wonderful

back when i was still in high school, sitting in our downstairs living room flipping the channels on the tv, i ran across an old black and white movie on pbs. jimmy stewart was in a too-big football uniform walking along with a beautiful young lady. i don't know why i stopped to watch. i wasn't yet a big fan of classic movies or jimmy stewart. i guess i was just sort of drawn in. i sat quietly by myself and watched the rest of the movie and welled up with tears at the end as the whole town comes to george bailey's rescue showering him with their gifts of love. that was the week before Christmas that year, and pbs ran the film each day that entire week. i watched it every time it was on.
over the years it's become a regular tradition before Christmas day. one of the highlights for me happened after i was married. a group of our friends went to the paramount theater in oakland to see the show that year complete with a newsreel, shorts and Christmas cartoons. it was truly magical. i had a sense of the wonder small children must have felt as they entered the movie palaces of old for the first time. they even had raffle tickets and a "wheel of prizes".


the christmas of 1991 i worked at the emporium-capwell store as Christmas stock help. i spent most of my time on the 3rd floor in housewares and the Christmas shop. after the holiday i was checking out what remained in the ornament section and spotted this little hallmark collectible. it was marked 50% off original price and i snatched it up for ten bucks. over the years it has hung on all our trees blinking its little marquee light faithfully, the lady at the lighted ticket window waiting patiently, perhaps reading a book and as you approach to see if there are any tickets left she nods and says "you're just in time". recently my friend kyle helped repair the electrical connection and give it new life as use and age had caught up with the little landmark.


what's great to me too about this ornament, is the amount of detail on all sides. the roof lined molding, the star and lovebirds above the marquee. the differing textures of sidewalk, brick and plaster. the fact that there is a little apartment upstairs all pulls a wonderful little story together in my mind. and i love the fact that the scale of it is both very real and impossible at the same time. like one of those cartoons, where bugs bunny or popeye walks into a little building and inside it's enormous. perhaps that best sums up the way i feel about the film. so "merry Christmas you beautiful bijou!"