I watch three Christmas movies without fail; this is one of them. The other two, Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story, are also must-sees for me. I understand Jimmy Stewart breaking down sobbing on the set during the prayer to God. I’m sure the movie touched the many returning from the war and those welcoming them home, but it also touches people today.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” grows richer with age. We wonder about our lives: Were we worth it? Did we make a difference? George Bailey gets the gift we can’t: the opportunity to view a world without his existence. The film masterfully celebrates the victory of faith and love.
Or, as Stewart summed it up in an interview about the film, “It’s simply about an ordinary man who discovers that living each ordinary day honorably, with faith in God and a selfless concern for others, can make for a truly wonderful life.”