Widower Tom Baer, a school counselor, recently married school coach Cindy Noll, a widow. Their respective offspring gets along fairly well, despite different parenting styles, but as their first Christmas with all step-siblings approaches, each set is desperate to respect their own seasonal traditions, reminiscent of their late parents. Tom's father, retired preacher Joe Noll, and Cindy's mother-in-law (from her deceased husband, Dave), Evie, a businesswoman, each liked by both, hoped to bridge the gap, but when that fails, she returns home alone. Just that gets the kids reconsidering their pouting pact.