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If you own a dog, or have ever owed a dog in your lifetime, Hachi is the perfect family DVD for you.  Most people who have ever had a dog as a friend know their unconditional love, their companionship, and their loyalty.

In Hachi, you meet a Professor, Professor Wilson played by Richard Gere, a man who is an empty nester with a grown child, and a comfortable life. A life settled down and at an age where life was to be calm an easy. You would say, not a time in life where you get yourself a new puppy.

Well, getting a new puppy was not the intention of Professor Wilson, but when he discovers an abandoned puppy on his daily route home at the train station, he didn’t have the heart to leave it there. So, bringing it home to a wife opposed to the idea all around, Professor Wilson prepared the dog for the one night he thought that he would have the dog, thinking he would find it a home in the morning.

As I am sure you can see where the story is going, this one night didn’t stop there, and Professor Wilson soon became the proud owner of this new puppy. The puppy soon became his companion and after learning of it being Akin, gave him the name Hachiko.

Hachiko and Professor Wilson quickly developed a daily routine and Hachiko, or Hachi, would join the Professor in his walk to the train station where they would say their goodbyes, until the Professor’s return from work where Hachi would be at the train station waiting for him for their walk home together.

Hachi became a part of everyone’s lives. People at the train station counted on him to be at his daily post at the exact time his new owner would return. He became not only a part of their lives, but a joy in their lives.

In their time together the Professor would try to teach Hachi tricks, but Hachi wasn’t like other dogs. Hachi did not like to participate in the average dog tricks. Relentlessly the Professor tried to get Hachi to fetch a ball with him. But, day after day, attempt after attempt, Hachi took no interest. Until one day, when the Professor was on his way out to go to work, Hachi tried to play catch with the Professor. Hachi was insisting that the Professor play with him. Confused by his sudden interest and also restricted by time, as he was on his way to work, the Professor left Hachi there and proceeded for the train station.

I will have to leave the it there, because I do not want to spoil the movie for you. But what I can tell you is that Hachi is a brilliantly written story that shows the unconditional love, companionship and loyalty that a person has with their pet dog. I would even go as far to say that this DVD shows a glimpse of the same unconditional love and loyalty that God has for us, and the companionship that God desires with each of us.

Based on a true story.

I cannot help but fall in love with the cold weather for the sole reason that it means Christmas is not far off! It’s funny how suddenly I have urges to light cinnamon smelling candles, play Christmas music, and start shopping! But putting all that aside, I can’t ignore the warmth within that I feel. The love that begins to overwhelm me once Christmas grows near. All of the memories of past Christmas’ with family where we celebrate the birth of Christ with one another and honor the love and grace that God extended to us through his birth, by showing each other our love and humble gratitude for one another.

Some of my favorite memories are watching the movies “White Christmas”, “Charlie Brown Christmas Tales” and of course, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever“! Those cold nights never seem very cold when you have a room full of people, eating the cookies that you made with your Mom, drinking hot chocolate, all the while snuggled up with blankets, watching Christmas DVDs!

Praise God for the birth of His Son, Jesus! We give thanks for the blessings he abundantly gives!

What do you hope for when you pick up a Christmas movie?

I watch Christmas movies knowing that they’re going to pull at my heart strings a bit, knowing that they’re going to get me in the Christmas mood (even if it’s only October) and that they’re going to give me a bit of a good feeling at the end. The good ones do even more, and A Christmas Snow is one of the Good ones.

A Christmas Snow releases to DVD on October 8^th and thus I’m reviewing it today. Despite temperatures in the 70s and it being the last day of September, I found myself in a real Christmas mood last night as I screened  A Christmas Snow.

A Christmas Snow is the story of an elderly man, a woman and a ten year old girl who all have deep wounds. These wounds come out most vividly around the holidays. For one wounded character Christmas has become a time of faith and introspection, another throws herself into holiday expectations that could never be perfectly fulfilled, and the other swears off Christmas all together.

These three end up stuck in a house together over Christmas banging their issues, their pasts and their futures together as they’re snowed in with no electricity. What God does in their lives and their hearts during that time is beautiful, and in the words of the characters, miraculous.

I found myself completely drawn into the story as the rough edges get whittled off of the two “harder to love” characters, and the most lovable character, Sam (played by Muse Watson… the old guy on Prison Break) becomes even more endearing.

A Christmas Snow portrays a strong message of hope, forgiveness, family, faith and love, without ever being preachy in a way that make an unbelieving audience shun the film. I believe that A Christmas Snow will become a new holiday tradition as a beloved Christmas film like The Christmas Shoes and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Hats off to Trost Moving Pictures for a job well done.