FOR A WONDERFUL REMINDER of HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IS...

My first Write-off! How exciting to be invited... but then picking my all-time favorite Christmas movie was not the easy task I thought it would be. I started to think about this a couple of months ago and I immediately thought "Has to be: It's A Wonderful Life" ... but then there was Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, The Grinch that Stole Christmas, The Santa Clause, Charlie Brown's Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Home Alone, Home Alone II, Home Alone III (is there a Home Alone IV, V etc.?) Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer -- well, you get the idea! We are inundated with Christmas movies and some of them have become traditions in many households, the season would not be the same for some people if it didn't include one or more of these favorites.

For me it's It's A Wonderful Life ... Other wonderful films have been made but this one is a must every year (okay, so is The Santa Clause but I think that might be way too telling about me personally ...)

For the few people in the world that might not have seen this movie I will give a little background. The movie starts with prayers from all the townspeople of Bedford Falls to help George Bailey. Then we go back and watch George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) grow up (basically just the highlights and lowlights). Including saving his brothers' life and saving the town druggist from poisoning someone -- all the while he is dreaming of being a world traveler. Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) has loved George since they were children and they finally get together romantically the night George's father has a stroke and the news of this changes the evening dramatically.

And it changes George's future plans as well because his father dies just about when George was set to go off to tour Europe and then start college. George stays to run the family Building and Loan business. He does it because he is a good person and he is needed (and he is told the Building and Loan that meant everything to his father will close if he doesn't). He figures if he does it for four years, then his brother can take over... His brother, Harry, had just graduated High School so George gives Harry the money he had earned over the previous years for himself to go to Europe and college. So Harry goes away to school, while George keeps the Bailey Building and Loan afloat.

There is a bad guy in this film (you knew there would be...) and it's Mr. Potter (the rich man that is trying to take over the town, played by Lionel Barrymore). This man has no scruples, he puts money over all else and wants to own everything and everyone in town. Without George (and his father before him) helping the townspeople build their own homes Mr. Potter would easily have owned it all and would have made life extremely difficult for everyone.

George (following in his fathers footsteps) keeps the Building and Loan barely afloat (the idea is to help people and not make a big profit). When Harry comes back from college, George is ready once again to go and see the world ... this is still not to be, Harry comes back with a wife and job offer. So George stays, he gets married to Mary Hatch and starts a family. During his life, he does just as his father had done and puts everyone else's needs before his own.

When Uncle Billy (played by Thomas Mitchell) loses a large sum of money while the bank examiner is doing an audit of the books (and I thought Murphy's Law followed ME) George is pushed to his limit. He goes to a bridge to end it all ... this is where Clarence's work comes in, Clarence (played by Henry Travers) is an angel trying to earn his wings (when the movie starts and we are listening to the prayers to help George, the reason we are given the story of George's life in to help Clarence understand why and how he might be able to help) . Clarence gives George a wonderful gift -- the chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been born!

Without George the entire town would have been a different place. The name would be Pottersville, the downtown full of neon lights and less than reputable places. The druggist would have spent time in jail for the accidental poisoning and so on, and so on.

In doing so, George realizes how much he has done without ever having left Bedford Falls and that his life is truly wonderful. Meanwhile, the town has been gathering to help out when they hear that George needs them. If you can watch this part without a tear or two then you are a stronger person than I am (truthfully, I am getting misty just remembering it -- but then, I am truly a sap when it comes to these mushy kinds of things).

Frank Capra is the producer and director of this Christmas classic and the story is a warm, sometimes humorous and beautiful reminder that life is wonderful!

I watched this film with my 7 year old this year, he spent quite a bit of it saying "How is this a Christmas movie?" and I just kept saying "Give it a little more time." The climax of the story happens at Christmas, but truly this tale sends such a terrific message that it should be remembered all year.

No matter what life throws at you, no matter how dark things may look, LIFE IS A WONDERFUL GIFT. Have a very Merry Christmas and a fruitful 2001!

Thank you for reading, please enjoy the other Epinionators involved in this write-off:

AinsleyJo, AmyLEnsor, BedrockTime, bgoodday, bmcnichol, bpotter1, caleo, cbgresh, ChrisJarmick, CjsMommy, dandj, dreamcatcher39, erin5oaks, frazzledspice, Grouch, HawgWyld, ifif1938, janesbit1, JBduckling, jenninca, jenni1396, Josh_G, keithpruitt, kelly60, KingJFS, lucky43560, Macresarf1, Magick1, martytdx, monical2me, msmorvay, onecoolcat, pacbaystat, phineaskc, Poseidon, Presleysmama, sawasdee, seracorde11, shadow8, splitsurround, teskue and Viper1963