A man is determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest. He makes a pact with an elf to help him win--and the elf casts a spell that brings the 12 days of Christmas to life, which brings unexpected chaos to town.
Chris is a man on a mission to win his neighborhood's annual Christmas home decoration contest. After Chris inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper to better his chances of winning, she casts a magic spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life, and wreaks havoc on the whole town. At the risk of ruining the holidays for his family, Chris, his wife Carol, and their three children must race against the clock to break Pepper's spell, battle deviously magical characters, and save Christmas for everyone.—Big Screen
With his neighbors competing in the famous "Candy Cane Land" holiday decoration contest, Christmas expert Chris Carver is ready to give his all for a spectacular finale on Christmas Eve. But as the competition heats up, Chris and his family are only three days away from making it happen. Now, the Carvers must go all out to shine--after all, the stakes are sky-high this year. And then, Christmas-loving Pepper enters the picture. This holiday enthusiast is just the ally they need to save the day. With all the answers they're looking for, Pepper will make sure the Carvers have a holly, jolly Christmas. At last, now Chris has a good chance at winning. However, they say be careful what you wish for. What happens if Chris' plan backfires? Can good intentions plunge the town into chaos and ruin the true meaning of Christmas?—Nick Riganas
Corporate marketer Chris Carver creates hand-carved decorations for the local neighborhood Christmas decoration competition but has never won. He feels envious of his neighbor, Bruce, who consistently wins with inflatables and other inexpensive mass-market decorations. Shortly before Christmas, Chris is laid off, prompting him to desperately compete for the $100,000 grand prize offered by Prism Cable.
While searching for supplies, Chris and his youngest daughter, Holly, stumble upon a mysterious Christmas shop called "Kringle's." The store is filled with beautiful decorations and figurines, and Chris purchases a large tree-shaped stripe inspired by "The Twelve Days of Christmas." When presented with the receipt, the shopkeeper, Pepper, urges Chris to sign it without reading the fine print.
The new decoration impresses the judges at the competition. However, the next day, the images from the stripe have vanished, and the family discovers seven swans swimming in their pool. Chris blames Bruce for this and returns to Kringle's with Holly, seeking replacements. Meanwhile, Chris's wife, Carol, is attacked at work by six geese laying eggs and three French hens dressed in Frenchman costumes.
Back at the shop, they encounter several living glass figurines in a Christmas village: Pip, Cordelia, Gary, and a group of carolers. They explain that Pepper is an evil Christmas elf who has tricked Chris into a Faustian bargain, making them all previous victims of hers. Chris must find five golden rings held by the missing images, now alive, before 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve, or he will turn into a figurine himself.
Chris and Holly successfully acquire the first two rings from the two turtledoves and the three French hens. They rescue the figurines and bring them home in the village's clock tower, showing them to their family.
At Chris's older daughter Joy's track meet, Pepper unleashes the eight maids milking and ten lords a-leaping to attack the family. Amid the chaos, they manage to retrieve the third and fourth rings. However, Joy grows upset after her father inadvertently insults a college recruiter, leading her and her brother, Nick, to accuse him of prioritizing Christmas over their individual lives.
Back home, Chris reveals the truth about the situation, prompting the family to band together for help. Realizing that Pepper possesses the fifth ring, they set a trap for her on the night of the competition, where they learn through Prism Cable's news program that the $100,000 reward is actually in taco coupons.
After successfully trapping Pepper and retrieving her ring, Santa Claus appears and sends her back to the North Pole. When Chris presents the five rings to her, she taunts him by stating that he needs more. As "five golden rings" is mentioned eight times in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the family realizes they need a total of 40 rings.
Pepper then unleashes the remaining decorations (the nine ladies dancing remain unseen) on the neighborhood. The Carvers scramble to collect the rings, aided by Santa. In a twist, Pepper cheats by turning the clock tower forward five minutes, causing Chris to begin transforming into a figurine prematurely. Despite their efforts, the family manages to collect only 38 rings. However, Santa reminds them that Chris and Carol's wedding rings, made of gold, bring the total to 40, restoring Chris to his normal self. Holly makes her Christmas wish and has the other figurines returned to normal. Santa takes Pepper and all the former figurines, except for Pip, away on his sleigh and bids farewell to the Carvers.
On Christmas morning, the Carvers enjoy their free tacos with Bruce and his family, and Chris reconciles with him. Pip arrives, wishing to spend Christmas with them, and is welcomed by the family.
One year later, in a mid-credits scene, Pepper is shown as a glass figurine punished by Santa, who informs her that good behavior may lead to her return to reindeer poop-scooping duty. Meanwhile, Chris has taken ownership of Pepper's store, which has been renamed "Chris Kringle's."
