4 stars for this heart-warming family drama.
A Christmas Visitor is directed by Christopher Leitch (Teen Wolf Too, Secrets In The Walls) and was first released in 2002. Just in time for Christmas, it is now available on DVD in the UK for the first time.
Set in 2002, the film tells the story of the Boyajian family. After the army notified them of the death of their son, John (Aaron Ashmore – Smallville, The Shrine), in the Persian Gulf War, during the Desert Shield campaign eleven years before, Christmas has not been celebrated in the Boyajian household.
Because they were notified of his death on Christmas Eve, it was decided that it the holidays would be kept as a memorial to him. However, this year, George (William Devane – 24: Live Another Day, The Dark Knight Rises) has decided that it is time for the family to begin to heal and start to recognize Christmas again.
His wife Carol (Meredith Baxter– Family Ties, All The Presidents Men) is not at all keen on the idea, and his daughter Jean (Reagan Pasternak – Being Erica, Breach) is too worried about her future to care about Christmas Eve. 
He sets about collecting all the necessary bits and bobs, much to the delight of the townsfolk, who believe it is long overdue and are happy to help him out for free, but with Jean facing the possibility of cancer and recovering from surgery, this is a family in need of a Christmas miracle.
As he sets off in his truck to finish preparations, Carol and Jean talk and after Jean’s heartbreaking confession, they decide together that they will try to give him the Christmas he wants.
A near miss on the road leads George to meet a young hitch hiker named Matthew (Dean McDermott – Saving God, Open Range), who served with his son’s unit in the Gulf. Ever the good Samaritan and thinking it may help his family, he invites Matthew to spend Christmas Eve with them in their home.
This seems like an amazing idea, but is Matthew just too good to be true? He seems to know an awful lot about the family and it is up to them to decide whether he is a charlatan or whether his presence really is a miracle.
A Christmas Visitor is a lovely film, very well written and touching (I cried like a baby at the end) and will certainly have impact for anyone who has lost a loved one in combat. It deals beautifully with the issue of loss and recovery and most importantly for a Christmas film, brings a strong message of love and hope.
It is slightly more mature than your average Christmas film, there will be more in here for adults to enjoy, but kids will appreciate it too. It feels like a made-for-TV movie, but that’s actually quite comforting, like a big warm blanket you can wrap yourself up in.
Full of Christmas cheese and Christmas cheer, this will make an ideal stocking filler for the whole family to enjoy.
“It’s like light and dark. The moonlight touches down on the field and becomes a part of its beauty. Darkness is also it’s light. What do you see when you look out there? Do you see the darkness or the moonlight? Or both? Can you separate the two? Should you? “
A Christmas Visitor is available to buy on DVD from 03rd Nov 2014
| Director | Christopher Leitch |
| Genre | Christmas, Drama |
| Starring | William Devane, Meredith Baxter, Dean McDermott, Reagan Pasternak, Aaron Ashmore |
Available to buy on :  | |