Sometimes a song is so special that it not only inspires a Christmas movie but a book adaptation as well. Over the years "The Christmas Shoes" by Christian group NewSong has become a classic and it all started with a little story that was circulating in the '90s. The tale helped create a timeless Christmas song so heartwarming that it has stood the test of time for over three decades.
is the christmas shoes movie a true story
"When we were working on the song I mentioned it to my friend Donna VanLiere and asked her what she thought of the idea," Carswell said. "She thought it sounded like a great idea for a book, which she wrote. Then it became a CBS movie of the week. Then Donna wrote another book called The Christmas Blessing that continued the story of the little boy, and CBS did another movie, and we wrote a song called 'The Christmas Blessing' that we sang with Rachel Lampa... It's just been amazing for a lot of people. And it all started with that one song."
With a song this sad, you know the film is going to be a real tearjerker. The CBS TV movie, which has since aired on numerous networks including the Christmas-crazed Hallmark Channel, centers around multiple intertwined storylines. Rob Lowe plays a lawyer, Robert Layton, who is having issues with his relationship with his wife Kate (Maria Del Mar) and daughter Lily (Amber Marshall) because he's a workaholic. But the main story follows Maggie Andrews (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) who is terminally ill and awaiting a heart transplant.
During the holiday season, Kate volunteers at her daughter's school, where Maggie's son Nathan also attends. Nathan (Max Morrow) hears his mother tell Kate that she met her husband at a dance studio and they loved going dancing every year for their anniversary. So Nathan sets out to make enough money to buy his mother a beautiful pair of shoes. In the process, he teaches Lowe's character a Christmas Eve lesson about the true meaning of family. Watching a young boy work hard saving up soda pop cans to buy the gift is moving and inspiring. Hugh Thompson, Dorian Harewood and Shirley Douglas co-star in this 2002 film, which is guaranteed to make you cry.
The film became the first in a trilogy of films (and books). Lowe returns in his original character for the sequel, 2005's The Christmas Blessing, which follows an adult Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) returning to visit his father in his hometown. The third film, 2009's The Christmas Hope centered around a family of one of the sequel's minor characters, Sean. Watch all three this holiday season and try not to cry as you watch the inspiring stories unfold, knowing that it all came from a song and possibly a true story.
That little sprinkling of fake backstory did the trick. The dude reaches into his pocket and pays for the shoes! As this poor sap is laying the money down on the counter, this brazen little fuck has the temerity to repeat:
The New York Times bestselling novel The Christmas Shoes is based on the #1 hit single from NewSong. In this heartwarming, unforgettable story, a little boy teaches a man that love, giving, and family are the most important things in life. The Christmas Shoes was made into a TV movie starring Rob Lowe.
In the sequel to The Christmas Shoes, a young girl and boy teach a man to lead a life of true courage in The Christmas Blessing. This beloved TV movie first aired in 2005 and stars Neil Patrick Harris.
Last year I recorded several Christmas movies. I think Christmas shoes was the only one we actually watched. And yes, Derek laughed the whole time...at my crying. I would definitely like to read the book.
Across town, the Andrews family live very simply on mechanic, Jack's modest salary, but they have a whole lot of love in their household. Everything changes for them though, when Jack's wife, Maggie is diagnosed with cancer and only given a short time to live. As the holidays approach, Maggie's condition begins to deteriorate rapidly, leaving little question that this will be her last Christmas with her beloved husband and her children, Nathan and Rachel. When everyone in Nathan's class at school share their fondest holiday memories, Nathan is particularly moved by his teacher's story of a special pair of shoes she received as a little girl.
I had recently been lamenting the fact that I hadn't read a true tear-jerker yet this year. I have been know to get a bit misty-eyed at certain scenes, but it is a rare book that makes me actually shed tears. The Christmas Shoes did exactly that and more. It made me cry buckets both while reading it and afterwards while merely thinking about it, and again while trying to write this review. There is a profound and beautiful message packed into this simple short story. It may have been difficult to read at times, evoking many deep and heartfelt emotions, but it was worth every moment. I have been left thinking about it long after turning the last page, which is what I hope for every time I pick up a book to read.
The Christmas Shoes is the first book in the Christmas Hope series. There are currently five books in the series, and the next one, The Christmas Blessing, follows Nathan as a young man dealing with new challenges in his grown-up life. I may not get a chance to read The Christmas Blessing this holiday season, but I will definitely be reading it at some point in the future. For anyone who isn't aware, The Christmas Shoes is based on the song of the same name recorded by the group NewSong. I've heard it on the radio at Christmastime a few times, and it always makes me cry just like the book did. There was also a made-for-TV movie adapted from the book which aired on television a few years ago and is now available on DVD. While recently shopping, I chanced to find a copy at Target even though I wasn't specifically searching for it, and I am now looking forward to watching it soon. Overall, The Christmas Shoes is an amazing book that made me cry like I don't think any other story ever has, but also left me with some very profound food for thought. Enjoy isn't quite the right word for such a heart-wrenching read, but it was a beautiful and utterly moving experience that has touched my heart and mind in inexplicable ways with its pure and simple expression of the true meaning of the holiday season. I highly recommend this book to all readers. Just be sure to have a box of tissues handy for the inevitable flood of tears.
When a stranger named Robert gave him the money to buy his mother a pair of shoes for her last Christmas, both Robert and Nathan learned the deepest lessons of love and giving. Now a medical student in his third year, Nathan realizes there are still things to be learned about faith, blessings, and sacrifice. Lessons he will learn from Meghan Sullivan - a young woman born with a hole in her heart that has not kept her from becoming a champion runner. And lessons learned from a young boy named Charlie, who teaches how to live a life of true courage. Together, they will help guide Nathan through the darkest period in his life.
Each Christmas we are given a promise from heaven. And each year on earth we make promises to each other. This is a story about how a promise from one person to another shows us the true meaning of faith, remembrance, and love.
Inspired by the hit song and popular novel, The Christmas Shoes is the film adaptation of one of the most touching Christmas stories ever. This 2002 made-for-TV movie features Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams in a timeless Christmas story of a little boy on a quest to buy his mother some special shoes for Christmas. When a young boy by the name of Nathan learns that his mother is ill and may not have long to live, he sets out to buy her the ultimate Christmas gift. A pair of special dancing shoes that hold a lot of significance for his mother.
Scraping for the money, Nathan finds himself simply unable to gather enough funds to give his mother a Christmas present. When he arrives at the store to try and haggle for the shoes, still short of the necessary cash, the clerk tells him he simply cannot have the shoes and he'll have to come back after New Year's. Another man, by the name of Robert (played by Rob Lowe) overhears the conversation and decides then to help Nathan and provide the rest of the money needed for Nathan to get the shoes. The Christmas Shoes is a touching story that reminds us of the importance of the Christmas spirit and how we should always be willing to give and help others.
The very next year, the song had hit its peak and had become so popular a book was written inspired by the song entitled "The Christmas Shoes". Written by Donna VanLiere, this book ended up launching an entire series of Christmas-themed books, all written by VanLiere. The book expanded on the original idea of the song and provided more context and story to the powerful song. The very next year, following the release of the song and the book, The Christmas Shoes would become a made-for-TV movie, starring Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams. This film brought to life the story and heart of both the book and the song in an inspiring way.
The Christmas Shoes features several intertwining plots. In the beginning of the movie, while they can initially feel disconnected and like separate stories, as the movie progresses you begin to see how they all line up and affect each other. At its heart, The Christmas Shoes is all about bringing storylines together to show how one small good deed can provoke a variety of miracles and inspiring events. It's designed to encourage you to exhibit the Christmas spirit in your own life, not only during the Christmas season, but all year long. 2ff7e9595c
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