it’s so weird to call this a Christmas movie. 

Christmas comes late in It’s a Wonderful Life, with about a half hour left. maybe it’s because I saw this film later than others (saw it for the first time about 5 years ago to be exact, while on semester in LA during autumn, so pretty much the exact opposite time one normally is intro’d to this), but I tend to view this film through a different lens. It’s a Wonderful Life is about a man who is stuck in a small town, due to circumstances both of his own doing and because of outside forces. it’s a film about how this inertia drove the same man to thoughts of suicide. it’s about the collective spirit of humanity in the almost-immediate aftermath of World War II (both Capra and Stewart were in the war; I’d imagine their experiences informed both the darker aspects of this, as well as the optimist outlook at the end). it’s about corporate greed, and how this greed stamps down on the souls of everyday people, causing life to become more and more difficult every day (sound familiar?). it’s about those same people banding together at the end, to help our protagonist in some small way individually but in a massive way as a collective. really, it’s a beautiful movie in nearly every way. 
James Stewart might be my favourite “golden age” actor, he’s pitch perfect here, particularly the bridge scene near the end; “I wanna live again” gets me every time, in its desperate, measured delivery. anti-rich message, but is also realistic in that the evil rich guy (Mr. Potter) doesn’t get his comeuppance. while the ending is optimistic, it’s very honest as well. look, you know this movie. you don’t need me to tell you about it, or to go too in-depth. it’s a classic for a reason, known worldwide. but I have to say, if you don’t get the feels when harry bailey says “to my brother George, the richest man in town” then idk what’s going on with you. 

traditions can be a chore, and I often despise things that fall under such a category. but when they’re as, well, wonderful as this film, it makes for something warm and inviting that you can always come back to. the best films have an undeniable staying power. maybe that’s why It’s a Wonderful Life lives on, regardless of how late to the party you might be.