Christmas is Love is the fourth instalment from Donegal Christmas charity initiative Christmas Spirit LK, following their successful national campaign in 2018 with Everglow. Founder Pete Rose writes about this year's campaign.
Christmas Spirit LK is a charity initiative made up of entertainment industry professionals who come together every two years to make a video to benefit charities.
Christmas Spirit LK was founded on the belief that we could be better, and we could do better, but especially at Christmas.
And even during a world pandemic, they’ve still managed to pull a beautiful Christmas story together for 2020.
Directed and shot by Charlie Joe Doherty and starring young rising actor Ethan Barron, as well as the Lovely Maria Howard as Granny, the short film was written by me.
The story of Christmas is Love centres around a little nine-year-old boy called Lucas (Ethan) and the love he has for his granny (Maria Howard).
He hasn’t seen his her since March, but he knows what he’s doing is keeping her safe.
He really misses her, and he’s going to get her something special for Christmas, so he makes it the whole way into town to get his granny the best present in the world.
But Lucas, doesn’t really know about "Covid-19".
His mum says you must wash your hands a lot and don’t shake hands or hug.
Lucas gets a shock when he gets to town and all the shops are closed.
With his plans dashed, he gives up but what’s about to happen might just be the most magical present that Lucas could have given his Granny for Christmas.
I’m not going to lie, the state of the world and the entertainment industry today is not very shiny happy and bright, like a lot of people, this year has been challenging, and personally so, for me and my family too. All our hopes seemed to be dashed at a project to lift spirits as COVID-19 has stuck around, making it increasingly harder for our crew of over 25 to do their work.
So, we scaled back, we went back to our roots and I wrote a short Christmas story, for the here and now, which I think a lot of people can relate to. It’s an Irish story, of current Irish times at Christmas in 2020.
Shot in Donegal, in around Letterkenny and the beautiful scenic town of Ramelton, the music was composed by Zara Montgomory and mixed and mastered by Mark Donnelly and Mik McConnell.
I Love Christmas, ever since I saw Bill Murray deliver the monologue at the end of Scrooged.
The mischief of Home Alone, the snowball fight in Elf, Santa Clause the Movie, Miracle on 34th Street, when the little girl walks up to the judge .... there’s no such thing as a bad Christmas film in my book, I believe that we’re at our best at Christmas time, and even for those who find it hard at these times, they go the extra yard for their families and loved ones.
This year is a strange one, a lot of detachment, emotion and distance, a lot of people not able to be together at Christmas, a lot of people grieving this Christmas, I wrote this story to replace the material things we see every day, the things that tell us we need these things to exist, and replace it with imagination, creativity and a good old Christmas miracle.
This pandemic has thought us one thing and that’s to be humble. We didn’t need half of what we thought we might in this scenario. We’re more thankful for small things, but most of all, we’re lucky to be together, to have love, be loved and to know Love ...
And that’s what’s the story of Christmas Is Love is really about.
