'Tis the season in Paterson, New Jersey: Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are surrounded by holiday cheer. At his Tara Foundation, Andy's hands are full with a recent litter of puppies, and he is relieved when his co-worker Chris Myers agrees to foster them. In this 26th outing (after Holy Chow), however, Chris wants to be vindicated for having been accused of a crime he did not commit. When a witness is found murdered, Chris will be spending the holidays behind bars, and Andy must discover if he's been naughty or nice.