There are certain films that will forever be associated with the Christmas holiday, films that will be aired and reaired innumerable times between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and films that parents often long to share with their children as a Yuletide rite of passage. The original Miracle on 34th Street is one -- the ultimate make-you-believe-in-Santa Claus movie. The hilarious and amazingly still-relatable A Christmas Story is another. And, of course, the quintessential Jimmy Stewart film It’s a Wonderful Life. That’s the one that always stops me cold. It’s not a Christmas movie.
Sure, a major turning point in the film’s plot takes place on Christmas Eve, but the entire story takes place over decades of the main character’s life. Does one scene set during a holiday make it a holiday film? By that logic, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial would be a Halloween movie. And yes, I will admit that It’s a Wonderful Life has a life-affirming, feel-good ending and the same kind of message about love and self-sacrifice that many holiday films share. But so does Finding Nemo -- and no one calls that a Christmas movie.
Most importantly, though, It’s a Wonderful Life is not about Christmas. Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story are about Christmas. So are Elf, The Polar Express, The Santa Clause, Prancer and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It’s a Wonderful Life is about a suicidal man wrestling with his decision on whether or not to jump off a bridge. It may be a better movie than many of the ones mentioned above, but a Christmas movie? Nah.
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