The film stars Mel Smith as Father Christmas and was dedicated to the late animator John McGuire.

As he settles down and warms up, he greets the viewers and explains how he is busy throughout the year caring for his reindeer and pets, tending to his garden and doing the housework and shopping.

At first he enjoys the French countryside, but the food he orders at a restaurant makes him ill. After relocating to a campsite with amenities to help him cope while he recovers, he eventually is forced to move on when people begin to recognise him.

Deciding on Scotland, Father Christmas enjoys his time in a local pub and buys a kilt, but hates the bad weather and the cold waters of a nearby loch.

After returning home, he prepares to relax, until letters addressed to Father Christmas begin to arrive shortly after retrieving his pets.

Father Christmas and The Snowman take place in the same universe—both were written by the same author, and both television shorts were made by very similar production teams.

Scenes where Father Christmas gets drunk, over-eats, dances with chorus girls and suffers a hangover were removed.