
It Nearly Wasn't Christmas
Synopsis
Feeling unneeded, a disillusioned Santa Claus (Charles Durning) quits Christmas. Through the selflessness of a little girl looking to reunite her parents for Christmas (and the help of his bumbling chief elf, Philpot (Bruce Vilanch), Santa and the child travel across America and Santa discovers that people really do need him and care about other people.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →Release History & Theatrical Window
December 1, 1989
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Burt Brinckerhoff
- Screenplay & Story
- Golda David, Alan Jay Glueckman
- Original Title
- It Nearly Wasn't Christmas
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 40m
- Production Studios
- Osmond Entertainment
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Burt Brinckerhoff
Golda David, Alan Jay Glueckman
Department Leadership Roster
Burt Brinckerhoff
Director
Golda David
Writer
Alan Jay Glueckman
Writer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
G: General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
International Certification Matrix
General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for It Nearly Wasn't Christmas.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring It Nearly Wasn't Christmas.
1989
1989
Christmas Cartoon
Christmas Movies
Christmas films from Wikipedia's list and Wikidata genre tagging.
Kerst 1900 1999
Christmas Movies
christmas
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Frequently Asked Questions About It Nearly Wasn't Christmas
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is It Nearly Wasn't Christmas about?
Feeling unneeded, a disillusioned Santa Claus (Charles Durning) quits Christmas. Through the selflessness of a little girl looking to reunite her parents for Christmas (and the help of his bumbling chief elf, Philpot (Bruce Vilanch), Santa and the child travel across America and Santa discovers that people really do need him and care about other people.
Who directed It Nearly Wasn't Christmas?
It Nearly Wasn't Christmas was directed by Burt Brinckerhoff.
Who stars in It Nearly Wasn't Christmas?
The principal cast of It Nearly Wasn't Christmas includes Charles Durning, Bruce Vilanch, Wayne Osmond, Risa Schiffman, Annette Marin.
When was It Nearly Wasn't Christmas released and how long is it?
It Nearly Wasn't Christmas was released in 1989 with a total runtime of 1h 40m.
What is the age rating and content advisory for It Nearly Wasn't Christmas?
It Nearly Wasn't Christmas holds official age classifications: US: G (General Audiences — All ages admitted. Nothing offensive for children.).


















