A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY TREAT By Rex Shepherd
As you prepare for the Christmas Holiday Season this year, be sure you lay in some special supplies - popcorn, hot chocolate and at least three kinds of "comfort" candy, and mark your calendars for some serious TV watching on Sunday, December 13th. On that day, LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK is doing a marathon of Christmas movies based on the best-selling novels by Donna VanLiere that will include The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing, and The Christmas Hope. "The first one, Christmas Shoes," Donna explained, "has, perhaps, the greatest story behind it. It started out," she went on, "as an e-mail legend in 1999. The story inspired singer-songwriter Eddie Carswell of NewSong, and the ballad that eventually resulted hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Charts. I then wrote the book, and in 2002 a movie based on the book debuted on CBS to rave reviews."
The story, as you may remember, revolves around a young boy named Nathan Andrews, whose Christmas wish is to buy a pair of shoes for his dying mother. On Christmas Eve he meets an attorney who has just recently lost his own mother, and together they purchase the shoes. The story affects the lives of all those involved, and, invariably, touches the hearts of those who hear, read, or see it.
The Christmas Blessing finds Nathan all grown up and a medical resident. A series of events finds him meeting a lovely young lady who tickles his fancy more than a little bit, and one of her young students named Charlie, who has also lost his mom. Charlie and Nathan form a special bond, and together pray for a Christmas miracle.
The third part of the holiday trilogy being aired, The Christmas Hope, finds a new pair of protagonists, Patricia and Mark Addison, struggling in a marriage that they both wish had more to offer. A social worker, Patricia brings home a foster child who has no place to go at Christmas, and the couple agree to set aside their differences to give the young girl a special holiday, and discover that she isn’t the only one the holiday is special for. A LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK original Movie Premiere, The Christmas Hope also finds Nathan return to the series, bringing the stories full circle.
Donna hasn’t given up on the "Christmas" theme, however. "There are two more books in the series," Donna shared, "The Christmas Promise and The Christmas Secret. Secret has a somewhat special place in my heart," she continued, "as it deals with a prevailing social situation - single moms - and the challenges they must face and overcome."
While the entire Christmas series is fictional, one of Donna’s most noted works is a non-fiction effort titled Finding Grace, which deals with how God can change your life through Grace. You can purchase any of Donna’s works at Amazon.com.
Editor’s Note: The "Christmas" series will be aired on LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK on Sunday, December 13, 2009. Check your local listings for times and channel.
