Product Description

Neil Patrick Harris, an orphan, returns to his grandparents' home after his grandfather dies. He and grandmother Debbie Reynolds discover several entries in a diary about Lilian, a woman neither Harris nor Reynolds knew about. While reading the diary, the two uncover a Christmas mystery and learn new lessons about the holiday.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12081 in DVD
• Published on: 1998
• Released on: 2002-09-15
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Customer Reviews

Living a life of humility and forgiveness
This movie is about a man that walked in humility and forgiveness. It is not about 'Doogie' Howser OR Debbie Reynolds although they are both brilliant actors. The main theme forms around a grandfather that leaves his grandson a wonderful legacy: how to live in humility and truly love your fellowman. A mystery is uncovered by the Grandmother (Debbie Reynolds)and shared with the grandson (Neil Patrick Harris). A Christmas entry into the Grandfather's journal 'visit Lillian' has them wondering, who is Lillian? The grandmother asks her grandson to please find out who Lillian is as her Christmas Gift from him. So, the adventure begins. Through his searching, he comes to know who his grandfather really is but it isn't until the last 5 minutes of the film that you find out who Lillian is...and, when you do, it will bring you to tears as it does to me every time I watch it. I highly recommend this film ... have a box of tissues close by.

A Great Christmas Mystery & Appropriate for All
I was recently able to purchase this movie secondhand, and I have to say that it is a really outstanding film. The theme of the movie is forgiveness and the importance of family, and there is a little romance thrown in as well. It's an excellent family film with no swearing. The acting by Neil Patrick Harris and Debbie Reynolds is superb.

Will is a young man who moves from New York to manage the family realitor business after the death of his grandfather. Will grew up with his grandparents because his parents were killed in a tragic car accident when he was very young. Therefore his grandparents were the most important people in his life, and Will knew that they were very close to each other throughout their married life. As he said, they were so close they were almost like one person. After his grandfather's death, his grandmother Ruth starts to read her husband's journals that he wrote in volumes, one for every year of their married life. In the journals it mentions that he goes to see a woman named Lillian every Christmas Eve and other times as well. It was a secret that he kept from Ruth and she and Will fear the worst. Ruth's Christmas wish is to know the answer to the mystery, and Will is determined to find out who Lillian was and why his grandfather would keep this a secret from the family. In his quest, Will finds the answer to this haunting family mystery and finds romance along the way. I would highly recommend this film.

Just an additional note that there is another movie called "A Christmas Wish" but it is a classic with Jimmy Durante & Terry Moore, and has a completely different storyline. I see that it is being incorrectly advertized on amazon as a Neil Patrick Harris film. So, I'm just mentioning it so that you get the one you want. I have both versions as I am a big fan of Christmas movies. This one, from 1998, is only available used at this time.

A GOOD family holiday movie
I seen this movie a few years ago and look forward to seeing it every year. This year I will see it more then once, I bought it. There is romance, mystery, and an old holiday feel to this movie evrybody should like!