I’ve been a fan of Veggie Tales for almost ten years now. Long before becoming a mother, in spite of a skeptical view of organized religion, Veggie Tales has always enchanted me. I might not agree with the guys behind the cucumber on everything, but I do agree with them when it comes to ethical living and having a good sense of humor. I have enjoyed every Veggie Tales movie I’ve ever seen – those guys are creative geniuses – and I think the moral lessons they provide are invaluable to their young audience. The fact that my three year old has become a hardcore Veggie Tales fan is just icing on the decadent chocolate cake.

Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving is the first new Veggie Tales holiday DVD released in seven years. The movie tells the story of Saint Nicholas aka Santa Claus played by the newest VT character, Nicky the Pepper.

The movie opens with Junior Asparagus overcome with glee, trying to decide what to buy with the gold coin his grandparents have given him and anticipating his Christmas morning loot. Meanwhile Laura Carrot’s father finds himself in danger of losing his job on Christmas Eve – right before they are supposed to finally go shopping for their Christmas Tree. When Junior comments that they should ask Santa Claus to help Laura, Bob asks them what they think Christmas is really about and who exactly they think Santa Claus really is. Don’t worry – they aren’t planning to ruin Chistmas for anyone – rather Bob decides it is time to tell the children (and Larry) the story of Saint Nicholas, who made a discovery in Bethlehem as a child that changed Christmas forever.

I really enjoyed the overall moral lesson to this movie – Santa Claus and stockings and presents are fun, but the power of giving to someone in need is even better. Tis better to give than to receive. I wholly agree that the Christmas season gets overly commercialized and that teaching kids the importance of giving back to the community is a great idea. This year, why not give Christmas away?

Like all the Veggie Tales movies, Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving entertained me, humored me, moved me and had me questioning my beliefs. And regardless of whether I agreed with everything they said, it got me thinking and in my opinion, that’s really all that matters. It features some great new songs like “Give This Christmas Away” which was written by the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Matthew West and performed by West and Grammy Award-winning artist Amy Grant (love her). And the newest silly song “Donuts for Benny” which is performed by Mr. Lunt was just hilarious.

I also really enjoyed browsing the special features on the DVD which include:

• “Give This Christmas Away” Operation Christmas Child music video
• Behind The Song with Matthew West and Amy Grant
• Art Gallery
• Audio Commentary
• Sing Along with Larry
• Discussion Guide
• Family Activity – “Bob & Larry’s Sugar Cookies” (see recipe at the bottom of this post)

And when the story was over, I found myself jumping onto the computer to look for volunteer opportunities near me. I think that’s the sign of a successful message, don’t you? As for my three year old – he has been quoting this movie ad nauseam since we bought it and asks to watch it daily. Luckily I love it, too, since it’s in constant rotation here now.

I think this DVD would make a great Christmas present for any young or old Veggie Tales fans in your family. You can buy the DVD along with some great Saint Nicholas stocking stuffers at Big Idea’s website. Merchandise includes a Saint Nicholas Little Golden Book, plush toy versions of Larry, Bob and Nicky, two adorable ornaments and shoes and shoe charms from Jibbitz™, a subsidiary of Crocs™. A 10-song Saint Nicholas album will also be available exclusively at iTunes, which includes “Give This Christmas Away.”

Turn your purchase into an opportunity to give:

If you purchase the Saint Nicholas DVD (which retails at $14.99) you will receive an offer inside the DVD to give a FREE VeggieTales DVD to a friend in need! Just use the information inside the DVD to log onto a special website and get a free Veggie Tales DVD to send to a friend (there is a $2.99 shipping and handling charge).

Operation Christmas Child Partnership

From “What If December Looked Different This Year?” by Deborah Evans Price and Big Idea:

“This fall, Big Idea has teamed up with Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, to help collect gifts for needy children throughout the world. More than 65,000 churches across the country will hold shoe-box gift collection events. Church leaders have the opportunity to hold a screening of Saint Nicholas where kids and families will be encouraged to “share the spirit of giving” by donating shoe-box gifts.”

“Right after watching Saint Nicholas, in the wake of being so inspired to give, that’s the perfect time to put a shoe box together,” says GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist Amy Grant, who has teamed with singer/songwriter Matthew West for the Saint Nicholas theme song “Give This Christmas Away.” “It’s love in action. It’s active learning with a great example of the joy of giving through the life of the real Saint Nicholas. And what better way to say, ‘Hey kids, we could change a life, too. We could do something just that special.’”

Are you a fan of all things Bob and Larry? Be sure to check out the Veggie Tales Facebook page and declare your fandom today!

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Bob & Larry’s Yummy Christmas Cookies

• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 15 Minutes
• Ready In: 30 Minutes
• Servings: 30

“Christmastime means cookies are in the oven just for me! The smell of yummy morsels makes me want to hum “Deck The Halls” while my tummy starts to grumble.” says Larry the Cucumber ” I like to paint my cookies with colorful icing – or if time’s a wastin’, simply sprinkle ’em with colored sugar.”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup butter
• Decorations

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well blended. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate one hour until firm. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles. Bake for 13-15 minutes, being careful not to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

A special thank you to the Family Review Network and Big Idea for this review opportunity.