Scott Calvin, is a divorced father whose strained relationship with his son Charlie, begins to mend only after a bizarre twist of fate transforms him into the new Santa. When the current Mr. Claus falls off the roof on Christmas eve, Scott dons Santa's suit, and he and his son are whisked off to the North Pole. There he meets Bernard the head elf, who tells him about the clause, a contract stating that whoever puts on the santa suit must also take on all the responsibilities that go with the position. Scott isn't too thrilled about his sudden career change. Charlie, however, is overjoyed. Over the next 12 months Scott gains an enormous amount of weight and sprouts a full white beard. Though he fights the inevitable, when Christmas eve arrives Scott and Charlie, eight reindeer and the Elf Swat Team strive to make believers of all of us, and in the events that follow, it becomes clear that Scott indeed is the real Santa.