Unlike so many Christmas stories where everything is all nice and neat and tied with a bow, this is more true to life. A childless couple's marriage is having some problems, Jack (William Moses) is going through an identity crisis and a dry spell in his writing career. His wife Meg (Megan Follows) is going through some changes of her own and seeks a nice romantic holiday in which to share them. This is not to be and Jack's need to go away to do a story in Dallas is feeling like the last straw for her. His career needs the story, but he also needs to find some answers about his past and detours to Clearwater to find them. Jack does act like a bit of a jerk, guys going through career, marriage, and personal problems often do. The way he is treated by those who work with him indicate that he is a nice guy but is maybe being hard on Meg who wants more than he has been able to give for a while...(continued below)

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Megan Follows doesn't get nearly the screen time I would have liked, but she is impeccable as a loving wife who is facing doubts about the future of her relationship with her husband just as she needs him to be closer than ever. She is able to say so much with a look and expression and is the best I've seen at emotional scenes, and there are a few. She also has a chance to get dolled up for a party and is simply lovely. (For Megan's fans this is worth the price, so many of her roles are good and solid, but don't allow her to be as feminine and pretty.)

The supporting cast is competent and often shines. Fans of Steven Curtis Chapman will be happy with his role as the Pastor and are familiar with his advocacy of adoption, a thread that runs through the film. All of the roles seem well filled and the story has a natural feel to it. All in all it is a good clean story of finding, or realizing that the things that are really important in life aren't things. The behind the scenes look is very well done and covers all aspects of the story from the idea behind the book to adaptation to film, including the creation of a life sized nativity carved from solid blocks of wood that inspired the story. View the trailer online to get a feel for this Christmas time story that is more for daddies and mommies than tiny tots. P.S. Cut the Sheriff some slack, note his tone of voice in the first jail scene.

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