Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift
| Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Brian McConnachie |
| Directed by | Gregory Lehane |
| Starring |
Ringo Starr Didi Conn Nicole Leach Rachel Miner Brian O'Connor Jason Woliner Lloyd Bridges |
| Theme music composer | Stephen Horelick Joe Raposo |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Britt Allcroft Rick Siggelkow |
| Editor(s) | Michael Belanger |
| Running time | 56 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Quality Family Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | PBS |
| Original release |
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"Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift" is a Christmas special of the PBS television series Shining Time Station. It was first broadcast on November 25, 1990.
It is Christmastime at Shining Time Station. The scene opens with Mr. Conductor (Ringo Starr) carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree into his signal house.
The station is filled with people trying to catch trains to take them to see their families. Even Schemer (Brian O'Connor) is in a good mood, because the Indian Valley committee is putting on a Christmas pageant and he is almost certain to get the part of Santa's helper. The kids, Matt (Jason Woliner) and Tanya (Nicole Leach), write letters to Santa Claus and Mr. Conductor sends them on their way.
An old man, Mr. Nicholas (Lloyd Bridges), enters the station carrying a Christmas tree with Harry's cousin, Tucker Cooper (Ardon Bess), and immediately knows everything about Stacy Jones (Didi Conn) from when she was a little girl. Mr. Nicholas says he is there to catch the Northern Star, a train that doesn't run on that railway, but Mr. Nicholas is confident it will come.
Meanwhile, Stacy agrees to watch Claire's (Judy Marshak) daughter, Vickie (Rachel Miner), a bratty little girl, at the station. Matt and Tanya dislike her because of her attitude. She meets Mr. Nicholas, who teaches her to be nice to people and it soon begins to work. Schemer's mother has made him a Santa's helper costume and he begins his campaign against Stacy by telling Midge Smoot (Bobo Lewis), J.B. King (Mart Hulswit) and the Mayor (Jerome Dempsey) untrue things about her.
Mr. Nicholas (actually Santa Claus) is still waiting for the Northern Star. To everyone's surprise, the train pulls into the station as he had predicted. Meanwhile, the fighting continues over who will play the part of Santa's helper. Mr. Nicholas encourages Vickie to use her gift of song to quell the conflict. Her singing of the 1848 Shaker song "Simple Gifts" reminds them all of the true spirit of Christmas. Harmony is restored as all gather around the tree to celebrate the power of believing.
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