Silent Night

A blizzard grounds every plane and train, and Whit's long-awaited Christmas with his children and grandchildren is suddenly off. Alone in a silent house on Christmas Eve, he drifts through memories of Christmases past - a shattered glass nativity, a turkey on the floor, a cuckoo clock that sounds like a dying moose - and of his wife Jenny, who always found the treasure hiding inside each disaster. He remembers, too, the handmade clock that arrived from Vietnam months after his son Jerry died, carrying Jerry's love home at last. On Christmas morning Whit wakes to fresh snow and finds young Lester shoveling his walk, celebrating the only way he can afford... by serving everyone in town. Whit joins him, giving away the nativity, Jerry's violin, and finally the beloved family bell to Lester himself. By the end of the day, Christmas isn't silent or empty anymore.

Found on Lost & Found Album 45 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

3 of 3 0576 Prisoners of Fear Trapped in a cell in a remote jungle village, Eugene follows a trail of clues about his father's fate - and uncovers the truth behind the curse that has kept an entire tribe isolated for decades.

0577 The Business of Busyness When Eugene's new help-everyone service and the Washington family's jam-packed calendar both spiral out of control, everyone must figure out what busyness is really costing them.

0578 All-Star Witness When a former mayor and his daughter sue Coach Tom over how he treated her on the softball team, a simple conversation may be the only thing standing between friends and a courtroom.

0579 Always As college move-in day arrives, a young woman's departure forces her whole family - especially her devastated little sister - to figure out what letting go really means.

0580 Tales of a Small-Town Thug When a former gang member publishes a thinly veiled tell-all mocking the people of Odyssey, his targets must each decide how much truth - if any - to take from a hostile critic's pen.

0581 A Christmas Conundrum A well-meaning Christmas surprise at Whit's End sets off a chain of mistaken assumptions, as each friend scrambles to match a lavish gift no one may actually be giving them.

0582 Silent Night Stranded alone on Christmas Eve when a blizzard cancels his flight to a long-awaited family reunion, Whit finds his quiet house filling with memories of Christmases past.

0583 The Champ of the Camp While writing her memoir, Connie recounts the summer camp prank war that pitted her against a mysterious boy genius known only as Goggles.

0584 Dead Ends While searching for his long-missing father, Eugene follows a promising clue about the mysterious fax that led him to Africa - only to find that every answer raises harder questions about why his father has never come looking for him.

0585 The Poor Rich Guy A single Bible verse about camels, needles, and rich men sends the kids of Odyssey scrambling to save their wealthiest friends from heaven's fine print.

0586 A Cheater Cheated When a scandal-hungry radio host targets the Electric Palace's shady sales tactics, Bart Rathbone must scramble to learn honest customer service before his reputation - and his job - go up in smoke.

0587 Bringing Up Dads When his daughter decides she's too grown-up for his goofy antics, an embarrassing but devoted dad goes all-out to win back her laughter.

0588 Broken-Armed and Dangerous A broken arm and a broken blender leave two guilty consciences at Whit's End learning that owning up - and letting go - are both harder than they look.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 14 more roles

2 featured characters

Bernard Walton Dave Madden Officer Stew Burke Marshal Younger

12 supporting roles

Jenny Whittaker Natalie O'Hare Jenny Whittaker Mandy Kaplan Jana Whittaker-Dowd young Mary Fritson Jana Whittaker-Dowd young Jessie Flower Jana Whittaker-Dowd young Ariel Winter Jana Whittaker-Dowd D.J. Harner Leon Wankel Bob Hoose Lester Jeff Doucette Maude Walton Chris Anthony Jerry Whittaker Benjamin Bryan Jerry Whittaker Caleb Kruse Narrator (k) Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host John Fornof Writer Bob Hoose Director · Producer Jonathan Crowe Sound Designer · Producer Marshal Younger Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Whit prepares to spend Christmas with Jana, his grandchildren, and Jason for their first full family reunion in years. During a Christmas Eve gathering at Whit's End, a telephone call brings disappointing news: a blizzard has closed Chicago's airport and stopped the trains. His flight is canceled, and driving would take too long.

Whit hides his disappointment and lets his friends believe he is still leaving that night. After everyone departs, he returns to a silent house. Tom is rushing to Agnes's party, Connie does not answer her phone, and even the cheerful holiday messages on the radio seem to emphasize the family Whit cannot reach.

The lonely evening awakens memories of earlier Christmases. In one, Whit worries that a small tree and only two presents for each child make him a poor provider. Jenny reminds him that providing a loving home matters more than buying things. Jana and Jerry delight in a simple family gift, a Christmas bell, while baby Jason joins the celebration.

A present-day call from Jana leads Whit into another memory of the family's glass nativity. One of its three wise men breaks, Jana's toy train runs only backward, a small cuckoo clock sounds like a dying moose, and an accident sends the Christmas turkey to the floor. What might have been a perfect holiday becomes a collection of mishaps.

Instead of surrendering the day, the family sits down together over a quick replacement meal. The broken nativity and ridiculous clock survive in memory because love made even the disasters part of a treasured Christmas.

Another remembered Christmas carries deeper sorrow. After Jerry has died, a package postmarked from Vietnam arrives months late. Inside is a beautiful handmade cuckoo clock and a note explaining that a local man gave it to Jerry after his troop rescued the man's family. The gift brings Jerry's love home after he can no longer return himself.

The family winds the clock and brings out Jerry's violin. Whit has not played in years, but he agrees to perform “Silent Night.” Grief remains, yet the music gives the family a way to remember Jerry together.

Whit also recalls Christmas in 1977, when Jana lived in California and Jason was overseas. The quiet house made him mourn the noisy family gatherings of the past, even though Jenny sat beside him. She reminded him that every Christmas had contained something to complain about, and concentrating on what was missing could make him overlook the treasure still present.

Jenny opened the blinds to reveal falling snow and drew Whit back to the gift before him: a quiet Christmas with the woman he loved. That lesson returns when Whit wakes alone in his chair on Christmas morning and sees that Odyssey has received a white Christmas.

Outside, Lester is shoveling Whit's sidewalk. He has little money, so he celebrates by serving people - clearing Mrs. Randolph's large driveway, delivering homemade peanut-butter cookies to Melissa, and giving all his candy canes to the Tanner family. Whit asks to join him.

Before they leave, Whit gathers treasures that can bless others. He gives the McKays the glass nativity with its two wise men and offers Jerry's violin to a girl whose own instrument has broken. The violin should make music again rather than remain a decoration.

Lester admires the old Christmas bell and remembers placing a similar bell higher on the tree each year as he grew. His was lost after his mother died and he moved from place to place. Whit gives him the cherished bell, explaining through his action that the finest treasures are those people share. By turning from his own loneliness toward the needs of others, Whit discovers that Christmas is no longer silent or empty.