His wife refuses to take him seriously, laughing at his manufactured stories: "You read too many books and see too many movies.And this is the best ever.A joke on the children...It was the start of the year in our old Celtic lands and we""d be waiting in our houses of wattles and clay.Johnny Sims reached the age of twelve.He recited poetry, played piano and sang in a choir...so did Lincoln and Washington!Eight male school friends sit perched on a fencepost and talk about their futures, many of which are already mapped out for them - even so, young twelve year old Johnny is confident of his prospects:White boy: What are you gonna be when you grow up, Whitey?Black boy: I detend to be a preacher man! Hallelujah!Nerdy-looking boy: I purpose to seek occupation as a cowboy." In the film""s most touching single moment, Kringle kind-heartedly and reassuringly spoke to the non-English-speaking, frightened WWII immigrant-refugee Dutch girl/orphan (Ida McGuire) in her own native language (and performed a duet of a traditional Dutch carole "Sinterklaas Kapoentje" with her).