Short Film: "Strange Mystery" (2020)

 

To commemorate the 100th anniversary since the death of Saint Nektarios (1920-2020), a short film about the childhood years and struggles of Saint Nektarios was made by Alexandros Fotopoulos and Stelios Fetanis, titled "A Strange Mystery", which was shown virtually to all the Middle School and High School students of Crete on December 23, 2020, as a Christmas story. The film is in Greek, but should not be missed, so I have written out the story below presented in the film in order to understand what you are seeing as you watch it.

 

Before he became known as Saint Nektarios, he was born and baptized with the name Anastasios Kephalas. He was one of the six children of Demmosthenis and Vasiliki, and was born on October 1st, 1846, in Eastern Selybria of Thrace. His parents were very poor but pious Christians who brought up their children according to the teachings of our Church. His grandmother also played a major role in inspiring him to live a life consistent with his Christian beliefs.

O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"

The Gift of the Magi is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony. It was allegedly written at Pete's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City.

Charles Dickens' "The Cricket on the Hearth"

The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home is a novella by Charles Dickens, published by Bradbury and Evans, and released 20 December 1845. Dickens described the novella as "quiet and domestic ... innocent and pretty." It is subdivided into chapters called "Chirps", similar to the "Quarters" of The Chimes or the "Staves" of A Christmas Carol. It is the third of Dickens's five Christmas books, preceded by A Christmas Carol (1843) and The Chimes (1844), and followed by The Battle of Life (1846) and The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (1848).

Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl"

The Little Match Girl is a short story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story, about a dying child's dreams and hope, was first published in 1845. It takes place on New Year's Eve and is considered a holiday tale. It has been adapted in various films. Below are a few versions, along with a translation of the tale.

Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince"

Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" may perhaps be my favorite short story for children. I was first introduced to it in elementary school, where it was shown to us on film every year, and even as a child I would be moved to tears and inspired by it.

It tells the story of a beautiful statue of a prince standing on a high pedestal. He is covered head to toe in gold leaf and for his all seeing eyes he has two beautiful saphires. All is not well with the Happy Prince, for he stands over a city that is steeped in abject poverty and here he is trapped on his pedestal unable to help the very people whom he loves with all his heart. Until along flies a swallow bound for the lands of Egypt for the winter and the swallow remains behind to help