My wife had ordered this movie as a free gift off of the TV several years ago. It sat on my movie shelf for years. Finally, three years ago, I watched it, not knowing anything about it. While only 25 minutes long, I was blown away by the story and Jimmy Stewart's acting. He's always been one of my favorites, but this was exceptional. A lot of us know people like his character, alone (because his wife had died), lonely and craving company. Stewart plays the part beautifully. What some reviewers miss is not only his fantasizing, but the fact that when he is on the street, he is saying, "Merry Christmas" to everyone he sees, but no one responds, as if they're too busy, which only adds to his loneliness. At one point, someone drops money into Mr. Krueger's hat thinking him to be a beggar. Mr. Krueger promptly puts the money into a Salvation Army bucket. The music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is fantastic, but the scene where Mr. Krueger goes to the manger is dynamite. He talks to the baby Jesus with a love that is unmistakable. At the end, he develops a very special relationship with a young caroler. This movie is a 'must watch' for everyone's Christmas season and will help you remember what Christmas is REALLY all about. BTW, there is a special feature on the DVD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir beautifully singing various songs.

Beautiful and touching Christmas story about Mr. Krueger (James Stewart), who loves Christmas but has no one to share it with. The moments of Krueger reaching out to strangers, looking for anything from a simple "Merry Christmas" returned to someone to drink hot chocolate with him, were very sad. I really felt bad for this guy. Throughout the story, he drifts off into daydreams. These are all wonderfully done segments. Particularly the final one, where he finds himself at the manger with baby Jesus. This is the most powerful scene, with Stewart delivering his lines with such authentic emotion, I couldn't help but get weepy. Jimmy Stewart really was a one-of-a-kind actor and a very special man, as well. After this, he would only do a couple of more projects and some voicework. So this really was his last great performance in a career full of them. It's a true holiday classic and I would encourage everyone to see it.

My Christmas Eve viewing for this year consisted of Frank Capra's holiday favourite 'It's A Wonderful Life (1946),' preceded by 'Mr. Krueger's Christmas (1980).' The latter was clearly a very personal project for James Stewart, who had pretty much retired from acting by the close of the 1970s. In the film, which runs for 25 minutes, a lonely widower (Stewart) tries to share his Christmas spirit, but finds this difficult in a dingy underground apartment with no company. After imagining several dreamy sequences of holiday-themed harmony – including an affecting visit to baby Jesus in his barnyard manger – Mr. Krueger befriends a group of Christmas carolers, in particular a bright-eyed young girl (Kamee Aliessa) who represents everything that is pure and joyful about Christmas.'Mr. Krueger's Christmas' was produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and unfortunately the film does end with the sour note of religious propaganda. Interrupting what might have been a touching moment of Christmas goodwill, a random voice-over interjects with "I love you. That's what Christmas is all about... Clarissa said it to Mr. Krueger; Mr. Krueger said it to Jesus; and Jesus in so many ways said it to all of us." Leave it to a religious institution to state the obvious. Luckily, James Stewart's incredibly-heartfelt performance manages to elevate the film above these syrupy foundations. Had the role of Mr. Krueger been in any other actor's hands, there'd be very little to recommend. However, behind Stewart's eyes, there lies the subtle mingling of love, sadness and joy, and an astonishing conviction in his film's message.

I must have watched way too much TV growing up, because today I associate nearly every special event of my childhood with one program or another. On Christmas Eves when I was a wee lad, my family would return home from the seven o'clock service, my mother would begin cooking desserts for the next day's festivities, and we would turn on WPIX New York to watch the "Yule Log," a two-hour loop of a burning log accompanied by yuletide music. (Sounds kind of strange, I know, but it was a holiday tradition for many New Yorkers.)After the yearly Yule Log broadcast ceased at 11:30 or so, WPIX would air this gem of a Christmas special. By this time of the evening, I would be drowsy, but filled with anticipation for the morning. Watching "Mr. Krueger's Christmas" meant that the holiday, around which the entire kid year revolved (to quote Jean Shepard), had finally arrived.Jimmy Stewart is wonderful in this understated and poignant show. It's impossible to describe without using the word "heartwarming." It has been years since WPIX broadcast the Yule Log or this special (though the Yule Log is now available for downloading on their website [!]), so when I watch my old videotaped copy it really takes me back. Folks who are looking for a copy of this show should know that even though it has not been widely released on video, it is available for purchase through the Jimmy Stewart museum (www.jimmy.org).