Based on the New York Times best- selling novel by Jason F. Wright

Hope is an aspiring reporter who has had her fair share of tragedy in life. Abandoned at birth, she’s grieving the recent death of her adopted mother when her apartment is burglarized of all her possessions. While reporting the burglary to the police, Hope discovers a jar full of money, labeled “Christmas Jar.” Shocked and grateful for this act of kindness, Hope discovers that people all over her hometown of Columbus, Ohio, have been receiving Christmas Jars for years during times of need. The jars are always anonymous and always contain different amounts. In this heartwarming Christmas classic, Hope goes undercover to discover the secret behind the Christmas jars, putting into motion a series of events that will change her life, and her community, forever.

Amazon * Deseret

Review

Before queueing up this movie to watch, make sure you have some tissues on hand because you will need them.  The first couple of minutes packs a punch that had me quite weepy.  The movie moves along and then the last 10-15 minutes had me a sniveling mess once again.  So definitely have those tissues handy and if you don’t, you can’t blame me because I gave you fair warning!

This may be a Christmas movie (that I’m watching in February) but the message is a timeless one – to show kindness to those in need.  Hope is a journalist in training and stumbles across the perfect story for the holidays and the online magazine she works.  In her search for the story behind these Christmas Jars, she stumbles across an amazing family that welcomes her as one of their own.  Hope has a dilemma, does she reveal the truth behind the Christmas Jars, or does she protect this new found friendship?

In case you didn’t figure it out from the first paragraph, this is a heartwarming story that transcends time and applies to any day and time.  It reminds us, and possibly even encourages us, to look out for others and to help those in need.  The concept behind the jars aside, there are times when people just need a small helping hand to get them over a hurdle or hardship and extending the hand of friendship can make a huge difference.

This is a movie that should be added to your queue for favorite movies during the holidays and especially for younger people so they learn the value of kindness and that sometimes it is ok to do something without the recognition.

We give this 5 paws up and I can’t wait to watch it again…with tissues in hand.

Trailer