''The Christmas Card'' is an American romantic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by Stephen Bridgewater and written by

Joany Kane Joany Kane is an American screenwriter from Massachusetts. She came up with the idea of the OTT streaming platform, Passionflix, got the URL, and in 2017, co-founded it with Tosca Musk and Jina Panebianco. She wrote her first screenplay in 1991. S ...

. The film stars

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

and

Alice Evans Alice Evans (born 2 August 1968) is a former British-American actress. Early life Evans was born in Summit, New Jersey, to British parents, mathematician David Evans and teacher Janet Evans. She was raised in Bristol, and attended Henbury sch ...

, with

Lois Nettleton Lois June Nettleton (August 16, 1927 – January 18, 2008) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actress. She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Early life Lois Nettleton was born on Aug ...

Peter Jason Peter Edward Ostling (born July 22, 1944), also known as Peter Jason, is an American character actor. He has appeared in over eighty films and a hundred television series. He played Con Stapleton in the series '' Deadwood''. He was a frequent col ...

, Ben Weber,

Vaughn Armstrong Vaughn Dale Armstrong (born July 7, 1950) is an American actor. He is noted for portraying many characters in the '' Star Trek'' franchise, in four ''Star Trek'' television series. He is perhaps best known as the recurring character Admiral ...

, and

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

in supporting roles. It follows the story of a career soldier who is deeply touched by an anonymous holiday card he receives while serving in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The film premiered on

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

on December 2, 2006, and earned Asner a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his performance.

Plot

In the midst of war in

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

Sergeant Cody Cullen (

) is given a

Christmas card A Christmas card is a greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to Christmastide and the holiday season. Christmas cards are usually exchanged during ...

from a fellow soldier who had received it from his hometown,

Nevada City, California Nevada City (originally, ''Ustumah'', a Nisenan village; later, Nevada, Deer Creek Dry Diggins, and Caldwell's Upper Store) is the county seat of Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Sacramento, southwest of Reno and northea ...

. The card was sent by Faith Spelman (

). As months pass, the card never leaves his side. Cody, who has no family, and whose father was killed during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, is deeply affected when the soldier who gave him the card is killed. A few weeks before Christmas, Cody travels to see the soldier's widow, back in Nevada City. Just as he is about to leave town, Cody runs into Faith at a local luncheonette, where they happened to have placed identical orders. They part, but on his way out of town, Cody saves Faith's father, Luke (

), from being hit by a speeding car. Luke takes a liking to Cody and convinces him to stay on as temporary help at his family's logging company. Paul ( Ben Weber), Faith's longtime boyfriend who travels much of the time, and who selfishly wants Faith to move away from her close-knit family in Nevada City, arrives to meet her. Complicating matters, Cody has fallen in love with Faith and despite her attempts to ignore the feeling, they end up sharing a kiss. When Paul unexpectedly asks Faith to marry him, she says yes. Even so, Paul downplays Faith's wish to stay near her family in the "boondocks". This all comes to a head on Christmas Eve. On the church steps, Cody and Paul meet, and Cody admits that he loves Faith, but accepts that she's going to marry Paul instead, and hopes that Paul is marrying Faith "for all the right reasons". In church, in spite of the presence of Paul by her side, Faith keeps looking for Cody who has decided to leave. Paul notices and they step out and decide to part ways. Early on Christmas Day, Cody places a Christmas card on the family Christmas tree, which will direct the family to the Christmas present, a wooden bench (inscribed with "Where the Magic Begins") that he has been building to mark the family's favorite spot at a nearby lake where he and Faith first kissed. Cody leaves a Christmas card for Faith with a handwritten note, which she reads aloud. In the note, Cody confesses his love for Faith, and says goodbye. She asks her father whether it was ''her'' letter that brought Cody to Nevada City, to which Luke answers: no, ''you'' did. In the movie's final scene, Faith finds Cody at the local Vietnam War veterans' memorial. She chastises him for not saying goodbye, but before she can complete the sentence he kisses her, and she embraces him.

Cast

John Haymes Newton John Haymes Newton (born December 29, 1965) is a former American actor. He is known for his regular roles on the television programs ''Superboy'' as Clark Kent in the show's first season and as Ryan McBride on the soap opera ''Melrose Place''. ...

as (Sgt.) Cody Cullen *

as Faith Spelman *

as Luke Spelman *

as Uncle Richard *

as Rosie Spelman * Ben Weber as Paul *Andrew Sanford as Sammy *Kate Hamon as Selma *Glorinda Marie as Molly *Charlie Holliday as Reverend Ives *Kurt Johnson as Eric *Brooke Davis as Liddy *Nick Ballard as Jonesy * Chad Collins as Lewis *Brian Robinson as Edo

Press

collaborated with Operation Dear Abby, who issued a special message in her column: "This holiday season – support the troops by sending a message to our servicemembers." The network also put together a national ''Cards for Troops'' campaign and a partnership with ''America Supports You'' to build support of Americans for the men and women of the U.S. Armed Services. Hallmark Channel also set up a

satellite link Satellite link is – according to ''article 1.113'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR)ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.113, definition: ''satellite link'' � ...

to reunite Jennifer Parsley, a young woman from

Porter, Texas Porter is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County in southeastern Texas within the metropolitan area. In 2010, its population was estimated at 25,769.Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

’s highest-ever-rated telecast on the date of its premiere. The network also ranked #1 in Prime Time that day, making it the most-watched telecast on basic cable for the day.Hallmark Channel Press Release: 12/05/2006
/ref>

Awards and nominations

References

External links