Christmas Child

Nine months after the death of his adoptive father, Jack Davenport, a Chicago journalist, receives his possessions and is prompted to uncover his origins. This unexpected trigger sets him on a road trip from Chicago toward his birthplace and the mysteries surrounding his family. The search begins as he contemplates what the belongings mean for his identity.

Jack is assigned to cover a story in Dallas, Texas, but he chooses to linger in Clearwater, his hometown. He leaves Chicago days before Christmas Eve and settles into the small Texas town to investigate his past. The decision marks a shift from a routine assignment to a personal quest.

Among his father's possessions is a photograph of Clearwater's oldest churches, dated 1963. The town's church houses a life-sized wood nativity carved by Joe Ottolman in the 1950s. These artifacts anchor the mystery to a specific family and time.

As Jack delves into the past, he meets key locals including Reverend Michael Curtis, Naomi Williams, Vanessa from the courthouse, Sheriff Jimmy James, the judge, and a church maintenance worker. Each encounter reveals fragments of a hidden history and the town's attitudes toward adoption. The threads begin to form a network around his search.

The judge cautions that releasing the identity of an adoptee's parents can cause suffering, pointing to a past tragedy of an adopted girl who died. He advises Jack to tread carefully with the story. This moment frames the ethical tension around uncovering his origins.

Jack researches Joe Ottolman, who suffered a 1945 car accident that killed his wife but left his daughter alive. Joe spent about ten years carving the Nativity, building a legacy that ties his family to Clearwater. The tale links art, tragedy, and an unresolved past.

In 1963, Joe endures the same car accident that changes the Ottolman family again. Carmen Ana Ottolman gives birth to a boy on December 24, 1963, but she dies two days later. Joe places his grandson up for adoption and then disappears from the public eye.

Joe’s grandson is placed for adoption, and Joe vanishes from the newspapers; no one knows whether he is alive. The mystery deepens as the town tries to keep the past buried. Naomi and others are drawn into the struggle over what should be revealed.

Naomi, with help from Vanessa at the courthouse, attempts to retrieve Jack's birth records, only to find they have vanished. It becomes clear someone has hidden the information to protect a secret lineage. The missing records heighten the stakes of Jack's investigation.

The judge finally reveals that Carmen Ottolman was Jack's mother, shocking him on what should be his 40th birthday. The revelation forces Jack to confront a truth that redefines his identity and his past. The moment marks a turning point in his quest for origin.

That same night, Jack sleeps on a bench near the church when a maintenance worker discovers him and brings him inside for coffee. The man then reveals himself to be Joe Ottolman, Jack's grandfather, linking the generations together. The discovery changes the dynamic of their relationship forever.

Later that night, Jack's wife Megan arrives in Texas and hears the story of his past. She reveals that they are going to be parents, adding a new dimension to the family revelations. The couple faces a future that now includes a child and a broader family history.

On Christmas Night, Clearwater's townspeople gather around the nativity as the reverend speaks about its meaning. Jack tells his grandfather that he will be a great-grandfather, sealing the personal reunions with a hopeful note for the future. The scene ties the town's history to a new generation.