Christmas is a perfect time to create a celebration for someone you love. Why not plan an It’s A Wonderful Life Christmas Party to focus on friendship, gratitude, charity, and love – and to honor someone who has influenced your life for good? This is also a fantastic opportunity to record and preserve memories as they are shared. This idea is listed in The Family history Guide  Activities for Singles S2-03, but it is a fun and meaningful activity for any age group.  What would life be like without this person? Share the reasons you love and appreciate him or her, and share stories. Another idea is to make it a group party and honor more than one person. Be sure to take lots of photos and record (and preserve) all the wonderful things said about people for their family history!

It’s a Wonderful Life is a 1946 film produced and directed by Frank Capra, and based on the short story “The Greatest Gift,”  which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 (published privately in 1945). The film is definitely one of the most loved films in American cinema and has become the traditional movie to watch during the Christmas season.  Our family watches it every Christmas (at least once), and we refer to it many times during the rest of the year!     

The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, who has given up his dreams in order to help others – including family members.  His imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the many lives he has touched and how different life in his family and community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.

Go here for an overview of the movie, and watch it (or clips) at the party.

Enjoy making family history!

There are many fun ways to have an “It’s a Wonderful Life Christmas Party,” and ideas abound. Check out this particularly creative and fun blog post for inspiration and ideas at The Farmhouse Sink.  (link and photos used with permission – thank you, Erica!)