The story treats the simultaneous events of wishing for love, in Ivy, a young orphaned girl, and Holly, a Christmas doll.

A beautiful new Christmas doll named Holly is standing in the display window of Mr. Blossom's toy store, wishing for a little girl to come and take her home.

The toy owl next to her, Abracadabra, treats her with undisguised contempt, and suggests that, since no one will want Holly after the holiday, she will wind up spending the year in the back room with him.

Mrs. Jones, who lives a few blocks from the toy store, suggests to her husband, a police officer that they have a Christmas tree that year.

Mr. Blossom is tired from a long day's work, so he asks Peter to lock up the store for him, telling him that he can pick a toy for himself as a bonus.

The next morning, she returns to the toy store to look at Holly, and overhears a conversation between Peter and Officer Jones, who has been on patrol all night.

[5] The Horn Book Magazine also rated it highly, as they felt it was "Texturally rich and evocatively wintry" and recommended it as a read for the "whole family".

[7] A television adaptation of the book entitled The Wish That Changed Christmas aired on CBS as part of the Ronald McDonald Family Theater on December 20, 1991.

"[9][10] The Washington Post was more favorable in their review, but also voiced skepticism over the presence of Ronald McDonald as the special's host.

[11] In subsequent years, the television special was slightly modified to be presented with an unnamed and unseen narrator and did not include the presence of Ronald McDonald in any capacity.