It’s a Wonderful Life

1946

Directed by Frank Capra

Netflix says… It’s a wonderful film. Frank Capra’s inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who’s spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would’ve been like had he never been born.

I love this movie. This one is definitely in my personal top 100. Probably top 20. It’s definitely a favorite. Every Christmas, there are three movies that I make time to watch: Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and It’s a Wonderful Life. That’s not to say that I don’t watch other Christmas movies. But if I don’t watch those three, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

I’m not sure exactly what it is about this movie that makes me love it so much. I know part of it is the concept that each of us makes more of a difference in the life of others than we could possibly know. I’ve always loved the idea that every one of us has a story. And we may never really know just how much of an impact we have on the world around us. If you’ve never watched this one, take a couple of hours and do it.