With dreams of being an inventor, opportunist and eccentric elf Bernard D. Elf (Martin Freeman) is made to feel like a a fool yet again when his innovative creation to bring back people's favorite Christmas memories back to life fails miserably. However, he is then presented with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth, when Santa (Tim Conway) is kidnapped by the evil Neville Baddington (Tim Curry), and his demanding mother Vera (Dame Joan Collins), who have their heart set on discovering Santa's big secret: how he delivers presents across the world in just one night. However, Bernard knows how he does it, using a time travelling device to ensure all children wake up on Christmas morning with their presents under the tree. The elf decides to use this to his advantage, as he plans on going back in time and preventing the abduction from ever happening, and save Santa, and Christmas, for the entire world.