When the movie begins, fifth-grader Zach sees Santa Claus deliver his presents on the night before Christmas.Outside of Hope, Arizona, Zach and his sister Miley live at their parents' Logan Lazy L Ranch.Everyone is looking forward to Christmas, but there is a grinch. Senator Max Schmucker thinks it is ridiculous to believe in Santa Claus and he has gone so far as to outlaw belief in this symbol of Christmas. At the kids' school, no one is allowed to mention Santa, and a Santa poster is removed from the wall. Miley brings it home.One day the kids see a suspicious light in the barn, and it turns out to be Santa Claus and his nasty elf Elliot. Santa doesn't know how he ended up in the barn. He and Elliot were doing their rounds to find out who was naughty and who was nice, but something went wrong with the portal that transports them from place to place. Furthermore, he can't seem to return and his magic powers are starting to disappear. He figures out that it must be because people have stopped believing in him. And there are rules: he can't just appear to people. Santa accidentally let himself be revealed to the Logan kids but this can't happen with everyone.Santa and Elliot can turn invisible, at least as long as their powers work. Or they can hide. The kids have to work hard to make sure no one finds out their secret. This is made quite challenging when some of the animals get into the reindeer feed.Meanwhile, the kids' mother Renae has a doctor's appointment. This could mean bad news.The kids scheme to persuade the senator to debate whether Santa Claus exists. Miley makes a video challenging the senator to debate her, and the kids play hooky from school and sneak it into the local TV station. All of a sudden they are celebrities. Now, will the senator accept the challenge? Will any of this do any good? Will the kids be able to stop Santa Claus from disappearing completely?