Without a doubt the greatest Christmas film of all time, It’s a Wonderful Life made in 1946 regularly gets a re-release at this time of year and no matter how many times you have seen it I wholeheartedly recommend you go and watch it. And if you have not seen it before, I implore you to!

It is Christmas Eve and George Bailey (James Stewart) is suicidal due to $8,000 going missing on its way to being deposited at the bank. This would result in the family business and all the town’s people finances collapsing. In his anguish he wishes that he had never existed. Enter Clarence Oddbody, Angel 2nd Class (Henry Travers). It is Clarence job to show George the alternate reality where he did not exist and prove to him life really is worth living.

Frank Capra’s 1946 film is so earnest and sincere that it is hard to come out of it without having a renewed faith in the world. James Stewart is also the perfect actor to encompass the role of George Bailey, a man who tries so hard to make the lives of others better he seems oblivious to the fact that people find joy in his life. George is a dreamer and wants to travel, but life and his conscience finds a way to keep him in Bedford Falls. If you have seen the Truman show then you will have seen an homage to the selfless George Bailey. Whilst Clarence prepares to save George’s life we get to see the key moments in it and how the people of Bedford Falls come to rely on him whilst the dastardly Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) tries to squeeze every penny out of the town.

Life affirming beautiful stuff.