It’s a Wonderful Time for Redemption
“Reflect upon your present blessings — of which every man has many — not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
— Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
The holiday season, to most people, is usually associated with warm and fuzzy feelings, sweet joy, and the urge to be with our loved ones, make them feel happy, and make the time spent with them special.
I would say, that most of these feelings towards the holiday season are stimulated by those Christmas stories and movie classics we revisit every year. My family does not travel much (or at all) on holidays, so we especially love to spend this time at home, cooped up on the couch with cups of tea, snacks and stream our beloved Christmas classics. The notion and scope of the latter in the culture of my country is a tad different from what it happens to be in the Western culture; however, we still appreciate most of the all-famous movies that are so relatable to everyone; those are the ones that make you feel the feels every real person has experienced at least once in their lifetime.
As I see it, most of the Christmas classics focus on the characters, who have made certain mistakes in the past and now have to have some sort of epiphany through the help of a Christmas miracle, realizing that they have to change their perspective and end up redeeming themselves in a wholesome way.
Scrooge and Grinch are the characters that immediately come to mind. My favorite story, however, happens to be told in a 1947 classic directed by Frank Capra — It’s a Wonderful Life. This movie was based on the short story — The Greatest Gift, by Philip Van Doren Stern, who himself took inspiration from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. The movie tells the story of George Bailey — a businessman and a family man who hits rock bottom and becomes suicidal. An angel named Clarence is sent straight from heaven to his rescue. Clarence shows him what life would have been without his existence and persuades him to have a change of heart.
A Christmas Carol, though it is also one of my favorites, has more of a fairy-tail approach, not just because of the ghost appearances, but because an old man, who’s lived all his life with a certain mindset, has a change of heart after three supernatural creatures show him how everyone else despises him because of that. Somehow, it is enough for Scrooge to wake up as an entirely different person at the end of his life and, out of a sudden, start generously giving away his money. Well, okay, maybe Tiny Tim’s story had some more contribution to Scrooge’s redemption arc, but that’s not the point here…
The protagonist of It’s a Wonderful Life — George Baily, on the other hand, is much more real of a person to me, no doubt, and that’s why his story hits home in a lot more wholesome way. The man has lived all his life for other people; gave up his dreams to help his family, does a decent job, contributes to the community, and builds a beautiful family with his sweet and kind wife Mary. At some point, the cruelty of life tests George and his life decisions. Problems pile up and he becomes desperate — tries his best to fix things, again, but fails and sees no other way, but to give up on life completely.
When life gets too much and we become overwhelmed with day-to-day worries — divine intervention is needed to help us perceive what truly matters at the end of each day — the people we live for and the change that we actually make for them [and sometimes even for complete strangers] with our existence; that there will always be a way if we remain true to our values and don’t lose track of our purpose in life.
George Bailey reminds me of my own father, who has been having similar problems for as long as I’ve known him (mostly), but somehow has survived all of it — even his most terrifying rock bottoms. Now that I think of it, he might have had moments when he probably thought of giving up, but thanks to his spirituality and the sense of responsibility towards his family — people who depend entirely on him, he has clearly found the strength to bounce back each time. I sincerely hope that he finds the same relief at the end of all this and has a chance to enjoy his life to the fullest, the way he deserves.
Until then, every Christmas, before we transcend into another year of life, we should all watch It’s a Wonderful Life to remind ourselves that our lives matter and we should do everything that is in our power to fight the problems thrown at us and if it is not enough, we should remain hopeful that the things shall work themselves out — because they always do, one way or another.
Happy Christmas.
