Violetta N. (42) is the winner!!! Congratulations!!!

Screenhead is celebrating the Christmas spirit with this unique family story, Christmas Story or Joulutarina (alternately titled). The story is dubbed in English from Finnish dialogue of a Scandinavian production.  We have the movie to give  away.

Just by viewing the trailer, you will see how different it is from Bob Clark’s 1983 classic A Christmas Story.

My daughter watched the movie and seemed captivated at times while a little bored at other times. She is nine years old and the pacing seemed a bit slow for her.  Yet, she sat still and watched the whole movie.  I think, it will grow on her, and Christmas Story will be one of the holiday movies our family watches every year. 

Set against a breathtaking landscape, Christmas Story– soon to become a holiday classic – reveals the magical and untold story of Santa’s life as he overcomes Dickens-esque personal tragedy and hardship in his youth to develop a big and pure heart filled with love for children around the world.

In a remote Lapland village, young Nikolas suffers a loss and the villagers – all poor themselves – band together to look after him. On Christmas Day each year, Nikolas moves to a new home for the coming year. To show his gratitude, Nikolas makes toys for each family’s children. Over the years, his adoptive families become many and almost every house has presents on its doorstep Christmas morning. 

When the villagers suffer a catastrophic food shortage, they must send Nikolas away to work as an apprentice to the ill-tempered hermit carpenter, Iisakki. Under his severe tutelage, Nikolas develops skills that enable him to create even better presents and to work even faster. He soon dons the suit that becomes his trademark and begins to deliver presents with the help of a team of reindeer.

As the years pass and Nikolas ages, his beloved tradition is in danger of coming to an end … and it will take a miracle to save it! 

Christmas Story has received an “All-Star” rating from Kids First! Coalition for Quality Children’s Media and is “Family Approved” by The Dove Foundation. Although there is a death that greatly affects Nicholas, the movie ends in a very upbeat holiday theme.