"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
Ever since I could remember, my family's Christmas tradition is to watch the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" together. This is a classic that many other movies and television shows recreate in some way. It's about a man and his family at Christmas time, and when everything goes wrong, he makes a wish that he was never born at all. His wish was granted by the almost-angel, Clarence. This movie has stuck with me all of my life because of so many things...
1. The love story
Being the hopeless romantic that I am, this beautiful love story was the first thing to catch my eye! As just a young girl, Mary confessed her undying love for George Bailey in the town's ice cream shop. What's even more heart wrenching is that she made sure it was the ear in which he was deaf so that he would never know. We watch them grow apart, reconnect, fall in love, get married, and have a beautiful family. Their love is so real and honest that I can feel it through the television screen!
George tells Mary that he'll get her anything she wants. He'll even throw a lasso around the moon and pull it down for her.
2. The comedy
There's so much comedic relief throughout the entire movie. Between George and Mary dancing right into the pool, and Clarence, the angel, with his somewhat questionable attempts to save George, the love and seriousness is perfectly entwined with humor.
3. The drama
After his father's sudden death and his brother heading off to war, George Bailey is obligated to take over the family business, the Building and Loan. When the Great Depression strikes, the Building and Loan struggles, and George works with all of his power to fix it. He's convinced that it's his fault, and so he decides that the world would be better if he'd not been born at all. He then gets the chance that no other man has ever had: to see what the world would be like without him in it.
4. The family
As a young couple during the Great Depression, Mary and George faced many struggles, and having four young children was only one of them. We see the oldest child, Pete Bailey, at the table asking question after question from his school work, of his father. Meanwhile, Janie is playing the piano, not very well, without stop. Little Tommy is running around the room with a very loud toy vacuum. All the while, poor Zuzu is stuck in bed with a high fever. This chaos is what pushed George Bailey over the edge and to believe that he shouldn't have ever been born.
But, my favorite part of the movie, when George realizes his worth and comes home to his beautiful family, they all join together without hesitation. They don't care that they're broke, the family business is going down the tubes, and their house is falling apart. They're together for Christmas, and that's all that matters!
5. The meaning of Christmas
In the end, everyone in the community comes to save the Bailey family and their business. Over the course of the movie, we see George learn how many people he truly helped throughout his short life. Every single one of those people came back in the end to help him, too. They all pitch in as much money as they can to help George save his business and his family. The true meaning of Christmas comes out here, as we see the gift of giving back.
As a kid, I vaguely remember falling asleep on the couch while my mom cried throughout the movie. I guess it may not be the most entertaining Christmas movie for a young child. There is no singing heat miser in the clouds or a human elf in New York. But it resonated with me, and I find myself thinking about it even when it isn't Christmas time. "It's a Wonderful Life" is so heartwarming and realistic (even the angels), and there's nothing else that makes me feel the Christmas spirit like this movie! To this day, whenever I hear a bell ring, all I can imagine is Zuzu's voice...
