A small illustrated girl slips out of her picture in an antiquarian shop and, after nibbling crumbs, rapidly grows to a schoolgirl’s size. A kindly old bookseller gives her a red-covered volume without payment on Christmas Eve, and she steps out into snowy city streets. She wanders through department stores crowded with many Santas and harried shoppers, noticing the sameness of the holiday rituals and the strain between generous sentiment and commercial excess. The tale mixes light fantasy and whimsy with gentle satire, contrasting the marvel of a storybook escape with the noisy, repetitive bustle of urban Christmas life.