Christmas Eve, 1860. Six year old twins, Timothy and Emily Fitzroy, are asleep upstairs.
Downstairs, George Fitzroy wraps presents and places them under the Christmas tree.
Mary Fitzroy fills the stockings hanging above the fireplace with fruit, nuts and sugar mice.
At ten o'clock they retire to bed.
In the small hours an urchin shins down the chimney. He opens the back door for his Master, dressed as Santa Claus and toting an empty sack.
They sidestep the bull terrier sleeping by the back door without disturbing him.
The urchin creeps under the tree and slides the presents out to Santa, who pops them into his sack.
The twins wake up, tiptoe downstairs and are thrilled to see Santa Claus complete with bulging sack.
Put on the spot, Santa dips into the sack and hands them a present each. A toy train for Timothy and porcelain doll for Emily.
He prepares to leave when the urchin reminds Santa that there are more presents in the sack. Irate, Santa empties the sack, grabs the urchin by the scruff and hauls him to the back door.
The bull terrier wakes up, howls and clamps onto Santa's ankle.
George and Mary rush downstairs.
George, brandishing a candlestick, tells fake Santa that the bull terrier has him until the constabulary arrive .
Mary takes pity on the small urchin.
On Christmas Day, the urchin now scrubbed and in clean clothes joins the family for Christmas dinner.