{Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving}

Inspired by a short story by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), the much-admired author of Little Women, comes a holiday story of family and forgiveness. An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving is a coming-of-age narrative about the power of healing, the definition of wealth and the nature of charity. At the story’s center is the Bassett family, recovering from the recent and premature death of Ellis Bassett, a beloved husband and father. Without Mr. Bassett, the family farm has deteriorated, and Mary Bassett (played by Hélène Joy) struggles to make rent and provide necessities for her children and a neighboring family. Things are so bad this year that they cannot even afford a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. Suddenly, Mary’s wealthy and estranged mother Isabella (Jacqueline Bisset) has come to visit.

Share this movie with family and friends this Thanksgiving. It has been released on DVD by Sony Pictures, who also provide a Study Guide to download and print. The guide is intended for use after viewing the film and provides catalysts for biblically-based discussion of various themes found in An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving. The guide features three themes from the movie and is structured in such a way that groups can choose to discuss the entire guide at once or can focus on one or two themes at a time.

Before viewing the film, you can read (and print) the complete text of Louisa May Alcott’s 1881 short story, An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving. The movie also will be shown on the Hallmark Channel at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, so set your DVR or TiVo. All in all, this is an opportunity for some old-fashioned fun.