This is not another Christmas romance. It is a story about one of the hard things we must all face in life. A little girl is grieving over the loss of her closest friend. Her parents bring in her eccentric aunt to help cheer her up. The aunt tells her a story about another little girl and another time and what she learned about the changing face of friendship. I wasn't in the mood for a Christmas movie but when I saw LeVar Burton's name in the credits, I decided to watch a bit of it. Once it began, I never considered changing the channel. While part of this movie is fantasy, the point rings very true and very real. Although there is magic involved, there is no magic healing solution for Jess's grief. She learns what we all must learn. There is a way to move on. The story is rich and rewarding and the costumes and scenery for the scenes from the past are particularly well done. I saw it for the first time yesterday and will be recommending it to anyone wanting something to watch alone or with their family over Christmas. While a houseful of rowdy little boys may find it rather tame, their parents most likely will love it. It is perfect for families with little girls.

Well it is almost Christmas 2011 and I just watched this film on cable. I enjoyed it immensely. What a sweet lovely family film! It has that delicious Christmas spirit that we sometime long for. It has that gentleness that one treasures in family style films. The film has a certain quality that is similar to THE PRINCESS BRIDE - the telling of a story.The film is great for any family of any religious background. It is a story of passion of sport, passion for life, passion for friendship, the magic of giving and sharing and the Christmas spirit.Enjoy the film! A delightful cast, wonderfully filmed, with a great script. It has all those elements we appreciate in a Christmas story, similar to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.Thank you for keeping this film alive on cable.

This is pretty high on the cheese-o-meter, even for those of us who love family films. Characters were fairly one-dimensional and it was never clear just why Blizzards' gifts were not celebrated since they were considered to be very special things for reindeer to have. I liked the skates being yellow, it was a nice detail.Katies' brothers were little pills and I wish the parents would have taken a better hand in controlling them. It seemed that even before Katie moved she had no friends, and the current daughter (Jess?) was never really explored why she was so upset when Bobby moved. Did she have no other friends? Did they not have telephones? I disagree with another viewers comment about the pierced ears. Perhaps in Canada this occurs later but I assure the viewer that in the Pacific Northwest of the United States girls have their ears pierced anywhere from birth on up, even as early as my own at age 13 in 1971.This is a movie that young children can enjoy as a Christmas tradition without anything objectionable for parents to be concerned about. All in all, a reasonable choice for families.

This is a wonderful film. It is both creative and heartfelt and truly well done. I loved the reindeer they were great. this film shows that there art still film makers out there who believe in mankind enough to create movies that show the better side of this world not the evil most film makers seem to harp on. We buy this film on DVD and it will become a Chritmas tradition. It would be refreshing to see more of this type of film with morals that show that there is still enough good people out there that take the time to make a difference by creating films of value and what life should be like.With all the nonsense that we face every day and the world we live in we need to see the better side of life.The only negative comment I have is the fact the little girl Kate has pierced ears and should not have. Kids back then did not do that until they were at least 16( Iknow it is just a little detail but I find those things take away from the film it is the little details that can make or brake a film.It is more pleasing to watch something that is well thought out including all details) On the whole my family and friends loved this film and hope there are more out there. Thanks