It's Christmas Eve in Maine, and Miss Moody and her boarders Millie and Emery – as well as her pup Smittens – are all tucked into bed, when out in the barnyard there arises such a clatter...!

Turns out that Santa's reindeer have come down ill and need a chance to recuperate. But what of the toys for the good girls and boys? Thanks to some old-fashioned down-on-the-farm ingenuity, Santa gets back on schedule with the help of a motley but willing crew like none you've ever dreamed of.