Mills Crenshaw

The Christmas of '45 Mills Crenshaw

It s Christmas Eve, 1945. The war has just ended and the nation is excitedly preparing to celebrate its first post war Christmas. Everyone is single mindedly preparing for an unforgettable Christmas. While others are caught up in the holiday euphoria, a little boy mourns the loss of his mother. Well meaning adults have told him, She has gone to live with Jesus. Taking them at their word, he sets out to find the Savior to plead for his mother s return. In the innocence of youth, he asks directions from those he encounters. A jaded young policeman, battle weary and just back from the war, a Catholic Priest too busy to notice, a black child who s hero dad has not yet returned from the war, and an immigrant baker and his wife, all have their lives touched by the little boy who pursues his quest in the face of a brutal snow storm. In the process, the impending tragedy brings together people of all faiths and backgrounds ... a reminder of who we were and what Christmas meant, not that many years ago.