Director's Notes

When first asked to direct LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS AT PLUM CREEK I had to decide what the most important thing was, that audiences could learn from the Ingalls family saga. I decided I would attempt to emphasize the realities of life as it was on the mid 19th century American plains, before the onset of phones, automobiles, plumbing and central heating. Those of us lucky enough to be born into a world filled with the conveniences of the late 20th century, tend to forget the hardships our ancestors faced. We can't imagine what life might have been like without plumbing, electricity, telephones or appliances that cook, clean, organize and entertain. Try to imagine life without TV or CDs. That is the world in which the Ingalls family lived. I think it's important for young people today to understand that life was hard in the last century, but that in some ways, it provided a family base that may have been stronger. Because the closest neighbor lived miles away and no policemen, hospital or firemen were just around the corner, the family had to rely on one another to survive. And survive they did, with strength and a commitment to a lifestyle that is obsolete today. We don't want to go back to life as it was then, but there are lessons to be learned from their stories. We should never forget their struggle or the debt that we owe them.

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