We all have our favorite Christmas movies. My friend Laura loves "The Christmas Story", and so I think of her whenever I see a part of the movie or hear the phrase "You're gonna put your eye out with that thing!" (Not that I hear that phrase often, of course.) My college buddy J's favorite was A Garfield Christmas. He's now a nuclear chemist or something for Intel but I bet he still curls up every year to watch it.
My favorite holiday movie is "Love Actually". I know, I know…Why torture myself with "the ultimate romantic comedy" at this point in my life?
It's not torture exactly; there is so much going on in the movie that I glean some universal truth from it every time I see it. Jen and I watched it last night and here are just a few things I can think of about it:
1) Humans are capable of so much. What we can go through, how we love. It's amazing really that we can do everyday things like pick up dry cleaning or sit in a cubicle.
2) If you keep putting yourself out there, eventually it'll come back to you. Loving Jamie gets cheated on by his jerky girlfriend but then finds love in the south of France with someone far better for him. Who couldn't be happy about that? I'd rather fall on my face a hundred times for one shot at the Big L then play it safe and stay stuck.
3) Nothing replaces family. Everyone needs a place to go around the holidays whether it is with your born-into family or one you've created. People who will unconditionally love you, even when you blow them off to go find your Porteguese girlfriend, are required in this life.
4) American girls are "real friendly" and some Americans use their powers for the not-so-good. I sometimes forget about what being an American means to the kind of person I am. In a world of global relations, it's more and more important to understand our culture to have better interactions with people. Whether we get that perspective through international media or international friends, it's something we all should do regularly.
5) You have to be fair to yourself. Sure, you love your best friend's wife but as Mark says after he finally tells the woman he can't have how he feels: "Enough." Stop beating yourself up and just keep trying to be better.
Ok, your turn. So what's your favorite holiday movie?