By Kevin McDonald


Its that time of the season again. And what better way to approach it than with a whole bunch of sentimental and schmaltzy movies in which you can feel all the feels, as per the hackneyed alliteration. Lets narrow down the mind boggling smorgasbord of choices for you with The Heart of Christmas.

This American Christian drama was released way back in 2011. That seems like eons ago, considering. However, youd probably agree that theres something particularly enduring and timeless about Christmas tropes. Although the fads of last year are now strictly obsolete, you know you can go right back to quintessential classics like this one without suffering some acerbic backlash.

Of course, if youre after the feel good, empowering movies, keep in mind that youll be walking on eggshells here. Yes, it might make you feel good, in a cathartic way, and even empower you to do your best in this life, for that matter. However, it has a very gut wrenching method of achieving that, what with the life strings of an unfortunate child being held up to Fates shears all along the way.

This feature film chronicles the story of a family with a toddler suffering and dying from the terminal stages of acute leukemia. However, the scriptwriters do a good job of delegating the first person narrative to a businesswoman wife and mother who had nothing to do with the familys life at the start. That enables us to identify with another MC and view the familys tribulations from a third person point of view, that which would depersonalize the story to an extent and allow us by degrees to approach the main dilemma in an empathizing and humanizing way.

Starting off, the movie skates across the life of this disillusioned businessperson, Megan Walsh, who is on the verge of an existential crisis. Breaking through the glass ceiling was all fine and dandy. Until, that is, when she finally noticed that her relationship with her husband and children was going precipitously downhill. No doubt because she was spending less quality time with them.

Upon further probing, she finds out that they are celebrating an early Christmastide to keep up with the cancer diagnosis of toddler Dax Locke. Megan finds herself drawn to the family, and she even reads Julie Lockes blog about their familys roller coaster journey. These accounts change Megan Walsh for the better, as she learns to take herself and her problems, experiences, and priorities in perspective. Her faith and her attitude towards her own family undergo a considerable transformation.

It comes sooner than expected. In the course of their desultory trick or treating, they come upon a neighborhood in which many families are decorating for Christmas, which was evidently two months away. Of course, this is especially mind boggling, seeing as how mistaking the time and date can be a particularly debilitating form of mental disorder. Deciding that either her or these villagers were off their rockers, she decides to ask them what the whole shebang was all about.

This Yuletide celebration is indeed a singular one. Its ubiquitous, all embracing, and all inclusive. Its not often that you find a holiday celebrated the whole world over. There are universal elements and aspects to boot. And its not at all limiting and discriminative to those who identify themselves with the Christian faith. Of course, its totally normal to come across someone unwilling to celebrate it, but more often than not, you encounter people who have no qualms whatsoever in partaking the revelries and celebrations, and take up the quintessential Christmas Spirit.

That said, the movie brings home the true meaning of Christmas. Accordingly, its not strictly December 25, and its not strictly Christian, either. This movie takes out this quintessential season out of context, overturning whatever stereotypes run of the mill persons have formed about it. Its not all fairly lights and festivities. Sometimes, you have to look inward rather than out to get an inkling of the Christmas Spirit.




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