Based on the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical young girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus.

When the real Kris Kringle is hired inadvertently to represent jolly St. Nick in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, he must convince the child and her cynical divorced mother (the department store's special events director) that he is the genuine article.

The Broadway production, directed by Stuart Ostrow and choreographed by Michael Kidd, opened on October 3, 1963, at the Shubert Theatre, and closed on July 25, 1964, after 334 performances and 2 previews.

The cast included Laurence Naismith, Janis Paige, Craig Stevens, Lisa Kirk, Fred Gwynne, Kathy Cody, Michael Bennett, and Baayork Lee.

[2][3] The song "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas", written by Willson in 1951, is used in the musical, where it is sung in counterpoint to the newly-composed "Pine Cones and Holly Berries".