A lot of the Christmas movies we've seen were entirely secular, with other cases bringing up its connection to the Christian faith. But how do Lutherans view the holiday? Probably not that different.
Red Boots for Christmas was produced in 1995 with support from The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and Lutheran Hour Ministries, though it would've been easier to just say this was entirely Lutheran funded. A key difference between Lutherans and Christians is their reliance on faith for salvation, to get that out of the way.
According to some sources this was shown in Lutheran schools, though apparently this popped up on an earlier incarnation of ABC Family. However, this was a mail-order film from Gateway Films and if it did air on television, was done as a desperate attempt to fill air time. ABC Family started as a Christian-oriented service and traces of it seemed to still linger around the mid-90s.
This was the first and only production of Mentor Media, and the second for Envoy Productions, their other hurrah being Waiting For the Wind in 1990, which was also Lutheran-based. I can trace that company to Don Schroeder, who had produced religious films up to 2016, (which include The Littlest Angels, probably worth checking out) though he had also produced three Disney shorts.
The animation was produced by The Krislin Company, who are probably better known for Sitting Ducks, as well as one Alvin and the Chipmunks special. It was direced by Walt Kubiak who seems to have been tied to the company as far as Sitting Ducks, and is more active as an animation director, working on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic SatAM before relegating to lesser animated show straight to general obscurities, anyone ever heard of Psi-Kix? Though Krislin wound up outsourcing this to Wang Film Productions, a staple of 80s outsourcing.
No actors are listed on IMDb, but I assume many of them are members of one of the ministries that funded it. Not even the credits at the end list anyone. Now let's get into this special before Brad Jones comes in and becomes Kirk Cameron's atheist equivalent.
Premise
The film is framed like an old folk tale, a simple premise with a powerful lesson, well powerful by their perspective. It goes the well-trodden path of a bitter man learning the true meaning of Christmas, but at the very least it's not a neutered Christmas Carol retelling. I can never be mad at something that tries to be its own thing.
It does have a bit of a rough start, as we get overly expository banter between the mayor and his daughter, but it doesn't just happen there. I will say this, the mayor really is the man of the people here, based on what I've seen, though they really drive the point home with his kind nature. This may be our hopeless hero for the film... but surprisingly he isn't.
After we get the idea of everyone being in the Christmas spirit, our Garry Grumpy for the night is Hans, a shoemaker who is without a family. An exchange where we get the extent of his angst for the holiday turns in his favor as a cheery guy on the other end spouts deafly, and we learn point blank Hans has no family, literally or figuratively, okay it could be the former.
I get a reminder of Christmas in Tattertown where Hans somehow knows the name of a bird, but for all I know he has been in the village longer than Debbie in Tattertown so he could've known it for longer. You ever have the feeling people have too much faith in you? Well people have expected Hans to make a turn around every year apparently. The red boots come to play in the form of red leather material Hans had not used as he focused on repairs rather than scratch creations.
From there, Hans' warmer attitude comes into play and things become bearable, until a hint made when the leather was introduced comes to play, and an old woman wants some worn to bits shoes to be made for her daughter. I'd go on, but I have a feeling this is another piece to the payoff, though we do get that Lutheran perspective and it ends on a dour, but not sour note.
In less than ten minutes, Hans is visited by an angel who foretells of a gift Hans would receive from god, I bet my reputation it involves the heart. This prompts him to seek a gift of near equal quality upon the presentation, which helps lift his spirits for then on. Nothing comes of the gift seeking until Hans comes across a music box, then the mayor and his daughter come in and a notch in the belt of conflict had been added, as he loses out. At least he didn't lose all of his money, let alone his temper.
He meets up with the old woman, and I assume her daughter of which the title would apply, and if you had any doubts she represented the Lutheran perspective, just listen to her. And on the title quip, seeing the daughter's shoes leads him to what he thinks is the ideal gift. In this, he gives an ironic look into how hollow holiday joy can sound, but up to this point I don't hate him. Divine intervention could excuse such a dramatic 180.
As I imagined, the ideal gift Hans has in mind is crafting boots with red leather, and place your bets, does he give the boots to the aforementioned daughter and as a result learn the true meaning of Christmas?
Anyhow, the leather along with keepsakes of past memories leads to a pair of the aforementioned boots, and the mayor, daughter in tow, see this and the daughter wants this. She got the music box, mayors can run on empty too. Anyhow, if The Tangerine Bear is anything to go by, if its integral to the penultimate moral, the item in question is not for sale.
I will say this, a shoemaker going against a town official admittedly has more weight than a second hand store owner who has a strong appreciation for what he acquires, especially since an argument comes out of it. The mayor is apparently on a very tight leash held by his daughter.
It seems another Lutheran aspect is present in this point, as even through now, Hans keeps his faith, and that's one aspect I can get behind. If everyone had focused on the faith aspect of religion, I think we can establish a secular and non-secular connection. Along with that, I get a Hey Arnold!-esque moment, where Hans goes through a do-over of the start, albeit slightly different.
Anyway the business with the mayor is done and dusted, at the very least apologies were wrought, and surprisingly this kept things from being awkward as before he arrived, Hans alluded to the "guest of honor," While it would be predictable and bitterly hilarious to have Hans wait for God's arrival, he just gets right to dinner. He enjoys it but is bummed over the non-blatant arrival.
This leads to spiel on the birth of Christ, and I'm not gonna complain about this. It was expected, much like how the girl gets the boots, not the mayor's girl, but the old woman's girl. The mayor's girl gives the other girl the music box, and any more gifts would give the girl a complex on par with the mayor's girl. I know the girl's name is Adelaide, but whatever.
Animation
This does give me Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer vibes, though then again I have a feeling this and that had a double digit team producing it, or both sent the film to Wang. It's nothing special... yeah. But obviously there's worse.
Overall
Admittedly few major contrasts could be made between Lutheran and Catholic views, but what do I know? If you're the kind of person who's only window to the world is cable news (and that goes both ways), this may piss you off, especially white straight dudes who whine about christian movies and probably was too unattractive to clergymen for molestation. If I go to hell, it'll just be like another day of work.
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