In the episode, Bart Simpson gets a tattoo without permission from his mother Marge. Marge uses all of the money for Christmas to get the tattoo off. Homer's boss will not give him a bonus for Christmas. Homer gets a job to be Santa Claus at a shopping mall, but he does not get enough money. He loses more money when he loses a bet at dog racing. Santa's Little Helper, the dog they betted on, did bad at the race and is abandoned by his owner. Homer and Bart keep him as a pet for the family.