When I was growing up, my family’s tradition was to decorate the Christmas tree while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. I like to think that the movies one watches during the holidays say a lot about him or her and his or her family. For instance, the first year I celebrated Christmas with my in-laws they watched Gran Torino after opening presents. (For the record, after being scarred for life, I now pick the post-present movie.) So I thought that as this holiday season really begins to get ramped up, it’s only appropriate that I share a few of the life lessons that I took in after countless viewings of The Life & Times of George Bailey…

It’s always important to make wishes.

Ruffles, a cute hairstyle, & a great corsage are great, but a girl who knows how to get a guy dancing can make him do anything she wants.

You can feel like royalty wearing just about anything. It’s all in how you wear it.

Dream big and always look for the potential when others can’t see it!

Always keep an eye on your mother-in-law, especially if she tends to run around in pin curls and a bath robe.

Live your life right so that you know if you hadn’t been born all your friends would be floozies with a penchant for alcohol…

Or worse, they’d mix plaid with stripes and polka dots!

So what about you? What does your family watch while decorating the Christmas tree?