America's favorite funnyman Bob Hope is up to his old shenanigans as racetrack hustler Sidney Melbourne, aka "The Lemon Drop Kid." When Hope gives a dizzy dame a bad tip on a broken down nag, he finds himself in hot water with the moll's notorious gangster boyfriend whose dough was lost in the bet. Given until Christmas to come up with the cash, Hope devises yet another scheme to drum up the funds - a bogus Santa Claus charity racket, which soon attracts the attention of Lloyd Nolan, a greedy mobster looking to horn in on the smooth operation. Highlights in this light-hearted farce include the first performance of the holiday standard "Silver Bells" by Hope and costar Marilyn Maxwell.