merry christmas, you wonderful old [college of architecture, planning, and design!]

[it's a wonderful life] as seen through my socks

"i'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and i'm gonna see the world. italy, greece, the parthenon, the colosseum. then, i'm comin' back here to go to college and see what they know. and then i'm gonna build things. i'm gonna build airfields, i'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, i'm gonna build bridges a mile long... "
george bailey

last night i officially started my christmas season with my annual viewing of the best chirstmas movie ever, [it's a wonderful life]. now there are a lot of great chirstmas movies out there to choose from with each one holding it's own value:

[white chirstmas] 1954
[a charlie brown chirstmas] 1965
[how the grinch stole chirstmas] 1966
[a christmas story] 1983
[scrooged] 1988
[christmas vacation] 1989
[home alone] 1990
[elf] 2003

however [it's a wonderful life] always finds it's way to the top of my list.

as an architecture student, i find that we focus so much on our projects that everything else seems un-important. we get stressed, angry, upset, and frustrated. we finish our projects, crit, catch up our sleep, and before you know it, it's christmas.

this movie is my transition from the stress of studio, to the holiday season. i usually put this movie into the dvd player after my projects are turned in, and the craziness of deadlines are over. in the movie, stress and frustration take a toll on george bailey causing him to almost make a fatal decision. however after taking an alternate look at his life, he begins to realize just how great it actually is. he realizes how important friends and relationships are and how they can help you overcome any obstacle.

so, in the spirit of the movie, watch it with the people you love. if you haven't seen it, buy it, or at least put it on your list, as it makes an excellent gift.