30 Second Bottom Line: A young boy has his mind made up that he will not call his mother's new husband, Dad; step dad will have to do. His new step-aunt feels otherwise and a battle of wills ensues aboard a commuter train, while other riders look on, uncomfortably.

Story Line: A father (Dave Curry) is on the train taking his two young kids to spend time with his soon to be ex-wife. He tells them that one of the advantages of the current situation in having two families is that they get a chance to celebrate Christmas twice. Although there is a tinge of sadness in not having his children all the time, he is content with the situation because he respects the man his ex is about to marry. They become very uncomfortable, along with everyone else within earshot, when Noel (Candace Baumgartner) becomes obnoxious as she tries to convince Timmy (Andrew Gard), her new nephew to call his new father, Daddy, rather than step dad. Timmy's step dad is Noel's brother, and she's been enlisted to make Timmy accept this man as his Daddy. It's obvious she doesn't want to disappoint her brother; in fact she seems desperate.

We've all been in a public place when a stranger does something that makes people feel very uncomfortable. Such is the case with Noel taking Timmy to her brother's house. Timmy has been staying with Noel for the two weeks during the honeymoon.

Noel wants things to work out on a grand scale with the new family and insists that Timmy drop the prefix "step" from dad. The young boy wants no part of it even though Noel points out that he has provided a nice house, plenty of toys and in general is a good person. But that's not the point, by calling the new husband dad, Timmy in effect is taking something away from the biological dad that he knows and loves.

As the observant father and other passengers become increasingly uneasy with not being able to ignore the conversation and the discomfort of both Timmy and Noel, Timmy takes evasive action by mentally boxing with his step aunt when he's not in the bathroom killing time.

If there was any doubt about the stubbornness of Noel and the inappropriateness of her request/demand of Timmy, it is removed when the train conductor (Don Bono) asks for her ticket the second time. She just about bites his head off with her response that she has already shown it. Being so into herself, she did not place the punched ticket in the seat holder for the conductor to see.

Tell Me More About It: I'm becoming a fan of short films because those that are well done, like this one, convey a strong message in an incredibly short period of time. In less than 13 minutes, we understand the emotional bond between the observant father and his children to the point that it brought a tear to my eye. We have empathy for the young boy who is being badgered for standing his ground.

The action on the train is very close to "real time," which gives everything a sense of urgency and makes us feel as if we are sitting on the train rather than in the theater. This independent short made with first time actors has a polished feel of experienced low-key performances that quickly involves you in the story.

Efficient and creative editing and great sound, bring everything to life. We hear wonderful holiday tunes played by The Hawthorne String Quartet throughout the film. The holiday season is a time when family stress tends to boil over as people focus on what they have, or want and don't have. Steps can help us understand our blessings, even though if we were to write a script, it might be somewhat different.

Some folks are not astute enough to appreciate what they have and then there is the observant father and his children, who know the true spirit of the holidays and what it means to one's family. More people need a mindset like that not just during the holidays but all year long.

Noel: Candace Baumgartner	Timmy: Andrew Gard
Conductor: Don Bono	Observant Father: Dave Curry
Writer/producer/director: Ken Sheetz