My very first memories of this movie take me back to the Visitor’s Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was about five, and we settled into the plush seats, knowing we were about to see something special.
Jimmy Stewart stars as Willie Krueger, a widowed janitor who lives in the basement of the apartment building where he works. He’s spent the day sweeping pine needles out of the lobby as the tenants brought their trees up to their apartments, and now he’s ready to get his own place decorated for the day. His apartment is small and he’s on a budget, so he only got a small tree, and a pretty sparse one at that. But he pulls out all his decorations, determined to make things look pretty anyway.
His wife, Martha, passed away some time before, and now it’s just him and his cat, George. George keeps him company as best as a cat can, but Mr. Krueger is still lonely and wishes he had more friends. As he puts on his Mormon Tabernacle Choir record of Christmas music, he imagines himself at a lavish Christmas party, surrounded by friends.
He’s yanked out of his reverie by a troop of carolers passing by. He opens his window and calls out, inviting them to come in. They aren’t sure if they should, but he persuades them, and they come downstairs and into his humble home. With them is a little girl named Clarissa, who is immediately taken with the nativity set Mr. Krueger put out. He gives her the baby Jesus, making her day.
Mr. Krueger waves goodbye to the singers and sets about finishing his decorating, only to find that Clarissa has forgotten her mittens. He hangs them on the Christmas tree until she comes back, and when she does, the carolers invite him to come with them and have dinner. He grabs his hat and coat, and is out the door in a flash.
This film is undeniably touching. Mr. Krueger’s hopes and dreams are kept alive in the form of his wonderful imagination. As he listens to his record, one minute he’s off on a sleigh ride with the Choir, and the next, he’s decorating a huge tree with Clarissa. He even goes to the manger and worships the newborn baby, thanking Him for being there when Martha passed away.
One particularly memorable scene takes place inside the Tabernacle itself. He gets to conduct the Choir, and does a rather good job of it. As he cuts off the music, one of the members of the Choir begins to clap, followed by the rest, and they give Mr. Krueger a standing ovation. He is humbled and takes his bows. This fits in so well with the story, you’d think it was scripted, but it wasn’t. The Choir member who began the clapping did it spontaneously, and the rest joined in, a tribute to Jimmy Stewart and the man he was.
While this film was written and produced by the LDS Church, this is a movie you can enjoy no matter what your denomination. I encourage you to give it a try and see if it doesn’t become a holiday favorite at your house, too.
Related Blogs:
Tristi’s Favorite Christmas Movies
My Top Ten Christmas Movies/TV Shows