In my previous post I talked about the Great American Family Channel's Christmas Romance movies.
One aspect of those movies is that they are almost always set in small towns. These movies - and some other romances I've read (one of our parishioners writes Christian romance books) - celebrate small-town values, often putting them in direct contrast with big-city values (or lack thereof).
In the movies, the central character is either from a small town and returns there or never left, or is sent to a small town for some reason.
Among the typical plot elements: The family farm/inn/business/store is in trouble, or someone dies, and the main character is struggling to keep it going, or eventually decides to keep it going; or the main character is sent to the small town to help buy up/shut down the involved venue to make way for development, such as building condos or a resort.
That's where the small-town values come into play.
The people know each other. They rally to help each other. They are concerned with family and faith, not profits or supposed progress. Community and church are important. They cherish small, family-owned businesses/operations/farms, etc. The natural world is respected.
In contrast, the big-city values focus on profits, development, merchandising, large-scale operations, and so on. Family and faith are downplayed, even mocked. Nature is to be exploited.
Although it is not a Great American movie, John Denver's The Christmas Gift, provides an example.
Denver plays an architect working for a corporation. He is a widower with a small daughter. He is ordered at Christmas time to visit a small mountain community to scope it out for development.
The town features a quirky cabbie who loves Christmas, a young postmistress (the romantic interest), a struggling family farm, and a day dedicated to mailing letters to Santa. Indeed, one of the initial conflicts is when Denver wants to mail a letter to his boss, but because it is Santa letter day the postmistress refuses.
After they arrive, the daughter becomes involved in a Christmas pageant at the church and befriends the son of the farmer who is in danger of losing his farm to Denver's boss, who, of course wants to build a big development on it, promising jobs and profits for the community.
Meanwhile, in getting to know the people of the town, Denver begins to have doubts about his boss's plans, and finally openly opposes them. He is fired. But the town rallies around the farm family, the pageant is a success, and Denver finds love and a new home in the town.
The movie would be perfect for the Great American Family channel!
Small-town values are appealing. And being a Chestertonian, I find they fit in with Chesterton's ideas. Small, family-owned businesses. Faith. A sense of community. People supporting each other.
We need more of this.
Pax et bonum
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