The Year Without a Santa Claus

Santa Claus [John Goodman] awakens with a cold in early December, and a sardonic elf doctor quips that nobody cares about Christmas like they used to, prompting him to consider skipping his annual Christmas Eve journey. In response, Mrs. Claus [Delta Burke] enlists two elves, Jingle [Eddie Griffin] and Jangle, to seek evidence of true Christmas spirit.

Jingle and Jangle set out with Santa’s youngest reindeer, Vixen, and land in a small Southern town called Southtown, a place loosely based on Oxford, Mississippi. Their mission to spark genuine holiday magic proves stubbornly fruitless, and trouble erupts when Vixen is detained by a dog catcher and sent to the local pound.

Hearing of Vixen’s capture, Santa travels to Southtown in disguise, adopting the civilian name “Klaus.” There, he meets a boy named Ignatius “Iggy” Thistlewhite, whom Dylan Minnette portrays, and his family. After Santa leaves to attempt a Vixen rescue, Iggy realizes the visitor’s true identity and vows to help the elves.

Jingle, Jangle, and Iggy press the town’s mayor, Mayor Thistlewhite [Robert C. Treveiler], who agrees to release Vixen if they can conjure snow in Southtown. Mrs. Claus gathers the trio and they turn to Snow Miser [Michael McKean], the keeper of cold weather, asking him to deliver snow for a day. He refuses, explaining that Southtown lies within his brother Heat Miser’s domain. The group then approaches Heat Miser [Harvey Fierstein], who conditions his help on Snow Miser surrendering the North Pole. With neither brother willing to yield, Mrs. Claus reveals she must “go over their heads.”

As Mrs. Claus departs, Snow Miser and Heat Miser blame one another as she plans to consult their mother. Iggy intuits what Mrs. Claus means, and Jingle and Jangle tell him they will seek guidance from Mother Nature. At her home, Mrs. Claus explains the dilemma and Mother Nature [Carol Kane] agrees to intervene, summoning Snow Miser and Heat Miser to broker a compromise: Snow Miser will allow it to snow in Southtown, and Heat Miser will permit one warm day at the North Pole.

As Christmas approaches, children around the world send presents to Santa, generating international headlines and renewed hope. Moved by this outpouring of generosity, Santa decides to begin his yuletide journey after all. Mrs. Claus notes the enduring Christmas spirit that finds a way through doubt and distance.

yearly, newly, faithfully and truly, somehow Santa Claus always comes

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:32