Dear Jared Padalecki: A Heartfelt Thank You for The Christmas Cottage
Dear Jared,
I just worked a thirteen hour overnight Retail Black Friday shift, and the only thing that got me through it was knowing once I got home I would get to watch The Christmas Cottage.
Let me say that again. Getting to watch The Christmas Cottage was the only thing that got me through it.
I know that you spend many long hours at work on Supernatural---and I am thankful for the end result---but I also know that it is hard to be away from those you love. I want to thank you for all of that, too.
This movie is my reward for enduring the chaos and pandemonium that comes with this massive shopping day. I can't thank you enough for making it. It reminds me to remember, and I hope others, what Christmas is really about---not just the consumerism and commercialized version we're expected to celebrate now.
Christmas is about family. It's about being together. It's about love. And it's about never letting that light dim or go out. This movie always reminds me of that and to treasure my friends and family just a little bit more. It is the only thing about the whole insanity that I even look forward to with any real excitement.
I look at getting to watch this movie as my badge of surviving another crazy Black Friday.
Your performance in this movie is so moving and powerful. No matter how many times I've watched it, I find myself loving it a little more each time and I pick up on a new nuance in your portrayal of Tom that makes him better. This performance is the type of performance that lingers with me long after I've watched it. I am blown away by the emotional depth you reach in this movie, especially opposite Peter O'Toole.
There is an earnest purity in how you play Tom that makes me invested instantly. Be it him enthusiastically running out to greet his father or the shock at learning what his mother's dealt with alone, I can't help but champion him and it's all in how you present him. The concern and affection Tom has for Glen is a palpable thing in your scenes with Peter O'Toole---and I can see it all in the gestures and body language you use to convey that.
I also love the determination you put into Tom---be it when he's trying to get the job to paint the mural or when he's trying to convince his father to help his mother's situation. I can see it all in your facial expressions that Tom won't give up. It reminds me to never quit on my own dreams. When I need to dig deep---as I did during last night's shift---I remember this performance and what it taught me. (For the record, I see this in your portrayal of Sam Winchester, too). I can never thank you enough for that.
My favorite scene is the one that makes me cry the most, which is odd, I know. I am just leveled by the impact of Tom's pleading with Glen at the end, trying to get through to him and just breaking down to tell him that he has nothing. As I write this now, I can see it in my head, and I'm already a bit teared up thinking about it. It's just that hard hitting and emotionally powerful. There's so much beauty in that scene---and it is so very human.
I don't know how you managed to pull such an emotional scene together, but I am always grateful that you did. This movie touches me deeply. It's easily my favorite Christmas movie. And it will always be the only thing I look forward to during the Black Friday chaos. You did that with your stunning portrayal of Tom Kinkade and telling such a powerful story through your performance.
Thank you.
Thank you so much for bringing that brilliant light when it's dark. I can never thank you enough for making this movie.
I hope whenever you're having a hard day or struggling that you'll remember that the work you do brings great joy to your fans---and lights up their world, too.
Sincerely,
Allison
(Far Away Eyes)