A quaint little town called Stinky Cigars, a secret location hidden only by a name that was chosen to repel tourists, is populated by iconic holiday characters from every culture around the world.

The story, which is narrated in verse and "cheekily punctuated" by original songs,[2] centers on Edison Elf (Sean Hayes), an optimistic inventor who presents Santa with an unexpectedly hazardous new toy, and Murray Weiner (Jerry Stiller), the cranky owner of the town's diner.

Murray's talent for delivering orders makes the unwilling curmudgeon the only person in town who can fill in for an injured Santa (Kevin Michael Richardson) on Christmas Eve.

Club gave the special a C+, saying: "Sentiment- and story-wise, How Murray Saved Christmas is all over the place, but its joke-telling abilities live up to the shiniest lines on its creators' resumes".

[9] Composer Walter Murphy and writer/lyricist Mike Reiss were nominated for a 2015 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for How Murray Saved Christmas.