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Thursday, December 22, 2022

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies


πŸŽ„ Kris Kringle, a kindhearted old man who lives at a senior house, believes himself to be the real Santa Claus. On the other hand, Doris, who works at Macy, is a hardworking sceptical widow who doesn't believe in miracles, let alone Santa Clause. Her only daughter, Susan, also shares her skepticism.

πŸŽ„ Several days before Christmas, Macy needs a 'Santa Claus', and Doris offered the job to Kris, who took it. He instantly becomes a star, Macy's customers loves his genuine kindness and cheerful nature. Kris even brings the Christmas spirit far beyond Macy.

πŸŽ„ However, he also realized that his main mission is to turn Doris and Susan into believers. And it's not an easy thing to do; when a selfish and greedy man turned a nasty obstacle into real impossibility. If he's really Santa Claus, can he do it?

πŸŽ„ As a Christmas story, this novella seems to be an ordinary modern tale about Santa Claus. What makes it special is because this novella is, in fact, an adaptation of a film Davies wrote in 1947, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Story.

πŸŽ„ If the story isn't that special, perhaps the hidden message it conveys is significant. No, it's not just about whether Santa Claus exists or not, it's about letting your heart takes control, together with your brain, in steering your own life. Let it embraces new hopes, and trust it.

πŸŽ„ What about the miracle? Well, miracle happens when you have faith. Because when you do, good things will happen through other people. How it works, nobody knows. But it's not a hocus-pocus thing, it's just believing that things could happen even when you don't have control over it.

Rating: 4 / 5

8 comments:

  1. I didn't know they made a book out of the movie. The movie is pretty wonderful.

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    1. It's not often a book made out of a movie; I wonder whether it's better than the movie or the other way round...

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    2. I didn't know there were all those versions. I've only seen the 1947 one, which used to show up on TV when I was a kid and we'd watch it as a family. I probably haven't seen it since then, but it is a pretty wonderful feel-good movie.

      And Merry Christmas!

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  2. I love both this book and the movie they made of it! :D

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    1. I didn't remember having watched the movie, but reading the book I seemed to remember watching a movie where a Santa Claus was hired to replace a drunken one. But I'm pretty sure I've watched it on Netflix, so maybe it's the modern version of the original one?

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  3. I didn't realize the movie was made first! Interesting. I know of quite a few versions of the movie -- 1947 and 1994 versions on the big screen as well as TV versions made in 1955, 1959, and 1973. I've only seen the 1947 and 1955 editions.

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    1. I read somewhere that Davies rushed the writing of the book to match the movie publication time!

      Ah... I must've watched the 1994 movie version, then. I remember the story but I'm sure I've never watched 1947 movie of any title.

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