Desc: It Nearly Wasn't Christmas: Directed by Burt Brinckerhoff. With Beverly Rowland, Charles Durning, Risa Schiffman, Annette Marin. Feeling unneeded, a disillusioned Santa Claus (Charles Durning) quits Christmas. Through the selflessness of a little girl looking to reunite her parents for Christmas (and the help of his bumbling chief elf, Philpot (Bruce Vilanch), Santa and the child travel across America and Santa discovers that people really do need him and care about other people.