Christmas Jars - Jason F. Wright

GENRE: Drama / Christmas / Heart / Romance

VIRTUES/VALUES: Charity. Compassion. Forgiveness. True Spirit of Christmas. Family.

LOG LINE: Hope's grandest dream is to be a great writer - a dream her mother shared before she died. Now Hope struggles to keep the dream alive by finding that one great story that will put her on the front page. It begins with the arrival of a mystical jar filled with money on Christmas Eve when she needs it most. Her search for the origin of the jars, the traditions and the story she is sure will vault her into prominence is a journey of self-discovery in ways she could never have imagined.

SYNOPSIS: Newspaper reporter Hope Popova is devastated when her adoptive Russian immigrant mother dies just before Christmas. Added to her woes, her apartment is broken into and everything of value is stolen but her mother's unfinished scrapbook and the Matryoskha, symbol of her mother. At the lowest point of her life a glass jar filled with money mysteriously appears at her door. It is labeled simply, "Christmas Jar". Weeks later she stumbles across another Christmas Jar while covering a story at the local prison.

Hope's one grand dream is to be a celebrated writer. It is the dream her mother put into her head the day she came home from 2nd grade with her first wonderful story about a gang of motorcycle bunnies who save Old McDonald's Farm. Hope has been searching for her breakaway story and realizes that cracking the mystery of the Christmas Jars is the feature article that will put her front page above the fold.

Opposed by the brash and arrogant Ed Beasley, Hope becomes an investigative reporter and manages to track the mystery of the Christmas Jars. In her quest she meets a fascinating collection of people who have received these mysterious jars filled with coins and bills anonymously left for people in need - and always on Christmas Eve.

Hope's search leads her to the Maxwell family and the origins of their generous Christmas tradition. They become the family Hope never had but to learn the secret of the Christmas Jars she must deceive and ultimately betray them. Complicating matters is the unexpected romance with handsome young Clark Maxwell. Hope uncovers the remarkable secret behind the "Christmas Jars" but must then decide what matters most in life. In her quest Hope not only discovers the origin of the jars she comes face to face with who and what she really is. When some unexpected news sets off a chain reaction of kindness, Hope's greatest Christmas Eve wish comes true.

SOURCE: Original screenplay adapted from the novel Christmas Jars by Jason Wright.