When Bart accidentally destroys his family's Christmas tree and all the presents underneath it on Christmas morning, he lies and says that he saw a burglar steal their stuff. A report by Kent Brockman about the supposed robbery leads to an outpouring of support and money for the Simpsons from the people of Springfield. Homer takes the money and buys a new car, which he promptly drives into the bottom of a lake. Bart finally admits that there was no burglar and that it was his fault that the Christmas tree and presents disappeared. When word gets out about the fraud, the entire town turns on the Simpsons, throwing rotten vegetables at them and sending them hate mail. Marge comes up with a foolproof plan to get the townspeople their money back: She goes on Jeopardy! to win the cash. When she loses, the family returns home to find that their neighbors have looted the entire house, thereby evening the score.
