Feeling exhausted and unappreciated by the children of the world, Santa Claus decides to take a year off from Christmas. Unable to rouse him from his sickbed, Mrs. Claus sends elves Jingle and Jangle and the reindeer Vixen to bring back proof that children still hold faith and admiration for Christmas. After narrowly escaping the clutches of villains Heat Miser and Snow Miser, the elves arrive in South Town, USA. There they are immediately ticketed by a policeman, and Vixen is thrown into an animal pound. When Santa Claus learns of their perils, he jumps from his bed and goes to the rescue. Posing as a human, the sickly Santa searches for Jingle, Jangle, and Vixen, and in his search he finds the best medicine of all, a generous family who still believes in the spirit of Christmas.

Featuring the voices of Shirley Booth, Mickey Rooney, and the late great Dick Shawn, THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS is a poignant film that criticizes society's waning generosity for others. As the children of the world take the gift of giving for granted, it's up to the team of Rankin and Bass to show them what it would be like if Christmas ceased to exist.