How Santa Helps the Cinema

This is what can happen when a father meets Father Christmas. Andrew Moore and  his daughter, 11- year-old Annabelle, were among the capacity crowd  for a fund-raiser for Daylesford’s new cinema when they headed for Santa’s knee.

The result can be seen.

And a great round of applause erupted in Standbridge Hall when it was announced that the Cinema Group plans the reopening between Easter and mid-2025.

A further round of fund-raising will start in the New Year, including two gala dinners. And money has flowed in from Rotary and U3A, reinforcing a point made by a character in the film shown at the fund-raiser, `Miracle on 34th St’ : “Faith is believing things even though common sense tells you not to.”

The film is a 1994 remake of the 1947 classic, asking the timeless question: “Is Santa real?

Macy’s department store employs one Kris Kringle, who is threatened with jail or being locked away because he believes he is Santa.

When it goes to court, a judge is challenged over whether he can rule on the case.  Who should decide? Six-year-old Susan comes up with a killer line from the American Constitution: “In God We Trust.”

As for Kris Kringle, he says, “Oh, Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind, and that's what's been changing. That's why I'm glad I'm here, maybe I can do something about it."

This article was also published on The Local.