In many cities around the world On Christmas Day and Boxing Day the destitute and homeless served a festive meal by teams of volunteers who give up their time and sacrifice their own Christmas festivities to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Twas the night before Christmas
And all down the Lane
Not a creature was stirring
Especially not Shane
As like every year he was
Passed out in a ditch again
Connor (Jesse Hutch) is a struggling toy designer, who wants to make timeless classic toys instead of modern flashy electronic tatt.
In his personal life he is in love with his
girlfriend, Holly Claus (Laura Bell Bundy), and is desperate to meet her
parents, Nick and Jessica (Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter), so that he can
ask them for her hand in marriage.
Holly however keeps making excuses, not
because she doesn’t want to marry him, she does very much, she is reluctant for
another reason entirely.
The thing that was holding her back was that
she hadn't told him the whole truth about her background, and that truth was
that Nick and Jessica are Santa and Mrs. Claus, and as difficult as that truth
would be to tell him, it would pale into insignificance compared to the fact
that marrying her would mean that he would eventually take over the reigns as
Santa, and her biggest worry was that Connor would find it too high a price to
pay for her love.
Also, there was a rival for Holly’s
affections in the form of Jack Frost (Tony Cavalero), who is scheming,
dishonest, greedy and mean spirited, and is really only interested in marrying
Holly so he can take over as Santa.
It’s a pleasant festive family film
undoubtedly brightened by the presence of charming Laura Bell Bundy, who showed
that not only is she an accomplished actress, but she is also a lovely singer,
when she sings a duet of “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear” with Tony Cavalero.
Surely there should be a law
To punish those who play
Christmas music, two months
Before Thanksgiving Day
Twas the night before Christmas
And all thru the apartment
Not a creature was stirring
As they were all quite content
EB and Heather (Brian Cook and Laurie Campbell) are estranged and living apart.
Because Heather is busy directing the community play, “A Christmas Carol”, she asked EB to take the children until Christmas Eve, which he reluctantly agrees to do, but as he is still working he has to take them with him to Woodsley’s Farm on the way and his son, Oliver (Christian Laurian Kerr), is shocked when his grouchy father gives Bill and Pam Woodsley (Brian Nettlefold and Peggy Calvert) a foreclosure notice, but not as shocked as when he wakes up that night in the room he shares with his sister June (Eva Greig).
He discovers the
farmyard animals from Woodsley’s Farm are in his room, and he is further
shocked when they go on to reveal to him that they can talk.
Clark (voiced by Joe Marth) is the
spokesman for the group and puts forward a plan that will hopefully cajole
Oliver and June’s s dad into embracing the spirit and importance of Christmas
spirit once again.
Bonnie Wright, Charles Shaughnessy, Jon Heder and Geoff May voice the rest of the menagerie and Keith Cooper is a delight in the dual roles of Nester and Manny in this very enjoyable Festive fantasy.
