Christmas 1985 promises to be dull for Steph Marshall, a computer whiz stuck in a dead-end mall job. Then two small strangers enter her life... and kidnap her as a present for their boss, Nick Claus. When she wakes under a Christmas tree, Steph is furious at her abductors and Nick. But she soon learns that Nick is not like his father, Kris Claus. He's charming, funny, and most of all, kind to everyone he meets. She finds herself drawn to the Santa-in-Waiting.

But things at the North Pole aren't like the songs describe. Not everyone is a jolly old elf. This world is too different from all she knows, full of magic and reindeer shifters, and to make things worse, Nick won't stand up to his father and make the changes the North Pole needs. Can Steph help Nick break from tradition and be the Claus he's meant to be? Or will Christmas morning come too soon?