The French baker across the street keeps them supplied with fresh rolls and bread. The dry cleaner around the corner cleans their quilted vests and down jackets free of charge. A neighbor extends a power line from his basement, winding it through high tree limbs and into the camper, to keep their little heater humming. The local meter maid 'forgets" to ticket the camper. And, in the ultimate statement of affection and trust, Jane Street neighbors deliver apartment keys to the Romps with open invitations to come by anytime for a hot shower, shave, and nap.
For the Romps, the Christmas tree business is also a serious business. A good sales season can make the year for this frugal family. Under tremendous financial pressure this particular year, Billy is counting on his family to pitch in as they always do, when he faces an unexpected obstacle: His oldest child and best helper, Ellie, sets her sights on attending the extravagant Nutcracker ballet and testing her wings outside her close-knit family. How Billy reconciles Ellie's transformation from a tomboyish, female version of himself into a graceful, independent young lady is at first a struggle and later a revelation. Along the way, he must learn how to let his daughter dream her own dreams - even when they diverge from his own. In setting her free, Billy learns the ultimate lesson of Christmas.
Christmas on Jane Street is about the transformative power of love - of parent and child, of merchant and customer, of stranger and neighbor. The ideal Christmas story, it is about the lasting and profound difference that one person can make to a family and one family can make to a community.