Growing up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, Stephon and Blake Blanton are happy and come from a loving family. Their Christmas days were filled with gifts and so much joy. All this changes in the blink of an eye, when their lives are suddenly turned upside down, and they end up in the home of Ms. Mary.

Every summer, a horde of professional Santas, Mrs. Clauses, and elves descend on a campsite in the New Hampshire woods to learn the tricks of their trade. But this year is different. The organizers, members of the one-hundred strong New England Santa Society, have decided to tackle a complicated and historic problem – the lack of diversity in the Santa industry. They enlist a Black Santa, a Santa with a disability, and a transgender Santa, each with their own surprising Santa origin story.

When Holly returns home for Christmas expecting the same as any other year, she’s blindsided to learn her family’s department store is on the brink of foreclosure. To keep the business going, Holly fills in as Santa’s Helper and meets the surprisingly young and handsome Nick, who has been hired to play Santa at the store this year. Their undeniable chemistry and charisma draw in big crowds, until suddenly, Nick disappears. As Christmas day inches closer, Holly scrambles to find Nick with only one clue – his misplaced black boot.

After a death in the family, siblings Angelica and James Zacherly travel to the small town of East Willard on Christmas Eve to pay their respects. They stay at a homely bed and breakfast where they learn the legend of Black Peter, Santa Claus’ vengeful brother. But when they find the lost journal of Jeffrey Butler, they discover the town has its own sordid history – one more rooted in reality.

The film is set in the fictional Utah community of Santa Ynez, which is being terrorized by a mysterious black coupe that appears out of nowhere and begins running people down. After the car kills off the town’s Sheriff (John Marley), it becomes the job of Captain Wade Parent (James Brolin) to stop the murderous driver.