Christmas Movie #21: It's A Wonderful Life + Conclusion

Were you expecting a plot twist in my Christmas challenge? Well, by golly gosh, you're getting one! After all it's Christmas. Or didn't you know that?

So, today as I write this, it's Christmas Eve. A whole three days after my challenge should of ended.

Let me rewind back to 21st December, a time when, even after todays food cosumption, I weighed significantly less. 

I wasn't going to be home till late. A combination of a full day at work, and some alcohol, meant that when I was going to watch George Bailey discover his Wonderful Life, he was going to discover it around midnight, while I packed my bag to go home for that Christmas event we discussed earlier.

And as I was enjoying George Bailey's journey, my cockles warmed, as my eyes battled their urge to let me slip into unconsciousness, suddenly something happened. 

Unable to read disc.

Oh, probably just a smear on the disc. Clean disc. Back in player.

Unable to read disc.

Uh.

This is not something I can cope with at 1.30am.

So a choice is too be made. Do I scour the internet for another place to watch James Stewart contemplate suicide (sounds wrong when put like that) or do admit a kind of defeat, and attempt to watch it first thing in the morning? 

I think you know where I went with this.

So I guess I kinda failed. But since I set this challenge myself I don't see why I should feel bad. So screw you. Whoever you are.

But, in the spirit of Christmas, I thought, in the nicest possible way, I'd contrive a happy ending.

Today is Christmas Eve and It's A Wonderful Life is currently playing on Channel 4. 

I've got my parents here, re-discovering the film with me. You see the one thing that I discovered pretty early on in this process is that every film is improved with a friend/relative/generic loved one to sit there and laugh, cry and be engrossed with you. Watching movies about love, family and the magic of Christmas on your own is a rather solitary task. In some ways getting to watch the film the day before Christmas is just plain nicer than the knowledge that I completed a pointless, if fun, challenge.

I don't need to sum up Wonderful Life, but I will say that James Stewart gives a truly once in a lifetime performance that sums up the whole gammit of human emotions. And because of this performance, I had tears in my eyes (of joy) and am now looking forward to Christmas morning and getting absolutely stuffed.

Merry Christmas...

....and here is an empty box.