A line winds from the Stanford theater, around the corner, and down another block.

As the latecomers make their way inside, organ music floods from the theater onto the streets. What’s in store for this crowd? The traditional Christmas Eve showing of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, which tells the story of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), a man who gets the chance to find out what the world would have been like if he had never been born.

Why is it such a tradition to watch this movie every year on Christmas Eve? We decided to find out. After all, what else do two Jews on Christmas have to do?

Obviously, it is on Christmas Eve that an angel shows George Bailey the world without his existence. However, there is more connection to Christmas than just that.

The classic message of generosity and the importance of family, the “Christmas spirit,” certainly fills every minute of the film. Everyone appreciates the warmth of this universal message. People of all ages and backgrounds populate the crowd outside the Stanford theater, proving our hypothesis about the universal message.

This movie is a Christmas classic, but its messages are relevant year-round. There is a Jewish teaching that says, “Who is happy? He who is happy with what he has.” George Bailey certainly learns the truth of this message in It’s a Wonderful Life. After seeing his wife (Donna Reed) as an old maid librarian in the world without him, George realizes how lucky he is to have his beautiful wife and children. Not only that, but he also learns to be happy with his life as a whole, even the difficult parts. That’s certainly not just a message for Christmas.

This movie has held up for many years, and watching it at the Stanford theater can transport audiences back to the 1940s, when It’s a Wonderful Life was made.

If you have never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, do not wait until next Christmas eve! Rent it and watch it with loved ones.