Steve (Matthew Broderick), a suburban dad and Christmas enthusiast, leads a well-ordered, well-planned, and well-organized life. His new neighbor, Buddy (Danny DeVito), is Steve's polar opposite: a big personality with big dreams, which have yet to materialize. But Buddy's latest dream - to create the biggest holiday light display in the world, visible from outer space - is turning Steve's disciplined world into a chaotic nightmare.