It’s a Wonderful Life was my father’s favorite film, and now, years after his death, I see why: it honors the difficult grace of choosing a small life on purpose. George Bailey thinks he has forfeited greatness but the film quietly insists he has achieved it. Part of the movie’s power comes from James StewartContinue reading “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Tag Archives: Christmas
Christmas, 1796
The ghost of Christmas past haunts us. Most of the Christmas traditions we Americans cherish are refinements and reinventions of the late Victorian era: Christmas trees, stockings and carols didn’t much exist before the 1840s. They were formalized during the reign of Queen Victoria, who, with Prince Albert, popularized the decorated evergreen and the domesticContinue reading “Christmas, 1796”
2020 in the Rear View Mirror
Janus, the two-headed god looking both forward and back. 2020 was a tempting year to just forget. Ryan Reynold’s humorously captured the spirit when he produced this: Sure it’s a Match commercial but I am a sucker for its dystopian humor. The focus is on the impact of Covid and plays on the forced isolation,Continue reading “2020 in the Rear View Mirror”
Protective Arts 