Plot: Necessity is the mother of invention. In the weeks leading up to Christmas 1977, Maryanne Kinkade has fallen behind in her mortgage payments and is about to lose her small house in Placerville, a town in California's gold country in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Her son Thom, who attends art school and is in his 20s, determines to make the transition from amateur to professional painter to help save the family's home. He seeks advice from an aging mentor.
Alternative Plot: Thomas (Jared Padalecki), a young artist returns to his hometown of Placerville, Calif., and anticipates another perfect family holiday. Instead, he finds that his mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is about to lose her home to foreclosure, and the entire town is struggling in the wake of a failing tourist industry. With the help of his ailing mentor (Peter O'Toole), Thomas hopes to find his artistic voice and help the town rediscover the holiday spirit.
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