Peter was taken on Christmas Eve
Just like Jacob Marley
But the similarity
ends there
He was never grasping
or stingy
He had not been well
for a time
And happy to pass
without fuss
But he would have been
hopping mad
That he was missing
Christmas
He would not have
planned it that way
And picked a better
time to leave
I think he would have
been happier
If he had died on New
Years Eve
For my Brother Peter who died on Christmas Eve 2008
The Buckley family, parents, Pam and Ralph (Alison Akin Clark and Brian Neal Clark) and their four sons, Simon, Mathew, Peter and John, (Anson Bagley, Jacob Buster, Josh Reid and Cooper Daniel Johnson), have a family Christmas tradition called “Elving” where they select a family going through hard times and perform some anonymous gift-giving, of food primarily.
As the Buckley’s had a
new baby on the way, more of the burden of
“Elvin” fell on the boys shoulders, but Mum selected the family to be
“Elved”, and that year it was the Hagbart’s, unfortunately the boys were all
too familiar with the Hagbart’s as they were the school bullies.
The story revolves
around the second eldest son, Matthew, who has daily struggles with the family
and in particular Finn (Gabe White) and doesn’t understand why they should be
“Elved”.
That year’s annual
“Elving” coincided with the arrival of the Goodman’s into the neighbourhood,
Monica (Caitlin E.J. Meyer), Juniper (Grace Hallows) and Allen (Evan Clark) who
are very soon roped into the ritual, which is good for Matthew as he quickly
develops a crush on Juniper.
So as the arrival of
another Buckley draws near and the holidays approach Matthew finds that with charity
comes insight, and his feelings about Finn soften.
Of all the Christmas’s I can remember
My best Christmas’s were the ones
Where I would decorate the tree with dad
And make Christmas cookies with mum
Thread popcorn and make paper chains
Each day opening the advent calendar
Wrapping the gifts in excited secrecy
Writing cards and sending them near and far
They are just distant memories now
But they were still the very best ones
And we must make Christmas memories
Now we have our daughters and our sons
December, December
The snow has come
Falling all night long
Kids its time to have some fun
December, December
Children playing in the snow
Skating and sledding
Faces all aglow
December, December
More snow will come
Then all through the winter
Kids will have more fun
We are the carol singers
Who sing carols as we go
We sing in any weather
In rain or wind or snow
At every house or cottage
That stands upon the lane
We proudly sing a carol
In snow or wind or rain
We are the carol singers
We never feel chagrined
As we proudly sing together
In snow or rain or wind
We shake the tin for charity
Singing carols as we go
We are the carol singers
In rain or wind or snow
Martin Taylor (George Newbern) realises he has totally lost touch with his family, he has no clue who his teenage daughter, Lu, (Taylor Spreitler) is or who her friends are, he has no idea why his son, Adam (Aidan Potter) only communicates with him via an electronic sign outside his bedroom door, or why his youngest child Jessie (Francesca Capaldi) only watches faith TV.
His whacky survivalist brother Sam,
(Kevin Crowley) convinces him that the family needs to reconnect, so Martin
surprises his wife Jackie (Megyn Price) and his kids with a
little experiment, he locks them in their own home with no power, no heat, no
running water, and absolutely no contact with the world outside!
The sudden holiday staycation isn't what the Taylors had in mind for
the weekend, but they have to team up to prove they can survive Dad's wacky
mission.
The multi-talented
Writer and director, Corbin Bernsen, also appears in an enjoyable cameo as a
cameraman.
You have to wait in line
To see Santa, but that’s fine
It’s worth every minute of queuing
And the anticipation of viewing
Santa Claus with his big belly
Wobbling like a bowl full of jelly
And his fruity chuckle you hear
In the Christmas grotto each year
Then you get to climb onto his lap
And have your special Christmas chat
Then all too soon its time to go
And Santa gives you a HO HO HO
