Released in 1946, this Christmas classic shows that life doesn’t always turn out how we dream.

We the viewers see George Bailey grow up. We see his impact on his small community. We see him grow up from a twelve-year-old boy, dreaming of an escape from his small town life to the unknown of the outside world. We watch him fall in love and raise a family. This is a story about life, and the many choices we as humans make, and how our choices impact not only our futures, but the futures of others.

Throughout his life, George Bailey is faced with many obstacles and sacrifices he has had to make for the benefit of others. Throughout his life he asks himself, “What if…?” This is the central theme of the film and his greatest enemy. The past can be just as villainous as any person because you can get lost in all rights and wrongs, the things you wish could be different.

Which leads Bailey to start believing that life would be better if he wasn’t born at all. This is a dangerous state of mind; however, it presents him with the opportunity to see just how selfish a choice it is. Because with the help of power from above, he gets to see a world in which the people he had come to know and love have never known him. This ultimately explains the title of the film: It’s a Wonderful Life.