Other mistake: Near the beginning, Scott and Charlie are flying in the sleigh down a road next to a truck. During the entire scene, the truck driver is constantly jerking the wheel to the right and left yet the truck remains in a perfectly straight course.
Other mistake: When Santa falls off Scott Calvin's roof, he slides in a straight trajectory that lines up just off center of the front door, meaning Santa should have fallen smack down on the snowless concrete walkway, not a few feet over onto the snow-covered lawn.
Other mistake: A Federal Express driver delivers hundreds of boxes to Scott Calvin. They contain the names of all the children in the world. Scott opens a box and picks up the top page and begins reading the names. The second page in the box is identical.
Chosen answer: Even though Charlie did not want to stay with his Dad for Christmas Eve, he did want to stay at home with a family member, fragmented as it was. Eating Christmas Eve dinner at a Denny's restaurant was not his idea of a Christmas dinner at home with family.