Mcgee And Me: 'Twas The Fight Before Christmas

The latest episode in "Focus on the Family"'s award-winning series is a high quality production and story which finds young Nicholas rehearsing for a school Christmas program. Nick is drawn to the problems of class bully Derrick Cryder, a fellow "wise man" in the school play who skips rehearsals and steals from local shops with his older friends. At first rebuffed, Nick eventually visits Derrick's apartment building where he overhears Derrick's father yelling at and hitting Derrick. When a teary-eyed Derrick spills into the hall, Nick tries to comfort the bigger boy. Needless to say, the two don't become bosom buddies on the spot, but the seed is planted, and eventually Derrick takes a turn for the better. Throughout the program, comic relief is provided by McGee, the animated creation of Nick's aspiring artist's imagination. Unlike the other Christian programs for children reviewed here, McGee and Me: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas is overtly Christian, and doesn't hesitate to make references to God and Christ. Yet, the story is not treated in a simplistic or didactic way; Nick doesn't find any easy answers to the dilemma he's facing. First and foremost, this tape offers a great story with superb performances and excellent dramatic scripting. Secondly, it is quality programming for Christian audiences, which libraries should have a fair representation of--this type of programming adds balance to the collection, and helps defeat censorship challenges against other areas of the video collection. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (See DEBBY BOONE'S HUG-A-LONG SONGS VOLUME ONE for availability.)