Bob Hope stars as Sidney Melbourne (aka the Lemon Drop Kid), a con man who offers a friendly sure thing horse tip to the girlfriend of mobster Moose Moran. But when his sure thing loses and Mooses original pick wins, Sidney is given until Christmas to pay back the money or else. So to raise the money he owes, Sidney enlists some old pals to hit the street corners of New York dressed as Santa Claus accepting donations for a bogus elderly ladies home. Calamity ensues when gangster Oxford Charlie (Lloyd Nolan) tries to move in on Sidney's scam. What follows is vintage Hope shenanigans, highlighted by a heart-warming rendition of the Christmas classic Silver Bells sung by Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Directed by Sidney Lanfield.