Love's Christmas Journey (2011) - full transcript

We're lost, Buster.

I'm scared.

Should have never left home.

I'll be back before you know it.

All right, Pa.

You think I'd forget about
my most favorite girl in the world?

Whoa!

Now you be a good girl,
and you listen to your Aunt Ellie, okay?

I love you, Papa.

And I love you too, angel.

You don't want to do this, Mr. Weaver.



You leave me no choice.

These rail road maps are not your property.

- So you say.
- Oh, I know so.

You're pretty sure of yourself, young lady.

Lower the pistol, Weaver,
and drop it to the floor.

Why, Deputy, you don't think
I was really gonna shoot her, do you?

It would seem that way.

Come on over here, Miss Ellie.

How long you gonna keep me in here?

Till the circuit judge comes through.

That's not till February.

Merry Christmas.

We'll see that you get a turkey drumstick.

Yeah.



Thank you for getting me out of there.

Don't thank me.
It was Ellie here who did it.

I swear I wasn't gonna shoot her.
And the fire was an accident!

Quiet back there!

I run a quiet jail at night.

Hang onto this, Harve. It's evidence.

- Stay vigilant.
- Rest easy.

I'm on duty. Y'all have a good night.

Try to stay awake.

Miss Ellie?

Erik didn't do it, Father.
It was Mr. Weaver. You're not being fair.

Well, as your father,
I don't have to be fair.

William.

Well, I don't,
not when it comes to my daughter.

Listen. If he doesn't respect me...

how do I know he's gonna respect her?

He's never shown you any disrespect.

If you would just take the time
to get to know him...

you'd see that he's a good man.

All I need to see is that my daughter
is with someone who's worthy of her.

Is that what this is about?

Erik isn't worthy of me?

A long time ago...

I fell in love with a man that my father
didn't think was worthy of me...

and I married him anyway.

Annabelle, Christopher. Time to get up.

- Good morning, Annabelle.
- Good morning.

- Is your brother getting up?
- I thought he was out here with you.

- What do you mean?
- He's not in there.

When I woke up, I found his pillow
next to me, under the blanket.

- But he was there when you went to sleep.
- Yes. You tucked us in.

This is silly.

I'm-I'm just being silly.

I'm sure he's outside.

He may be in the barn.

Christopher? Christopher!

Buster's gone.

What's going on?

Christopher. He's nowhere to be found,
and his horse is gone.

- You don't think that he went looking for his pa, do you?
- He seemed pretty set on it.

You go into town. You go find Michael.

And you tell him to come here
as quickly as he can.

Yes, ma'am.

Don't worry, Aunt Ellie.

Papa told me
that the angels watch over us.

Whoa.

Buster, we've got to find Pa.

Whoa!

I don't know when he left. It must
have been in the middle of the night.

I think he left to go find Aaron.

He knew Aaron went to Evittsville.
Does Christopher know the way?

Yes.

When Aaron rode off,
he showed Christopher the way he was going.

We'll find him down the road.

And I'm going with you.

Erik, I need you to watch Annabelle
until I get back.

- Of course.
- You going with me might not be a good idea.

It was my responsibility to watch over
Christopher, and I failed that.

I know you're worried about your brother.

But we'll find him.

Everybody leaves.

Mama left.

Papa left.

Christopher left.

You're leaving.

I want you to stay.

I'm coming back.

You promise?

I promise.

I love you, Aunt Ellie.

I won't be gone long.

We should go.

Yah!

Yeah, I'm hungry too.

Buster! Wait! Come back!

Gotta keep moving.

Gotta find Pa.

That's Christopher's hat.

A set of tracks head down this way...

and the tracks seem
a little out of control.

If I were to guess, I'd guess his horse
got spooked, ran off. He lost his hat.

Uh, let's follow them. Come on.

Christopher!

- Christopher!
- Christopher!

Oh!

Now that we got his horse, Ellie,
he's got to be nearby.

Christopher? It's your Aunt Ellie.

I hear him!

Christopher?

Aunt Ellie? I hurt.

Christopher. Did you eat those berries?

- Oh, no.
- What is it?

- Those berries are poisonous.
- Then we need to get him home.

No. No, there's not much time.
I-I-I think I saw some earlier.

- What?
- Lobelia.

You stay here with him.
I'll be right back.

Hang in there, little man.

We're gonna help you.

Michael! We need water!

Come on. Work.

It will. It just takes time.

It's a good thing.

- Aunt Ellie?
- Yes?

I don't feel good.

He's got the chills.

Come on. We have to take him home.

- Well, I guess that's about all we can do.
- Now. Come on.

Come on, buddy.

Let's play hide-and-seek, Papa.

Seven, eight, nine, 10!

Ready or not, here I come!

No, Pa. Don't leave us.

- We love you, Papa!
- Please don't go!

We love you, Papa!

Please don't go!

I can do this.

I can do this. I can do this.

I gotta get home.

I can do all things through Him...

for which He gives me strength.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Whoa.

You'll have fun at your pageant rehearsal.

- I don't want to do it.
- Why not?

Because I can't stop thinking
about people not coming back.

They're gonna be back
to see you as a wise man. I promise.

- Wise woman.
- Sorry. My mistake.

Good morning, you two.

- Morning, Mrs. Thompson.
- Morning, Mrs. Thompson.

Erik, have you had occasion...

to see the mayor since your incarceration?

Oh, uh, uh, no, ma'am. Um....

I've been thinking about gathering
some folks to help repair his barn.

You know,
kind of a neighborly thing to do.

That would be a decent thing to do
for a neighbor.

In the Christmas spirit and all.

Next town over.

Mrs. Thompson, would you mind
taking Annabelle to her rehearsal?

- There's some things I gotta do.
- Of course I will.

Obliged.

Come along, missy.

Ellie. Pacing won't help.

I'm gonna go sit by his side.

He's lucky you knew what to do.

My mama taught us those things.

She wanted me and Aaron
to be able to take care of one another.

Christopher. It's me.

It's me, your Aunt Ellie.

I was feeling sick.

I know.

- Pa. I need to find Pa.
- No. You need to rest.

- We can't lose him.
- You're not gonna lose him.

Mama's gone.
Who's gonna be here to take care of us?

I promise, your pa will be here.

Now you rest.

Here you go, laddie.

Easy, easy. Attaboy.

That's it, that's it. Easy, lad. Easy.

Looks like you got
a nasty wound there, Sheriff.

Must be a slug in there, sure.

Now, no sense in you trying to talk,
believe me.

But we gotta get that slug out.

Are you up to getting in the back
of my wagon if I help you?

- Yes.
- Yeah? Well, let's try it.

Up you come. Up you come. Up. Up.

Annabelle!

- What did I say?
- You said you'd come back and you'd find Christopher.

Can I see him?

You're home!

It's good to be home, Annabelle.

Here you go, fellas. That's right.

Can you handle it?

I think so. Here you go, Dale.

Mr. Cunningham. What's this all about?

Mr. Mayor, we heard word
you've got a barn that needs repairing.

You being busy with the rail road and all,
I'm here to help.

Seems Christmas came
a few days early, Mayor.

Mrs. Thompson,
did you arrange for all this?

I can't take credit for it.
Someone else came up with the idea.

Who else's idea was it?

Let's just say
your own personal Saint Nick.

All right. Let's get to it.

All right.

Thank you...
for helping me find Christopher.

I'm just so worried about Aaron.

In the morning, I'm gathering some men,
and we will find Aaron.

Thank you.

Good night.

Oh! That fever is eating him alive.

Son, can you hear me?

Listen, I'm going to have to
dig that slug out of your leg...

before gangrene sets in.

- Do you understand?
- Yes.

Just take it out.

All right. I'll-I'll go get things started.

Here, lad.

Better get a move on.

Be careful.

Always.

Let's ride!

Hyah!

Hyah!

Here you go.

That's it. Yeah.

Well, Mr. Mayor, the worst of it was
inside, but, uh, she's good as new.

Hauling out the last
of the burnt lumber should do it.

Barn looks fine.

I have no words to express the gratitude
for what you folks have done.

Lord help me.
A politician that doesn't know what to say?

Hyah! Hyah!

You two head that way.
Mr. Pope and I will go this way.

We'll meet up at Evittsville.

These should work.

Hello, Erik.

Does your pa know you're in here with me?

He doesn't know you are in here.

Look, I don't want to
get either of us into trouble.

It might help the situation
if he saw you here helping.

They're all short.
I'll hold them in place for you.

Let's walk out together.

All right.

Little higher.

What's he doing here?

William, I would stop right there.

Before you start making a fool of yourself in
front of all these friends and neighbors...

there's something you should know.

Yeah? What's that?

It was that young man's idea to get all
these people together and fix up your barn.

In spite of the fact that you accused him
of starting the fire in the first place.

Now, son?

Can you hear me?

I'm going to have to put
a hot cloth on your wound.

Do you understand?

"'Men's courses will foreshadow certain
ends, to which, if persevered in..."

they must lead, ' said Scrooge.

'But if the courses be departed from,
the ends will change."'

.... Aunt Ellie?

It's all right. It's just thunder.

Christopher, what do you
think you're doing?

I wanna see what's making that noise.

I would prefer you
to stay away from that window.

- It's the barn.
- What about it?

Erik's getting it.

Erik's hurt.

You two wait here.

Get off your horse!
We could get hit by lightning!

Open up, son. Show me some teeth.

Attaboy.

Now, I want you to bite down on the
leather hard until I tell you to stop.

All right? Now remember.

It's gonna hurt at first,
but then you won't feel anything.

All right?

You can stop biting now, son.

Aunt Ellie, I'm scared.

Children, come here.

We have to go to the barn.

- No.
- It's safer.

- No barn.
- Why?

Ellie, why don't you
want to go to the barn?

Owen! Jessica!

Mama!

They were in the barn
when the tornado hit.

And all I could do was watch.

I don't know what he told her
or what he said.

She must have been so scared.

My little girl.

I couldn't do anything.

I don't wanna go to the barn.

I know you got
a bill holder tucked In that belt.

Pull it out. Easy. Throw it back here.

Don't even think
about pulling that hammer back.

You're a lawman.

Aunt Ellie.

It's all right.

" Hark! The herald angels sing "

" Glory to the newborn king "

" Peace on Earth, and mercy mild. "

" God and sinners reconciled. "

Other than the broken window and the barn door,
looks like everything held up pretty well.

I'm gonna get to fixing that barn door.

I'll give you a hand.

Susie.

No one here but us, son.

Just a dream.

- Here. Try this.
- What?

A little broth that I made
from some dried beef I had.

Huh? A little nourishment.

Huh? It's good?

- More?
- Yes.

Would you like to hold onto this?

There you are.

All right.

Obliged.

You're welcome.

Is this your cabin?

No. No, it's nobody's cabin.

I just stop by here once a year.

Use it as a rest stop.

N-Nobody seems to mind.

Right as rain.

- I want to thank you.
- Thank me?

For last night.
I-I got a little out of sorts, and....

Well, you took charge.

You were the only one
that was there for me when I needed it.

I'm gonna get ready to go into town.

The storm really ripped through here.

It's terrible.
All the decorations are torn down.

Whoa.

- Will you stay with them?
- Of course.

Why can't I go?

I'll be back in a moment.

Your pa's gonna be back in no time.

Everyone keeps saying that.

Good day, Deputy.

Miss Ellie.

Seems like the storm
really took its toll on the town.

Yeah. It was awful.

Think everyone has some kind of damage.

A few establishments suffered greatly.

So, has there been any word
about the search party?

The storm drove
most of the search party back home.

You said....
You said most of the search party. So....

- The other two are still out there.
- Which two?

Mr. Pope... and Michael.

Don't go worrying.

They might have found Aaron,
and-and that's what's holding them up.

Thank you.

Was there any word yet?

Not yet.

Come on, children.

I'm not a child.

You're not that much older than me.

Oh, I see you're with me again.
How you feeling, Aaron?

- You know my name?
- Yes, I guess I do.

I have to get home.

And you shall be.
Just as soon as your fever breaks.

I've set my mind
on getting home by Christmas.

You will be home for Christmas
to see those children of yours.

Now rest. Rest.

I understand it's a lot of work...

but we gotta get the place back in order.

- Erik.
- We need a sense of urgency here.

Will you stay here with the children
while I go speak to the mayor?

Hello, Ellie.

That was quite a buster
we had go through here last night.

- Well, yes, it was. Mr. Mayor....
- Just a moment, Ellie.

I was hoping to have a little more time to put
this place back together before he returned.

- Who?
- Mr. Hill. The rail road man.

Hold a good thought, ladies.

Well, at least he'll get
his rail road answer today.

This could be this town's
big moment in history.

It's the rail road man.

Folks, this rail road comes
through this town, we're gonna be rich.

Earlier, you mentioned my children.

How did you know?

Well, my guess is two....

a boy and a girl.

Guess?

Uh, I found these saddlebags
over where I found you.

You look in 'em?

Old man's curiosity.

But, uh, a toy train for the boy
and a doll for the girl.

Easy.

They're good children.

And I know they want you
home for Christmas.

You know, seeing their faces...
smiling and laughing...

is the greatest part about being a parent.

- Do you have any children?
- Yeah.

This is almost done.

- Is it food?
- Hardly.

It's, uh.... it's something I been
mixing here to put on your wound...

to draw out all the bad stuff
and, uh.... and make it heal better.

What's it made of?

You're full of questions, aren't you?

Home.

I just want to get home.

I'll get you home, Aaron Davis.

I'll get you home.

Gather round, everyone.

It looks as though the rail road
will not be coming through town.

What about all the promises you made?

We all planned on it happening.

I was wrong.

You said the town was gonna explode
with new business.

I expanded my business to fit the need.

I understand.

I'm sorry.

Sorry?

I guess that's Merry
Christmas to all of us.

But what about all the planning we did
and the town party tomorrow?

- Oh, why bother?
- There's nothing to celebrate.

Does that mean no Christmas play?

- We gotta do something.
- Seems that way.

But Annabelle practiced so hard.

Sorry about
your Christmas pageant, Annabelle.

No one wants to celebrate.

This will be the worst Christmas ever.

Pa's not even gonna be here.

That's not true. Pa will be here.

Morning, Miss Mority. How's it going?

How 'bout we go home?
We'll cut down that Christmas tree.

And I promise you both...

that this will be the best Christmas ever.

Hey, Michael's back. That's his horse.

- Told you Pa wasn't going to be here.
- Christopher.

Aaron?

My friend's still out there.

I know that Aaron....
He's in the Lord's hands.

The children and I,
we're gonna go fetch a Christmas tree.

I would like it if you would join us.

Be my pleasure.

Thank you.

Let's load up and go home.

Aaron. What are you doing?

Home. Children. I should go.

Look. That's what's wrong
with you young people.

You're always in a hurry.

Take your time. You'll last longer.

Besides, you'll be no good to your children
unless you heal properly.

Now, we'll leave tomorrow morning.

Wha.... What day is tomorrow?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Christmas is real special to my children.

Christmas is...

very special.

I'm gonna go out and unhook the team.

Thanks for your help, Erik.

Anytime.

Fine-looking tree, Christopher.
Good choice.

Annabelle helped me pick it out.

Here it is.

Oh, wow. Would you look at that?

Would you like to do the honors?

- Please, can I?
- Of course.

Oh. Let me help you.

Here we go.

She's so beautiful.

Erik.

Erik, over here.

What are you doing here?

I just had to see you.

I miss you so very much.

I miss you too.

- Does your pa know you're here?
- Course not, silly.

I don't want to get you into trouble.

Maybe you're worth it.

I just had to do that.

How's the handkerchief coming for your pa?

You almost done?

You want it to be done
for Christmas, right?

Why? Pa's not gonna be here.

Oh, Annabelle.

That's not like you.

You know, you gave me a wonderful gift.

I did?

I got something back
that I thought I'd lost.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

You know, the Good Book says
that you must have the faith of a child...

to truly believe.

So, I thank you, Annabelle.

I believe that Pa will be here.

Pa's never late. Something's wrong.

Christopher, come on. Sit on down.

Your determination to find your pa...

shows me that you are a man of character.

When we were looking for you...

Mr. Michael....

he reminded me the importance of hope...

and that, no matter what happens...

we can't give up hope.

Hope helped you find Christopher?

Yes, I believe it did.

What about the people in town?

They've all given up on Christmas.

They have given up.

Well, then maybe it's up to us.

Tomorrow morning,
this family is gonna go into town...

and we're gonna remind everybody
how great this town is...

and that, no matter what,
Christmas is important, right?

- Right.
- Right.

Don't have to convince me.

I'll see you tomorrow.

I still owe you that cooking lesson though.

I'm looking forward to it.

Hyah. Hyah.

Aaron.

Aaron?

Aaron, lad.

It's almost daylight, Aaron.
Time to leave.

You hear me, boy?

Come on, lad. Here we go.

All right. Ready?

Come on, lad.

Up you come. All right.

We're gonna go to the mayor's.

Erik, you go find Michael
and see if you guys...

can gather as many people
as you can to help.

We'll meet up with you later.

Come along, children.

Good morning.

Thought you might have been
a lynch mob coming to get me.

A lynch mob on Christmas Eve?

Well, I would like to think
they would wait until after the holidays.

The holidays?

Right.

Miss Ellie, I'm sure you're here for
something other than idle conversation.

He sounds like Mr. Scrooge.

Yes.

Annabelle, she actually has something
she would like to say to you.

I wanna do the Christmas play.

That's sweet.
I'm not sure anyone else does.

Well, isn't that for the town to decide?

Well, I'll remind you
that the entire town just found out...

that the train isn't coming through.

So, their business is gonna be affected.

Everything they've planned for
is gone up in flames.

What does that have to do with Christmas?

People aren't in the mood to celebrate.

Christmas has nothing to do
with some dumb old rail road.

Please, Mr. Mayor, will you help us?

Look. It's my fault.

The town is right to blame me.
I gave them false hope.

No one's gonna listen to me.

I didn't think you were the kind of man
that would give up that easy.

Come on, children.

Ellie. Ellie, hold up.

Erik and I are makin' the rounds, talkin' to
folks about puttin' this town back together.

- Any luck?
- A few, but not as many as we'd need.

But there's still time.
We'll find you later.

- Good morning, Mrs. Thompson.
- Morning.

We need to gather as many people
as we can to fix the decorations.

Well, how can I help?

With tomorrow being Christmas, it's a
shame that this town won't celebrate.

Well, it is a shame, especially
with our young ones, like Annabelle...

working so hard practicing the play.

I wanna be a wise man.

I thought you were a wise woman.

- I wear a beard. I have to be a wise man.
- Oh.

Just because there's no rail road,
it doesn't mean that this town can't grow.

We need to remind people
what Christmas is really about.

Well, I'm sorry.

Sorry that this wasn't my idea.

There are plenty of folks that
my late husband bailed out of hard times.

They'll do it for me.

Well, what are we waiting for?

She is absolutely right.

" Deck the halls with boughs of holly."

" Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la"

" 'Tis the season to be jolly."

" Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."

Father, are.... are you singing?

Yes, my daughter, indeed I am.

Now, come.
We have a town's Christmas to save.

" Don we now our gay apparel."

" Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la."

" Troll the ancient Yuletide carol ."

Come on, everyone.
Now, we don't have much time.

It's in the Christmas spirit.

We want to do our Christmas play.

We have to get this all done by tonight.

Come on. Now let's get to it.

Come on, folks. We gotta get this town
ready for Christmas.

- Grab an ax. Go cut a tree.
- The biggest one you can find, huh?

Let's go see
how Ellie and the children are doing.

Now, we're gonna need all the decorations
that we can get for the tree.

Mr. Cunningham has a lot of them.

Gentlemen, please.

You have the gall to ask us for help?

What about all
that hogwash you were spouting...

about the rail road coming through here?

Well, Mr. Cunningham, there was
more politics involved than just our town.

You let us all down, Mr. Mayor.

Good luck getting reelected.

I remember what this town was like
before he was mayor.

Criminals and cutthroats.

I remember 'cause that's how it was when I
got dropped off here. My pa was one of them.

This mayor's made this town into a place
that anybody could be proud of.

Mayor said the rail road was a sure thing.

No, he didn't say it was a sure thing.

He said he hoped it was a sure thing.

You're mad at him
'cause he's got too much hope.

I'd rather have a mayor
with too much hope than with none at all.

Papa says we have to forgive folks
if we want to be forgiven.

Mr. Cunningham,
we need decorations for the giant tree.

Gentlemen, if I may.

Now...

the future of this town
is not about the rail road.

It's about the children.

And those two children over there have no
idea if their pa's gonna be home tomorrow.

The children of this town...

they deserve a special Christmas.

- What can we do?
- You can count me in.

Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.

Now, we're gonna need
all the ornaments that we can get.

Oh, we got plenty of those left over.

I have boxes of candles.
We could light up the town.

Well, all right. Don't just stand there.

- Get to it.
- Yes, ma'am.

Erik Johnson?

Yes, sir.

I do believe that my daughter
would like for you to court her.

If you're still a mind to.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh. Thanks.

Do you need a hand?

Go on, George.

- All this should help, sweetheart.
- In the window.

Couple more inches.

Town looks great.

I can't believe you got
everybody behind you for this.

You've really outdone yourself, Ellie.

Everybody pitched in.

Well, I don't know
about the rest of you...

but I think this has the makings
of an annual tradition.

Yes.

- Shall we make ourselves ready?
- Yes. Suzanna, are you coming?

Um....

I think I'll stay and help a little.

Well, I guess we should get home
and change into our outfits.

- Change?
- Yes. We have to get our best outfits on.

Aw. Do I have to?

Yes, you do, and so do I.

What about Annabelle?

She's gonna get her costume on.

And then there's you.

I wish Pa was here to see me in the play.

Whoa.

Why are we stopping?

I'm gonna get you off this wagon
so you can get some rest.

Annabelle, Christopher, come on.
We're going to be late.

- We're coming.
- Coming, Aunt Ellie.

Well, well, well. Look at the two of you.

Don't you just look... perfect.

Your father would be very proud of you.

I want to make you proud, Aunt Ellie.

You look... very nice.

And you look dashing.

Come on inside.

Hello, Mr. Michael.

Annabelle?

I didn't even recognize you.

I see she made you get all dressed up too.

You look all grown up.

Thank you, everyone, for coming...

to Haddington's
first annual Christmas celebration.

What's wrong?

Pa. I was thinking about Pa.

To begin...

my daughter, Suzanna,
will lead us in singing "Silent Night."

What's the matter? Something wrong?

Was I dreaming?

I heard wolves.

No dream.

There are wolves out there,
but they're paying us no mind.

Easy does it.

How am I ever gonna repay your kindness?

Well, there's no need to.

We should always repay people's kindness.

That's a lesson
my family always insisted we learn.

Well, then pass it along.

Pay it with kindness
to someone who deserves it.

That's all you want?

The sum total.

What about you?

What do you want for Christmas?

Just to be with my family.

Well, besides that.

Huh? After all, it is Christmas.

Anything?

Your wildest dreams. What is it?

Well, snow.

Snow?

Where I grew up,
we always had snow when I was a kid...

for Christmas.

Snow.

My, how bright that star is.

It must be a sign.

We should fall it.

Follow it.

Follow it.

We should follow it.

Oh, look. An angel.

- That's my sister.
- I know. She's wonderful.

Glory to you three, who are wise and....

Have come to greet the Lord.

Who are wise and....

Have come to greet the Lord.

Have come to greet the Lord.

Uh, yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Annabelle.

Have come to greet the Lord.

There's real good moonlight on the trail.
Shall we go?

Now, Aaron, I promised you
that you'd get to see your children...

on Christmas morning, and you will.

We'll leave before sunup.

All right?

You know my name.

I don't even know yours.

My name?

Nicholas.

Some people call me Nick,
but I prefer Nicholas.

It has a nice ring to it. Don't you think?

Nicholas.

It's so much fun.

Evening, Harve.

Michael.

Who's minding the jail?

I just wanted to get a cookie.

Merry Christmas.
You and the candles light up the town.

You managed
to keep the children's minds...

off of what's happening with Aaron.

Tonight when they get home...

they're gonna be wondering where Aaron is,
and I won't have an answer.

At least I can be here.

As strange as this may sound
after everything that's gone on...

I'm happy that I left my home.

I realize I....

I needed to come here.

Why is that?

For Aaron...

and the children
and the people of this town.

And you.

All of you have helped me say good-bye.

I never thought in my heart...

that I would....

that I would love anybody ever again.

But then I found you.

I know this hasn't been easy on you...

and I know there'll be times where you still
miss both of them so much that it hurts...

but if you let me,
I'd.... I'd like to be there.

I'd be the happiest man on earth
if you let me.

I'd love you day and night.

"And suddenly there was with the angel..."

a multitude of heavenly hosts...

saying, " Glory to God in the highest...

and on Earth peace,
good will towards men. "

That's the angel in the play.

Yes, it is.

She didn't know her lines.

No. No, she didn't.

- Aunt Ellie.
- Yes, dear?

Do you think Pa knows it's Christmas Eve?

I guarantee it.

Your pa, he was the first one up...

every year on Christmas morning.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

He'd go wake up
your grandpa and your grandma.

I wish he was here.

I want him to get his present.

I know your pa.
He is doing everything he can to be here.

But now you need to rest.

The sooner you fall asleep,
the sooner it'll be Christmas morning.

- Good night, Annabelle.
- Good night.

- Good night, Christopher.
- Good night.

I should be going.

Why so soon?

So soon?

It's almost the middle of the night.

I'll be back first thing in the morning.

Who knows? Maybe if I get here early
enough, I can make everyone breakfast.

Well, I would love that.

Oh, you say that now, but you might
be feeling differently after you try it.

I would just be happy that you were here.

I'll remind you you said that
tomorrow morning.

Good night.

Good night.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all of you!

- Hey! Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.

Yeah, yeah. Merry Christmas.

There it is.

Mr. Weaver?

I suppose you've come
to wish me Merry Christmas.

I promised you a drumstick for Christmas.

Hmm. Well, ain't that nice.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Weaver.

- Merry Christmas, Harve.
- Merry Christmas, Michael.

Those children are just like their father.

Up at the crack of dawn
on Christmas morning.

Aaron.

What.... What happened?

Aunt Ellie?

We heard a noise.

Children, you got your Christmas wish.

- Pa!
- Papa!

Now, be careful. He-He.... He's injured.

- Are you all right?
- What happened?

In due time.
It all seems like a bad dream.

Except for Nicholas,
who saved my life and brought me home.

Who's Nicholas? And how can we thank him?

He must be outside collecting my things.

Oh, Lord, I missed you both.

No one's out there.

Just your things.

Papa, we were so worried.

- I was too.
- You were?

Yep. I was afraid...

I wasn't gonna get back for you
on Christmas morning.

I made this special for you, Papa.

It's just like the one Mama gave you.

Yes, it is.

This is for you, Pa.

Ahh.

Well, isn't that dandy?

Well, I'll be.

I made it by myself.

Mr. Cunningham showed me how to sand it.

- Merry Christmas, Pa.
- Merry Christmas, Papa.

Well, we have some more presents.

El, can you hand me my saddlebag?

Now, you'll have to....

forgive me for not having them wrapped.

This is for you, Annabelle.

Oh, Papa.

I love it.

Think I forgot about my
favorite little man?

Thanks, Pa.

I hope you two like it.

I do.

What?

It's....

Well, Pa, we already got
what we wanted for Christmas.

Well.... You did?

We wrote letters to Saint Nick.

You wrote letters to Saint Nick?

Yes, they did.

We asked for you to come home.

Well, that must be Nicholas.

Come in.

Is it too early?

Said I'd be here.

- Michael?
- Well, I'll be.

Look who it is.

How'd you know I was home?

I didn't. I came by to see Ellie.

Ellie?

Yes.

Aaron, a lot has happened
since you've been gone.

You can say that again.

Oh, I see.

You look like you been rode hard
and put up wet.

But now he's home.

The children are so very happy
to have you back.

Not as happy as I am to be home.

Just wish Nicholas
would have stayed around to meet you all.

Me too.

Do you mind if I borrow your sister?

Borrow? You can have her.

Oh! Aaron.

Oh.

How about a moonlit stroll?

Can you believe this?

Aaron, you have to come see this.

All right.

I'm coming.

Snow?