In Candy Cane Lane, Chris falls into the trap of a naughty elf who brings the characters of The Twelve Days of Christmas to life. The movie is now streaming on Prime Video.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Christmas is around the corner, and Chris and his family, the Carvers, once again have a chance to win the prize for the best Christmas decoration on the TV show Candy Cane Lane.
Things don’t go Chris’ way as Christmas gets closer. While his wife, Carol, is getting a promotion, he has been laid off by his company.
Chris finds some hope when it is announced that this year’s winner of the Candy Cane Lane competition will win a whopping $100,000 because of the sponsors this year.
Chris gets back to work to design the best Christmas decoration for his house. He goes hunting with his youngest daughter, Holly, and finds a shop called Kringle’s, run by a woman named Pepper.
In the shop, they come across a beautiful Christmas tree that is decorated with ornaments featuring the characters of The Twelve Days of Christmas. After buying that Christmas tree and everything else that they need, Pepper convinces Chris to not read the fine print on the bill and sign it right away.
Though Chris’s decoration shines when he first presents it on Candy Cane Lane, its the next day when the chaos begins. The characters from The Twelve Days of Christmas on the ornaments on Chris’ tree are missing.
Chris thinks someone stole them. Since the competition is still on, he and Holly quickly head to Pepper’s to find some replacements. Pepper says that he will have to find his ornaments himself; she can’t help. She also throws a rhyme at him.
When Pepper gets busy with other customers, the figures in a Christmas village set come to life and talk to Chris and Holly. They reveal that Pepper is a naughty elf who quit on Santa after being demoted by him for putting people on the naughty list for minor mistakes.
Pepper is now on a mission to punish anyone who gets on her naughty list. People can save themselves if they manage to accomplish a task given by Pepper. She usually tells them the task in rhyme.
Holly remembers the rhyme. According to that, Chris needs to find gold rings from the song The Twelve Days of Christmas before the bell in the clock of the village set rings at 8:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
After realizing that everything that the villagers said is true, Chris breaks into Kringle’s again. The villagers further explain to Chris that if he fails to find the five gold rings of The Twelve Days of Christmas, he will turn into a figure just like them, who have all fallen into Pepper’s trap.
When Chris claims that he didn’t sign up for this, he is reminded of his signature on the bill. Chris has gotten his hands on two of the gold rings. If he finds three more, he can break the curse. Maybe even the villagers will escape the curse and become humans again.
Chris and Holly leave with the Christmas village set and the villagers. The Carver family comes together to find the rings. However, after securing two more rings, they fall apart due to their personal grudges. Especially because of Chris, who wants his kids to choose the path he wants for them.
It’s only when Chris tells them the truth about what’s at stake here that the family reconciles again. They don’t want to see Chris turn into a figure.
The family gets back to searching for the last ring. Last night, Pepper broke into their house, looking for the villagers, and she left after saying another rhyme. The rhyme suggests that Pepper has the last ring.
Candy Cane Lane ending explained in detail:
Are there more than five gold rings?
The Carver family lays a trap for Pepper on Christmas Eve. The villagers become the bait. The family successfully gets their hands on the last gold ring.
Santa Claus shows up to scold Pepper. He apologizes to Chris on Pepper’s behalf. Chris asks Santa if he will be fine because he has all the five gold rings.
Pepper then reminds Chris that she never said he needed to find five gold rings in the riddle. Chris remembers the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. It repeats its verses, according to which he is supposed to find a total of 40 rings.
Pip from the Christmas Village says that Pepper changes rules at the very last moment, and that’s why nobody ever wins. Chris has signed the bill and made a deal, so he must find the 40 rings, or he will turn into another one of Pepper’s villagers.
Does Chris turn into a figure?
The race to find the rest of the rings begins. Chris has little time left. Pepper continues to mess with rules as she moves the hands of the clock in Santa’s village set. The move results in Chris becoming a figure earlier.
Though the family only finds 38 rings in time, Santa points out that they have 40. The other two are Chris and Carol’s wedding rings. Hence, Chris wins and becomes human again.
How do the other villagers become humans again?
Chris asks Santa whether he can help the villagers who have been turned into figures by Pepper, who claims that they are only hers. Santa can’t do anything here because the villagers made a deal with Pepper and lost.
However, Holly’s wish can do some wonders. After meeting the villagers, Holly sent Santa a letter, asking him to turn the villagers back into humans. Santa fulfills her wish, and the villagers become humans again.
All the villagers go back to their families. Chris wins the 2023 Candy Cane Lane competition. Unfortunately, the prize isn’t $100,000; its the prizes that equal $100,000. Instead of spending holidays on his own, Pip joins the Carvers for Christmas.
What happens to Pepper?
Santa gives Pepper a chance to return to the North Pole if she promises to be good. Santa believes everyone deserves a second chance. However, Chris and the villagers wanted Santa to punish her.
A week later, it is revealed that Santa turned Pepper into a figure who now lives in Christmas Village. Pepper’s shop, Kringler’s, is now owned by Chris.
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