Karroll’s Christmas

Allen Karroll is a cynical writer who hates Christmas and endures a chaotic morning on Christmas Eve. He is thrown off a bus and collides with a child during a tense run-in with his neighbor Zeb Rosecog. He also refuses to help the boy when someone accuses him of throwing a snowball at Santa, setting a sour tone for the night.

Karroll delivers a terrible presentation to the company's sole major client, threatening his job and deepening the rift with his girlfriend Carrie, who has secret plans to propose that night. The disastrous pitch undermines his credibility and amplifies his sense that everything is going wrong. The failure compounds his personal and professional stress.

Following the meltdown, Carrie reveals she was planning to propose that night, but Karroll's behavior shatters her plans and she decides to leave him. The breakup deepens his loneliness as Christmas Eve spirals further out of control. He is left facing both professional jeopardy and personal loss.

That night, the ghost of Jacob Marley arrives, mistaken for Rosecog due to a wrong address, and warns that he will be visited by the Christmas ghosts. Marley’s misidentification sets Karroll on a surreal journey through time. He is told to expect visits that will force him to confront his own ways.

Christmas Present arrives through a magical remote capable of transporting them through space and time. Using it, the ghost shows Karroll the consequences of Rosecog’s actions on others, including a family being sued over shoveled sidewalks where a little boy from earlier is involved. Karroll’s curiosity about the remote leads them to travel through key moments.

In a past Christmas, Karroll and Present watch the moment Karroll first meets Carrie, hinting that not all Christmas memories are bleak. The memory suggests warmth and possibility amid the season’s chaos. It foreshadows how choices shape the present.

They jump to the day after that Christmas, where Rosecog’s daughter describes him as miserable and distant. Her words reveal the human cost behind his professional facade. The moment highlights the personal toll of his behavior on his family.

Christmas Past shows Rosecog was once a devoted family man, but he became consumed by work. He is unable to visit his dying wife in time, leading to a deeper estrangement from his family. The sequence culminates in him announcing he will sell the company, having lost the people he loved.

The memories reveal Karroll’s own past: he publicly proposes to his then-girlfriend Lisa while wearing a caribou costume, only to be rejected. Lisa also reveals she was cheating, underscoring Karroll’s vulnerability. The moment deepens his understanding of broken romance.

Christmas Future shows Rosecog dying alone in a hospital room, with his belongings sold as his life collapses. Karroll learns he has lost his job and that Carrie has broken up with him. The visions underline the price of unresolved strife.

Karroll awakens on Christmas Day with a new sense of purpose. He initially struggles to use the broken remote but finds a path to real change. He ultimately reconnects with Rosecog by humming the Christmas song playing near his wife’s deathbed.

The two men find common ground as the ghosts’ guidance helps heal old wounds. Rosecog drops the lawsuit and Karroll testifies to the child’s innocence. They also repair their relationship with Rosecog’s daughter, who had been caught in the family rift.

With the ghosts’ help, Karroll steals a reindeer suit and sneaks into Carrie’s concert to propose. Carrie accepts, revealing she was planning to propose herself. The moment marks a joyful turnaround from the night’s earlier disappointments.

Karroll saves his job by presenting a popup card design that Rosecog had created, turning the tide in his favor. The success comes after the transformative events of the day. The film closes on a note of renewed Christmas spirit and forgiveness.