The Homecoming: A Christmas Story

The pilot episode of The Waltons can be considered a major classic, up there with all the biggies - It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Story, White Christmas, and perhaps Die Hard. Funny to see different cast members not from the TV series. Great family film for the holidays!

I saw this as a kid and still feel I need to see it every Christmas. I group it with "A Christmas Carol", "The Grinch", "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's A Wonderful Life" as Christmas movie essentials.

The acting is superbly done by seasoned pros and brilliant newcomers who give added depth to a well crafted script that tells the true story of a depression-era poor Baptist rural Virginia family awaiting its father to return home Christmas Eve. The story is simple and the movie never strays from its central theme, adding plenty of character developing touches that most folks can relate to. The Waltons are a real Baptist family dealing with the issues of the day, such as the economic meltdown of the '30s and bootlegging, and the timeless problems of family harmony, love, adolescence, pride, privacy, values, vocation choice and parental expectation.

The beautiful mountain scenery adds to the Christmas spirit that contrasts with the meager living the townspeople endure year after year. The Christmas tree, sleigh ride and church scenes are all treated with the respect that this humble family deserves and should warm even the coldest heart without getting overly sentimental. Plenty of Bible references to remind the viewer what Christmas is all about.

Cheers: Fine acting all around. Realistic portrayals. Wonderful scenery. A Currier and Ives looks without the empty sentimentality. Less Santa and more Jesus.

Caveats: May bore very young children.

My Rating: 9 out of 10 Stars!

I am an old farm girl who grew up in central PA. I remember when this movie came out. I was around 8 years old. Of course it led to the very popular series the Walton's that ran for many years on CBS. I just love this movie for it's simplicity, authenticity and staying true to the roots of Earl Hamner's (and many country folks) life. It stars a young Richard Thomas who became a great character and Broadway actor and the great late Patricia Neal. About 5 years ago I bought a copy of this video and I watch it religiously every Christmas season just like "It's a Wonderful Life". If you want a wholesome family video that has a nice ending - try this movie - you won't be disappointed!

I was only six years old when I first saw "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" in December 1971. This is a heartwarming Christmas story of a family waiting for the arrival of their patriarch, John Walton, during the early years of the Great Depression.

The values upon which this nation was built are alive and well in this movie and the highly successful CBS series that followed. While the Waltons are not financially wealthy, they have an abundance of love in their home and community.

Richard Thomas' character "John-Boy" is perhaps one of the best known characters in television history. Patricia Neal is excellent as the loving yet strict disciplinarian mother, Olivia Walton. Judy Norton's portrayal of teenager "Mary Ellen" is quite believable; one moment she seems mature and on the verge of womanhood, and the next moment she is whining and bickering with her siblings (typical teen). Ellen Corby is an excellent supporting actress in her role as Grandma.

In my view, "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is one of the best Christmas movies of all time because it is not about Santa, a snowman, nor an abundance of gifts. On the contrary, the Waltons Christmas movie is about family, love, discipline, friendship, responsibility, and the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, the reason for the season.

I've had this movie in my Christmas movie VHS/DVD collection since the early 1990s. "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" is in the same category as "It's a Wonderful Life", and I highly recommend this film.

"The Homecoming" is steeped more in nostalgia and familial love and faith rather than empty sentiment. It also contains a very strong Christian message, which stems from the beliefs of its characters, not out of some ham-handed political agenda on the part of its producers.

It's essential for the children to see that there are people like Charlie Sneed (The Robin Hood Bandit) or the Missionary Lady in the world; people who in some way corrupt the meaning of Christmas, in order to realize the blessings they have. Hawthorne, the minister, is flawed, too, of course; he's not exactly doing the Lord's work by making whiskey runs for the old lady bootleggers. But, as he says, you can't feed your kids on faith.

Patricia Neal is the real treasure in this story. She was only 45; a reasonable age for a woman whose 7 children's ages span ten years. In 1965, when she was 39, Neal suffered a near-fatal stroke which left her temporarily paralyzed. She had to learn to talk over again. She had made a screen comeback in 1968 in "The Subject Was Roses," but this film was her *real* homecoming.