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Nathan (Neil Patrick Harris) is a doctor in a large, New England medical center. But, one day, after losing a teenage patient on the operating table, he decides to ask for an extended leave. Emotionally, he's drained. Heading to his hometown in Vermont, Nathan surprises his father with his visit and even more so when dad learns that his son is staying indefinitely and will help repair cars at his father's garage! Long ago, when Nathan was 10, he lost his mother and his widowed father has never looked in another lady's direction. Nathan, too, has neglected his lovelife in favor of his career. But, changes are coming. First, Grandmother finally arranges for dad to have a new office employee, a good-looking widow. Could this be a bit of matchmaking? Then, Nathan meets a lovely teacher, Meghan (Rebecca Gayheart) when her car needs some minor repairs and he soon feels the pull on his heartstrings. Also in town is a father, Tucker (Shaun Johnston) and his young son, Charlie (Angus T. Jones). Tucker takes care of lawns and home repairs and Charlie is expected to help, leaving him little time to play with friends. Meghan is Charlie's teacher and Nathan helps coach an afterschool basketball program. Soon, Nathan invites Charlie to be part of the group and the kid's got game! But, after the young lad collapses on the court, things change. Charlie is discovered to have an underlying heart condition. Will medicine save his life? Then, too, Meghan seems healthy but could she have a medical problem as well? Will Nathan open up his heart to love only to have it broken? This is a sweet film, somewhat sad but still a great reminder for everyone to count their blessings at holiday time. We need to reach out to others, even if it means getting hurt, and we also should tell those around us that we love them, for tomorrow may never come. All of the actors here do a wonderful job, making a film that could be described as somewhat contrived and improbable, work. Harris is terrific, with an understated delivery that turns occasionally stilted lines into touching ones. Jones, also, the young star of Two and a Half Men, is quite good as the ailing child. This flick is also a sequel to the movie Christmas Shoes, which starred Rob Lowe, and he is on hand to support the others. But, it is not necessary to see the films in order, as this one can be enjoyed on its own and has plenty of flashbacks. The settings, costumes, camera work and direction are mighty nice, too. If you enjoy thoughtful, romantic tearjerkers, you should ask Santa for a delivery of the DVD to your stocking. You will undoubtedly find it a blessing.

Review Date 3/29/2018

When a Doctor Nathan (Neil Patrick Harris),, loses a patient , he decides that being a doctor isn't meant for him, and he wants to give it up. He decides to take a vacation to his hometown, and stay with his father (Hugh Thompson).

To tell you more would be wrong. However this film is sad but is also a lesson about life and how we deal with "Bad Things" and realizing your own mortality and how you want to live your life.

In this sequel to 'The Christmas Shoes', attorney Robert Layton (Rob Lowe) finds the shoes that changed his life in a dumpster at a church, where people deposit clothes for the poor.

Nathan Andrews (Neil Patrick Harris) is grown up now. As a young surgeon, when Nathan loses a patient, he says, "I can't do this any more" and returns home. He works in the garage run by his father Jack (Hugh Thompson), where he meets Megan (Rebecca Gayheart). Megan needs for her car to be fixed and, since she is learning Spanish, pretends that is all she speaks. Of course, Nathan is also deceiving Megan by pretending to be a mechanic. Lydia (Wanda Cannon) does Jack's office work and gives out advice.

The shoes end up in the possession of Tucker Bennett (Shaun Johnston), who moves around a lot and does yard work. He doesn't want to tell his son Charlie (Angus T. Jones) the truth about what happened to the boy's mother, who he claims was a dancer and wore the shoes.

Megan turns out to be Charlie's teacher. And Charlie has some difficulty as the new kid in school. Nathan shows up to volunteer at the playground where Charlie goes after school, and the two become friends. Also at the playground, Megan meets Nathan once again (can you guess where this might be going?).

Three characters in the movie go through crisis. For two, the situation may be life-threatening. A miracle may be necessary for everyone's problems to be solved. Sadly, the movie does not end well for all, but the ending is satisfying.

This is generally a pleasant family movie, even if the circumstances are not always positive. Neil Patrick Harris does a good job, and his best moments are in scenes with Angus T. Jones. Angus shows much of the same charm that he displays when playing live-action TV's most adorable brat on 'Two and a Half Men'. And Rebecca Gayheart stands out as the devoted teacher. Rob Lowe appears in only a few scenes but does quite well with them.

Some people may enjoy the music by NewSong and Blake Shelton. I'm afraid I can't be counted among them.

Overall, it was a nice movie. Just be prepared for tears.

As we follow a certain pair of red shoes from the earlier TV movie "The Christmas Shoes" (2002), handsome lawyer Rob Lowe (as Robert Layton) appears briefly. He'll reappear later, but does not play a significant role in this sequel. This time, our hero is boyish doctor Neil Patrick Harris (as Nathan Andrews). He promises to see that a teenage patient is home for Christmas, but the young man unfortunately expires during surgery. Angrily throwing his doctor's smock down in the hospital hallway, Mr. Harris declares. "I can't do this anymore!" He goes home to live and work with auto mechanic father Hugh Thompson (as Jack Andrews). Playing "stick up" with Mr. Thompson further establishes Harris has some late-term growing up to do...

While helping dad in the shop, Harris meets attractive single teacher Rebecca Gayheart (as Meghan Sullivan). Felled by a flat tire - a surefire way to find a date in TV movies - Ms. Gayheart thinks Harris is a "cute mechanic." She is learning to speak Spanish in order to be a better teacher, but tells her Vermont, USA class Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico as their Independence Day. The students are either too polite to correct her, or afraid to speak and be asked to leave the set. The main pupil is imaginatively bright, chubby and sad preteen Angus T. Jones (as Charlie Bennett). He is being raised by alcoholic single landscaper Shaun Johnston (as Tucker Bennett). All of the aforementioned characters have physical and/or emotional flaws...

The holy spirit of Christmas, without being too heavy-handed, seems to bring the characters together. Some may live and some may die - but all will benefit from getting to know each other. God is a fan of tear-jerking melodramas, obviously, and Heaven isn't such a bad fate for believers. It is tempting to knock "The Christmas Blessing" for mediocrity and predictability, but each of the stories in the movie series accomplishes something that is becoming increasingly rare - character-driven drama without bombastic special effects. The plots and characters created by novelist Donna Van Liere are handled well by the production team and actors. Lord knows you could find less engaging ways to spend your viewing time, without even looking.

****** The Christmas Blessing (12/18/05) Karen Arthur ~ Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, Hugh Thompson

My family and I enjoyed this movie very much. Is it possible that it will be coming out on DVD anytime soon. We look forward to watching The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessings for years and years to come. These are great family movies and even if you do not cry that much you better still have the tissue sitting right beside you. It really gets to you but in a great way. It also has great family values that are wonderful. We really need more of that. It would be wonderful if they could make another sequel to this one or think of others to do like this one. We need more things to remind us what is really important. Like is the job more important than family and friends. Is your childs life on the bottom of the totem pole compared to working constantly. I guess I think of it in more of a day to day blessing because my husband works and I stay home and take care of the kids. So that they always have a parent here to talk to. Thank you.

This was pretty good, one of those made for TV, Christmas (ie) type movies. This one is based on a book and apparently a continuation of an earlier movie "The Christmas Shoes", although I didn't see that one and it didn't matter in regards to the story here. Anyways, Neil Patrick Harris plays a young doctor who returns to his hometown after losing a patient on the operating table. His plan is to give up medicine and work with his widowed father in his garage.

Harris does a decent job here, I mean its a TV movie so its not like he had to push his acting abilities. He does have some good scenes with Angus T. Jones from 'Two and a Half Men' and a plausible enough romance with Rebecca Gayheart who also does a good job. Rob Lowe is in this too, sort of a cameo type role but imperative to the story and enjoyable as always.

I have to say this was a bit of a tearjerker, way sadder than I was expecting especially if you lost a parent as a child. Several of the characters also go through life threatening situations (requiring Christmas miracles and such) with not all of the outcomes favourable. Oh and apparently recovery time for a liver transplant is about 12 hours.

Filmed in Canada -Alberta (as most made for TV movies seem to be) this features a bunch of Canadian talent and I particularly enjoyed Hugh Thompson as the widowed father and Shaun Johnston of 'Heartland' fame. 12/14/14

This made for TV movie is a sequel to the 2002 film, "The Christmas Shoes." Both are based on novels by Donna Van Liere. Some of the characters and cast are the same in the two films. But "The Christmas Blessing," has new characters and several more families and people whose paths cross in interesting ways.

So, this film has love and romance, healing from earlier losses and overcoming long-held periods of grieving. And, it offers some new tragedy with love, sacrifice and redemption. The plot in this film is very good, but considerably more complex than in the first film. It has many sub-plots, and for that reason, the script and direction have difficulty in places keeping the parts tightly together.

As in the first film, the cast are all very good. Again, the scenery, settings and camera work are all excellent as well. This is another very good film for the whole family, including younger children. It's a nice movie for the holidays, with Christmas again forming the main setting for the film.

I sat down tonight to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. The title included "Blessing" in it, so I thought this would be happy-ending movie.

Instead, the entire movie was depressing and brought my spirits down during this Christmas season. There was a list of members of two families that had died, along with a list of people who were ill and dying.

Thanks Hallmark for making our "spirits bright" and bringing us a depressing, morbid movie. The only saving grace to this movie was the excellent acting and the country singing. That's it. I will definitely not be watching this movie ever again. My sister did not like this movie either and said it had a wrong title and should not be a Christmas movie.

Ack. When the most entertaining thing in the movie is (direct from Nashville) Blake Shelton sporting a mullet, the movie has serious problems.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Rob Lowe (for a few scenes), and a little bitty Angus T. Jones this movie really should have been better!

NPH is a doctor returning to his hometown after losing someone on his operating table. He meets and falls for Gayheart who is the new teacher in town.

Too many people in this movie have life threatening medical conditions. The writers needed a does of reality and their conditions and the activities they were doing don't really compute.

Skip it - this one was a mess.

The church featured at the beginning of The Christmas Blessing (2005, Lowe NPH et al) here Rob Lowe finds the shoes in the trash, since such things are rarely done exclusively on a studio set and I must presume done on location, does anybody happen to know the name of that church and where it is located? I was curious because it has similar design elements to an older Catholic church in my own hometown. I know that many of them are often even during that time have many similar elements or from the same designer, including elements such as window trim design of high Altar and what not, but such did have my curiosity biting at me

Anybody that knows enough about the production of this film to know the answer it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and God bless.

This film is a strange beast as it's better than the original first film. If you enjoyed the Christmas Shoes then you should enjoy this festive tale.

Beware though, you will need a box of tissues for the ending: This is a heartwarming tearjerker which does just as it says. Even though the clichés are throughout the story; but then again isn't that just the case in Christmas films(?); I found myself reacting to the characters situations. It's the acting and direction that work the tears free from your eyes.

I really liked the idea of "The Christmas Shoes" journey through the film. It is a little cheesy, but the world is a small place, and things like this can, and do, happen.

Well worth watching on a cold winter's night, while cuddled up under a blanket, by a fire.