An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving

This short story by Louisa May Alcott was transformed into a Hallmark Channel Movie in 2008. One of the channels my family frequents is Hallmark. They have a lot of our favorite shows: The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and so on...

Around the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) they always play some great Hallmark original movies. There are a ton of Christmas movies (one being the sequel to "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" called quite appropriately "An Old-Fashioned Christmas") and a few Thanksgiving movies, and "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving" is by far, my favorite Hallmark movie...so far. :) "An Old-Fashioned Christmas comes a close second, and in third, "Love's Christmas Journey" (part of the "Love Comes Softly" movies)

AOFT is the story of a widow and her three children in post-Civil War New Hampshire. The mother, Mary Bassett, does her best to provide food and home for her family: the oldest, Mathilda "Tillie", the middle child Prudence "Prue", and the youngest Solomon. Even with Tillie working as well, food is almost non-existent in the Bassett farmhouse.

Tillie concocts a plan to bring her rumored wealthy grandmother to their home in New Hampshire in hopes she might be able to help her family financially. She, being an avid writer, scripts a preposterous letter telling her grandmother of starvation, capturings, and gypsies.

All the while, Tillie is writing a book of her life, family, and friends in New Hampshire. I think she just wanted to spice up her book a bit by coming up with this plan.

Her lifelong friend, Gideon "Gad" Hopkins, was the one she entrusted the letter to to give to her supposed grandmother. He's finally home from college, and when she visits him, he sadly informs Tillie that she took one look and just ripped it up.

Tillie is crushed by the news, but happy that Gad is back. Gad is happy to be back as well because it will give him a chance to win Tillie's heart and show her it's okay to be open to love.

Just when Tillie thought the whole scheme was a bust, none other than Isabella Caldwell, her grandmother's full name, shows up in their town unexpectedly!

What Tillie thought was a great idea ended up blowing up in her face. She soon realizes that her mother and grandmother didn't part on the best of terms.

Tension is high in the Bassett household, and their guest isn't making things any better once she tries to take Tillie under her wing and fills her head of traveling the world and experiencing different cultures.

Tillie begins to soften towards her grandmother and lets her take her shopping and borrow exquisite dresses for Gad's welcome home party. Gad is practically struck dumb when he sees Tillie in her dress, and while they dance, he hints that he wants more than just her friendship.

Things go from bad to worse when Mary, a nurse, contracts scarlett fever when she's taking care of children with the same illness. The children do their best to run the household as their grandmother cares for her daughter.

Solomon refuses to give up on having a Thanksgiving dinner while Tillie and Prudence try their best to keep Solomon's hopes up.

 Thanksgiving Eve and the Bassett children don't think their mother will make it, but with their grandmother's care, Mary's fever breaks in the middle of the night.

With the help of the Hopkins family, the Bassett's are able to have their Thanksgiving feast after all--with much to be thankful for: food, family, friends, warmth, health, Mary's recovery, and Tillie's engagement to Gad! :)

My favorite quote in this movie is above in the picture. It is Tillie's prayer of thanks over their Thanksgiving Day. You can definitely tell she's a writer by the way she speaks.

I hope you can get your hands on a copy of this movie this Thanksgiving season. I hate that Christmas stuff is already overtaken the Thanksgiving season--my favorite season. I'm so thankful for this movie that reminds us of the things that matter and we should be thankful for: loving families and friends, the power of forgiveness, prayer, and hope, a chance to eat 3 meals a day, and a roof over our heads and beds to sleep in.

I find this era--1850-1900--so fascinating. I think thats one of the other reasons why I love this movie.

Anyway, before you get in Christmas mode, please just soak in the Thanksgiving season first. You won't regret it. :)

ERW

PS- thanks Abe Lincoln for making Thanksgiving a national holiday! :) 

Categories: Civil War era, country life, family, Food, holidays, movies, Thanksgiving