How ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ (and Chicago’s Music Box Theatre) Saved Christmas
The Scoop features personal essays on movie-centric topics.
By Dylan Stuckey
In 2016 I was in my early thirties, skirting around the United States week to week doing freelance work without much of a notion of the day-to-day responsibilities that come with working a 9-to-5 job or raising a family. I was a bit of a drifter, without a care in the world yet lacking the depth and the community that often come with the stability of family life.
For these reasons and more, Christmas had lost much of its luster for me. I always went home to celebrate with my family, exchange presents, and gorge myself on delectable foods, but the spirit of the holiday eluded me.
So it came as a surprise when I found myself seated for a showing of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life as part of The Music Box Christmas Show and Sing-Along at the historic Music Box Theatre in Chicago, with my two roommates and a flask of whiskey in tow. It’s safe to say I was not prepared for the experience I was about to have.
George Bailey Won’t You Come Out Tonight
It’s A Wonderful Life has always had a soft spot in my heart. I grew up watching it every year as a child and had fond memories of those initial images of George Bailey’s youth: his dreams to travel, the magical night he shares with his beloved Mary at the school dance, their doe-eyed stroll home afterwards where they serenade each other to the tune of “Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight.”
But that was always as far as I got. My parents would send us off to bed and spend the rest of the evening wrapping presents as they continued to eavesdrop on the life of George Bailey.
I did see the rest of the movie later in life. But during that one night at the Music Box, something changed for me: I rediscovered the meaning of Christmas. It’s not about presents or food or Christmas trees, or even Santa Claus, I realized. Christmas, at its heart, is a reminder that good exists in the world and can be seen all around us when we open our hearts to one another and give without any notion of receiving anything in return.
This is the same story we root for each year in the form of George Bailey, the world-worn everyman who dreamed of the life of the vagabond that I was living, drifting from place to place, having adventures, and seeing the sights. But what he ended up with was so much more, and his story shows us that the meaning we seek in our lives can be found right in front of us. In the people we meet each day. The friends we keep. The families we build.
As the movie proclaims in its final moments: “No man is a failure who has friends.”
A Communal Christmastravaganza
The Music Box Christmas Show and Sing-Along may be the most eat-your-heart-out glorious celebration of the holiday season this side of the North Pole. It includes a double feature of It’s A Wonderful Life and White Christmas, along with a visit from Santa, pre-show Christmas carols lead by the Music Box’s own caroling team, and musical accompaniment by their virtuoso organist Dennis Scott.
To say the event has a vibe is an understatement—it’s the closest I’ve come to recreating the childlike glee and wonder of Christmastime as an adult. The theater is decked out in friendly holiday decoration, with many fellow moviegoers donning their ugly Christmas sweater finest as they shuffle in and out of the Music Box bar with a Boozy Hot Chocolate or It’s A Wonderful Mulled Wine in hand.
Above all I would attribute the good vibes to the communal nature of the event. Belting out Christmas carols at the top of your lungs with family, friends, and strangers in the warm embrace of one of the true old-school art deco-style movie houses is an experience of a lifetime. Chicago is known for its working-class romanticism, and Carl Sandburg himself would doff his cap for this evening.
The 2023 season marks the 40th anniversary of this event. I recently spoke with the Music Box’s Head of Marketing Brian Andreotti, who filled me in on some of the wonderful history of the show. It was originally conceived in 1983, when the new owners of the theater decided to include a Christmas double feature with some festive additions like communal Christmas caroling and an appearance by Santa.
“To say the event has a vibe is an understatement—it’s the closest I’ve come to recreating the childlike glee and wonder of Christmastime as an adult.”
Since then they’ve added new traditions like showing black-and-white archival photos of Chicago at Christmastime and asking current patrons to submit their own photos of visits they have made to the show over the years. This yuletide extravaganza has grown in stature over the years to its current place as a true Chicago cultural landmark of the Christmas season.
“I am amazed at how the event and the crowds continue to grow each year,” Andreotti said. “It was a sad moment during the pandemic when people didn’t get to go to the movies as much, and after the past few years it has become especially poignant and personal to the season.”
He says people often ask why the Christmas Show has endured. “Going to the movies is such a communal experience,” he said, “and it really resonates with the season. People were so happy to be together again.”
If, like me, you can think of no better celebration of Christmas than gathering a few loved ones and making the trip down to the Southport corridor to sing your heart out, hiss at Mr. Potter, and jingle a bell every time an angel gets its wings, then you need to book your ticket today for It’s A Wonderful Life at the Music Box Theatre.
It just may save Christmas for you entirely. It did for George Bailey, and it did for me too.
Dylan Stuckey is a lifelong lover of cinema, photography, and the arts. You can find him on Letterboxd @dylanstuckey and on Instagram @dylanstuckeyphotography.