Tear Jerker / The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

• Everything is worse for Scott's family in the alternate timeline where he doesn't become Santa and instead becomes the CEO of his old company from the first movie:
  • Scott and Carol never fell in love, Carol never over came her iciness, and she has since moved away after, according to Laura, "running out of kids to terrorize."
  • Neal and Laura have gotten divorced, in big part because of Scott's absence. Due to Scott constantly prioritizing work over being a father to Charlie, Neal was stuck trying to pick up his slack. Trouble was, although Charlie liked Neal, he preferred Scott to be his father. But Scott couldn't be bothered to help, Neal was forced to continue trying to bond with him alone, and Charlie kept resisting, which strained and ultimately destroyed Laura and Neal's marriage. As much as Scott found Neal to be a dork, he was just as upset to have split them up.
  • Due to his father's absence throughout his life and his mother's second divorce, Charlie has grown to become a Christmas-hating delinquent, to the point where he bitterly greets Scott and leaves Laura all alone on Christmas Eve to hang with his friends.
  • Due to Scott's absence and her family's various problems, Lucy never bonded with him as a surrogate niece or had many positive influences growing up, and has become a spoiled brat, a contrast to the sweet little girl she is in the true timeline. The dismayed look on Scott’s face when she addresses him as simply Mr. Calvin, rather than Uncle Scott per the usual, says it all.
• The look on Scott's face when he sees what Jack Frost has done after the Escape Clause has taken effect. The elves look very unhappy at having to help the new Santa run his amusement park in the North Pole. The reindeer are upset at being reduced to petting attractions. Frost has shamelessly taken the commercialization of Christmas to the extreme, allowing parents to pay to have their kids on the Nice list or having toys made for them even if they don't deserve them. And worst of all, most of the children present have embraced Frost's changes of the holiday, with many of them becoming spoiled and demanding brats urging and pressuring their parents to spend whatever money possible on whatever toys or merchandise they want, regardless of whether they deserve it or not. Frost has ruined the most giving and uniting holiday all for his own gain, and it's a real heartbreaker to those who embrace the true spirit of Christmas.