I agree wholeheartedly with the viewer about the grandfather ordering the boy to give the dog back to man who had left him out in the cold to die. My husband looked at each other in astonishment when he did that, because in his attempt to teach the boy a lesson, he neglected to take into consideration the well being of the poor dog. And James Brolin's acting in this movie was very stiff, IMO. The most emoting he did was when he yelled at the guy who threatened the boy, which was yet another ridiculous scene. I can't imagine such a thug suddenly backing down like he was scared of an old grandfather. I really liked the rapport between the 2 kids, George & Marianne. Other than the problems mentioned above, it is the usual nice little Hallmark family movie. Not the best I've seen, but I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this movie. The other reviewer(s) who said the grandfather made the boy give the dog back to a man who was going to leave the dog out in the cold to die could not have watched the whole movie. The dog owner was NEVER going to leave the dog out in the cold to die, and the grandfather knew that. The dog was well-fed and healthy, and the owner didn't interact with him much or play with him or seemingly care much about him, but when the boy went to check on the owner after a snowstorm, the dog was indoors. Left outside to die? No. The dog was indoors. The grandfather was telling the boy he couldn't take someone else's dog just because the dog stayed outside in a fenced yard a lot of time. The grandfather was correct. The boy used his initiative to convince the man to sell him the dog instead.

This Christmas movie is well worth watching and Yes all the Tuckers did a good job. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 12/20/2020