons takes more imagination than the practicality of making toys and letter-writing in Weeks Eight and Nine, Week Ten covering the true meaning of Christmas is the best. By the end of the ten-week course, the twelve Santa students graduate with hopes of presenting the best of Santa Claus to the rest of the world. From the elementary schools to the malls, they are now ready.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters