YULETIDE THE CHRISTMAS GOAT synopsis

LOGLINE

When witches harass Father Christmas by threatening to steal children and their gifts on Christmas Eve, a goat braves a mountain to find a magic yule log. 

PITCH

Yuletide the Christmas Goat travels to the peak of Vestfjellet Mountain to search for the Magic Yule Log that can defeat the witches attacking twelve-year-old Ingrid Danielsen and her Norwegian village. As Ingrid and her parents fight back the witches, they wait for the Christmas Goat to return with the Yule Log that must burn in their fireplace by midnight on Christmas Eve, so the evil witches lose their power and Father Christmas can visit the village with presents for the children. 

SYNOPSIS

Twelve-year-old Ingrid Danielsen is worried there are witches in the Norwegian village of Vestfold. In fact, they come back every Christmas Eve. Her friend Yuletide the Christmas Goat knows the witches like to harass Father Christmas on Christmas Eve, threatening to steal the children and their presents. Although the witches have bullied the children before, they have never succeeded in actually kidnapping anyone until now. Ingrid watches another witch fly down, grab three of her cousins who are caroling, and fling them on her broom. Yuletide suggests clogging the chimney so the witches can’t fly down it. The witches are more determined than ever to undermine Julenissen and his Nisse, also known as Santa Claus and his gnomes. Then, Yuletide meanders to a large book on the side shelf and flips it open with his nose and points to a map. It reads: “There’s a Magic Yule Log, hidden on the peak of Vestfjellet Mountain, which is strong enough to destroy the witches.” Ingrid insists that they find the Yule Log and burn it in her parents’ fireplace, but it must be burned on Christmas Eve, not one second past midnight. So, Ingrid and Yuletide have twelve hours to succeed. 

Despite her enthusiasm, Yuletide insists that Ingrid isn’t going in search of the Yule Log—he is. In the meantime, Ingrid huddles by the fireplace, building a large fire with the regular logs and twigs. While Ingrid and her parents fight back the witches and their spells for hours, Ingrid keeps hoping for Yuletide’s quick return. The clock on the wall tick-tocks closer and closer to midnight when the Magic Yule Log will no longer be effective. Just when Ingrid wants to give up fighting the witch, Yuletide marches in the front door with the glowing Magic Yule Log. The goat’s knees are bloody, and he hobbles through the front door as though he might collapse at any moment.

Ingrid runs to him in tears, grabbing the Magic Yule Log, and throwing it into the fireplace. Although there is already a small fire burning, she takes the last match in the box and strikes it to light the log. It causes a huge explosion to shoot from the chimney that stretched over the village, sending the witches into the oblivion. The kidnapped children riding with the witches fall from the brooms and magically land feet-first in the snow. At that, Ingrid’s family falls asleep by the fireplace with Yuletide, and Father Christmas makes his visit in the snow with presents, because a goat decided that he could overcome every evil spirit at Christmas.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters