It's a Wonderful Life

Last blog post of the year! I will be back here with fresh content Monday-Friday, 6am ET on Monday, January 5th. I'll still be posting on Instagram if you'd like to visit there!

The last 8 weeks of the year are always my busiest with gift guides, holiday content, and more. Leading into Thanksgiving and onto Cyber Monday, the pace feels nonstop. It doesn't feel so much like work because it's truly something I am passionate about. It's a lot, nonetheless. It can sometimes feel loud and distracting. In a time when we are all connected, it’s shockingly easy to feel... disconnected.

A few weeks ago, I was itching for downtime, so I turned on It’s a Wonderful Life. I watch it every holiday season. Each year, I see it in a different light. I've evolved from the person I was last year, the year before, and the year before that.

I think that’s part of why classic movies have always resonated so deeply with me. There’s a slower pace to them, and the slower pace provides time to reflect. Today, so much is designed for shortened attention spans, and you can feel the contrast immediately when you watch an older movie or show. There’s also a charm to movies made long before computers and AI. There's something warm and perfectly imperfect that technology just can't replicate.

It's a Wonderful Life came out in 1946. Nearly 80 years ago! It draws you into a different era. It makes me think of my grandparents and even my great-grandparents. It's a kind of warm nostalgia, almost anemoia, in the way older traditions pass on through generations. I watched this movie because my parents did, and they watched it because my grandparents did. 

As I’ve gotten older, as much as I love the pomp and circumstance that comes with the holiday season, I seek out the less glossy parts of December. I love the early mornings when my husband brings me my hot coffee. The house is still dark except for the Christmas tree glowing softly. Henry is curled up beside me. Emails have not yet hit my inbox. Stillness. Bliss. I have a chance to truly pause, feel the magic, and reflect on the reason for the season that can so easily get tangled up in the shinier stuff. 

That’s exactly what It’s a Wonderful Life encourages the viewer to see. George Bailey spends so much of the movie believing his days are ordinary, mundane, even. I think it's easy to have a little George Bailey in us from time to time. But when George finally steps back, he sees that the impact of a life isn’t measured in dramatic milestones. 

Even in 2025, it's not the new car, the promotion, or the viral social media post that defines a life. What feels meaningful, to me, at least, is built through consistency, kindness, and the way we show up for those around us. There is beauty in the small, often unseen (and unposted) moments. The relationships we hold dear and the things done without fanfare are, in fact, very significant. 

I know this, but I still find myself needing the reminder. It's a Wonderful Life is relevant, even 8 decades later, because of that reminder. It's the confirmation that our lives matter in ways we may never fully see. 

As Clarence so perfectly said: 'No man is a failure who has friends.' 

Thank you for your friendship, kindness, and support. I’ll be back here with my regular schedule on Monday, January 5th.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Here's to peace, good health, and prosperity in 2026!

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