Christmas Miracle 2012

In Summit View, Joseph Wellls, Dan Payne and Mary Wells, Allison Hossack, are separated after fifteen years of marriage. They share an autistic son Matt Wells, Valin Shinyei, whose intelligence and sensitivity standout, and who desperately wishes his father would come home for Christmas.

James Mason, Aaron Pearl, was a pastor who carried a heavy memory: his wife died giving birth to a son who did not survive. Flashbacks reveal him preaching to a shrinking congregation until it dwindled to silence.

Darryl, a former medical student, left school because of a learning disability. He once directed a choir and still plays guitar. When asked if he can sing, he jokes that he sings in the shower and on Sundays, and admits he’s no Johnny Cash—he’s closer to Garth Brooks or Brad Paisley.

Drake, David Nykl, and Madeleine are lost after a wrong turn, with Madeleine’s demands colliding with reality. Snow blankets the landscape, and what seems like comfort and money hides a more complicated situation.

Nick, Randal Edwards, and Christy, Siobhan Williams, are idealistic newlyweds. Nick worries she’s too trusting, while Christy believes in kindness toward everyone. At first, they can’t imagine they would fight, but tensions begin to surface as the night deepens.

On Christmas Eve, Joseph is the first to confront a fallen tree that blocks the road. The snow intensifies, and the group finds themselves stranded with no easy route to help, even as cell phones flicker at the edges of communication.

Nearby, Joseph’s former church lies within walking distance. The group takes shelter there, finding only a few pews, candles, and a wood stove, but those humble resources become a lifeline as they wait for rescue.

Mary heads out with Matt under the care of a babysitter and drives a sturdy SUV stocked with food and supplies toward the church, only to become stranded herself. What she brought, however, helps sustain the group until help arrives, weaving together a thread of shared survival.

Each member carries one or more personal struggles that need solving, and as they lean on one another to weather the night, their lives begin to shift in unexpected ways. And just when the tension seems to crest, a new crisis emerges, adding an extra spark of suspense to their wintry, interconnected ordeal.