Miracle on 34th Street (initially released as The Big Heart in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama based on a story by Valentine Davies The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa Davies also wrote a short novelization of the tale, which was published by Harcourt Brace simultaneously with the film’s release.