- Three cowboys riding across the desert with gifts for no particular recipient see a distant bright light, and find it comes from the Star Auto Court sign where the owners and guests work together to help a young expectant couple.
- On Christmas Eve, three cowboys have just bought out a store of items as Christmas presents, despite having nobody on which to bestow them. While two of them admit that they just wanted to impress the pretty salesclerk, the third just felt good buying gifts to give to someone. Riding through the dark desert on horseback, they see a flashing star off in the distance, and they ride over to investigate. The newly purchased second-hand star is a sign just erected by Nick Catapoli for his business, the Star Auto Court. Nick has no Christmas spirit, especially as he deals with the problems of customers, despite his wife Rosa serving all their customers with a smile and warm heart. He believes that most people are hypocrites who just espouse this spirit at this one time of the year, and never show it at any other time. Therefore, he doesn't want to offer his lobby as shelter for a hitchhiker who wants to come in from the cold for a little while. The drifter tries to explain the true meaning of Christmas to Nick, who might, by watching the interactions of those around him, be better able to show him, especially when an obviously distressed young couple named José and Maria Santos arrive, and no more rooms are available at the inn.—Huggo
- This modern version of the Christmas story adds elements of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." On Christmas Eve somewhere in the US southwest, three cowboys are riding through the desert night with items they purchased at a general store. They see a bright light just above the horizon, and decide to find out where it is coming from. The light turns out to be a newly installed light, in the shape of a large star, at the Star Auto Court. Nick, the auto court's owner, believes there's not much good left in the world, and complains that people wish one another "Merry Christmas," then only look out for themselves the rest of the year. His customers get the brunt of his rudeness, but have no other choice of lodging nearby. A young couple, Jose and Maria Santos, arrives hoping to get lodging. There are no cabins available, so they must settle for sleeping in a small shed. When the lodgers find out about Maria's medical condition, Nick learns that there is still goodness in the world.—David Glagovsky <dglagovsky@prodigy.net>
- On Christmas Eve, three cowboys on horseback purchase a Christmas tree and presents from a general store in a far-away town, with no particular recipient in mind. Seeing a bright star on the horizon, they follow it to a motor court, which turns out to be part of the court's electric sign, for which Nick, the proprietor, paid a lot of money to a used theatre sign dealer, and which adds to his already-foul mood. Several guests at the motor court are irritated by one thing or another, including Nick, who thinks Christmas is a big farce; his wife, however, thinks otherwise, and tries to cheer him up. In the meantime, a stranger arrives, cold from trying to hitch a ride, seeking a warm place and a hot cup of coffee. He sees the good in people and tries to spread Christmas cheer around the court. A man complains about his expensive, ruined shirts from the dry cleaner. A woman is irate about a group of thespians singing Christmas carols which interrupt her sleep. An older couple arrives demanding extra blankets, because they think all of the rooms are cold, despite Nick's reassurances. A young, married couple in a broken-down jalopy drive up asking for a warm place, as the woman is pregnant. However, the motor court is full; Nick's wife puts the couple in the only place available, the barn, where it is warm. Suddenly, everyone's mood changes when they are told the young woman is going into labor, and they all pitch in to help, gathering sheets and blankets. The stranger helps by boiling water on the stove. The man who complained about his shirts only a few minutes earlier now contributes them to the cause, stating they would make for excellent bandages. While the women are busy helping the mother-to-be, the men sit with the young father and reassure him that everything will be fine. The young woman gives birth to a baby boy. The three cowboys arrive with their gifts, and everyone goes to the barn to see the new mother and her baby. The Christmas spirit descends upon everyone in the motor court. As the stranger prepares to leave, Nick shakes his hand and gives him his old overcoat which he says doesn't fit him very well. As Nick looks out his window at the electric star, with a tear in his eye he realizes that Christmas really is a good thing after all.
-- Lee Gray
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