Simple Gifts

Simple Gifts 1977

A collection of animated Christmas shorts: An original Maurice Sendak piece about a boy with nothing to give for Christmas -- An excerpt from the early part of Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" set in a time of extreme cold in Tudor England -- A short based on the Toonerville Trolley -- A bittersweet excerpt from Moss Hart's autobiography "Act One" narrated by Jose Ferrer -- A reading from the Christmas day entry from the diary of 11-year-old Teddy Roosevelt -- A reading of a letter by Captain Edward James Hulse describing the surprising Christmas Truce of 1914 -- An animated version by R.O. Blechman of his own book "Tutto Esaurito" (No Vacancy) about the travels of Mary and Joseph.

  • Released: 1977-12-03
  • Runtime: 60 minutes
  • Genre: Animation, TV Movie
  • Stars: Colleen Dewhurst, Hermione Gingold, José Ferrer, Paul Dooley, Claudette Sutherland, David Jones, Dean Wareham
  • Director: R.O. Blechman, Phillip Schopper