I have been trying for the ...

Question: I have been trying for the past few years to find a made-for-TV Christmas movie that came on a few years back, but I can't remember the name or who starred in it. It was based on a short story, I believe. It was about a cowboy who was going to a dance on Christmas Eve, and on his way he came across a cabin where the father was sick and the mother was taking care of her two children. The cowboy ended up staying and putting up a Christmas tree, whittling a toy for the little boy and giving a bolt of cloth to the mother that he originally was going to give to his girl at the dance. The mother made a dress for her little girl, and the cowboy had come up with some other gifts for the family. He ended up missing the dance but, of course, that was all right considering what he had done for the poor family. Very good movie, but I have not seen it since. Perhaps you could help me or tell me where to look. Thanks.

Answer: Well, you're in very good company, Frances, as people who remember long-ago beloved specials and movies often are.

The good news is, I can tell you the name of the TV-movie: Stubby Pringle's Christmas, which first aired in 1978 and starred Beau Bridges as the generous cowboy. The bad? It isn't aired anymore and has never been released on home video, as far as I know. Furthermore, even the book on which it was based, which was written by Shane author Jack Schaefer, is out of print and tough to dig up. But be patient. Now you know the name, and these things have a way of being released after years of fan-clamoring.