During the Thanksgiving break for Montgomery County Public Schools, I got a chance to get some house cleaning done and even got to watch a few Christmas movies. You know they start running the Christmas shows before Thanksgiving. I got a chance to watch this one movie called ”The Christmas Tree Miracle,” which gave me an “ah-ha” moment: “You ought to write about how this family went from one extreme to another.”
It all started with life being good for David George and family. He had a very lucrative job, a beautiful home, he had regular parties with politicians, and his sweet little daughter was taking cello lessons. Then suddenly, David loses his “good-paying” job and he’s too proud to take a lesser one. Everything went downhill, along with friends and influential acquaintances, and oh, the “super-tragedy” that is bound to happen when any teen’s phone is turned off.
They stayed in a motel, until they didn’t even have money to pay for one more night. They were given 20 minutes to get out! They were suddenly homeless! One simple, innocent voice of logic remains — that of Nina, the sweet kindergartener and cello player. After losing their home and being rebuked by alienated family members, the family follows Nina’s suggestion of sleeping at the church. There they meet the Christmas tree handler, Henry, who by coincidence (or not), recognizes David as the person who bought him a coffee in a time of need.
“A Christmas Tree Miracle” brings us random acts of kindness and because of David’s earlier goodwill, Henry invites the family to stay at his place atop a 200-acre Christmas tree farm. We learn Henry lives to keep alive his late wife’s dream of giving a free Christmas tree to whoever needs it. Earning their keep, the George family begins to see the fruits of their hard work on the farm, and gradually, the values of fellowship, industriousness and appreciation replace the shallow place from which they came.
Henry has been this family’s light in a time of need; indeed he’s given a hundredfold back from that simple cup of coffee David offered Henry so long ago. The family is tested when Henry suddenly dies, leaving the farm to the Georges. Do they choose the farm and the dreams Henry was carrying on for his departed wife? Or do they sell it for the money to get back to the comfortable life they had before? This sweet film doesn’t directly appeal to faith in God but depicts a family blessed by transformation through a positive change of values, and is entertaining and uplifting for everyone.
This movie gives me an opportunity to remind us how life is similar to the story of the rats in “Who Moved My Cheese?” Life is change — one moment you could be on top of the world, and suddenly, something awful happens, as with the George family. You may lose a job or like me, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my company lost a lucrative contract. What were we to do? Me and the folks that I hired were all left penniless.
The “free” checks helped. Unemployment helped tremendously too. But I was counting the days when there would be no more checks. How would I live? I believed in God and I believed in miracles, but I also knew that I had to seek, ask, knock, and the doors would be open. But I definitely could not just sit there like the one mouse did, while the other one got busy looking for a way to survive.
Long story short, the David George family was blessed with a miracle. The man from the church that invited them to stay with him at the Christmas tree farm visited his attorney the day after their arrival. He signed over his will to them, so that when he dies, they’ll inherit the home and the farm, plus all of his savings from him and his deceased wife. He willed everything over to this needy family, though they were once high rollers. A movie worth thinking about.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.
