Christmas Movie Review: ****The Christmas Box.

"The Christmas Box" is a 1995 made for TV movie.  This movie is based on the Richard Paul Evans book of the same name.  It Stars Richard Thomas as Richard, father of a young family, Annette O' Toole as his wife, and Maureen O'Hara as Mrs. Parkin, the widow who needs someone to live with her in her old age.  Mrs. Parkin asks Richard, "What was the first gift of Christmas?"  Much of the Movie revolves around this theme, the first give of Christmas.  There are also dreams of angels, and a Christmas Box containing old letters.  These lead to the discovery that the widow had a daughter, who died at five years old, and angel child.  It also leads to the realization that the gift of Christmas was a baby.  The mystery seems to be overplayed, and not that much of a thing, but the theme of putting priorities on what is important is something which comes home to me.

Movie Review: ****Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (1991)

This is a 1991 made for TV movie with Ed Asner as the newspaper editor, Charles Bronson as the ace reporter, Francis Church and Richard Thomas as Virginia's father.  This movie, at the first has many many antagonists.  Co worker at the dock who have racial attitude against Irish, competitor newspaper reporter who have it in for Mr Church.  Church is struggling with alcohol addiction after losing his wife and child to illness.
Basically there are many plot twists.  Virginia's family is poor, and her father loses his job.  She struggles with the Santa Claus question, but this is not a prominent part of the plot, but brings all the characters together at the end.
The question, "Is there a Santa Claus?" in the a very real sense saves characters in the movie, as they find an answer to this question.  And as they find the answer, they also find the Christmas Spirit.  With all the plot changes I was wary of this movie, but the ending really brings you in, and for this alone this movie is worth seeing.