Buffalo gals

We have entered one of my favorite times of year. Chrixmouse time. As a kid this time of year was typified by the continuous airing of "It's a Wonderful Life." Now I was a devotee of the Movie Loft and the Creature Double Feature, but few things captured my attention like "IAWL," that and the annual springtime airing of "The Wizard of Oz." While I have yet to have my yearly viewing of holiday classic, I have basically the entire film committed to memory. I have recently seen "The Wizard of Oz" and noticed a parallel between the two, I'll call it the Backyard Phenomenon. George Bailey wants travel the world, he is a member of the then newly founded National Geographic Society. He feels that the three most exciting sounds in the world are "anchor chains, plane motors and train whistles." But he ultimately realizes, like Dorothy, that when looking for his "heart's desire" he need never look "further than [his] own backyard." These films were made seven years apart, bookending the Second World War, so was this the fantasy of the men in uniform, or was this our culture's mindset at the time, a way to remind us of what we were fighting for? Or was this a way to discourage people from looking beyond their own small worlds, past distant horizons, to a life that was broader, larger, and therefore unamerican? Or a way to make those people who were home feel like they were contributing something valuable, like George running scrap drives and air raid drills. Maybe keeping a light in the window, the yellow ribbon around the old oak tree (which is where the yellow ribbon as a symbol of support for our troops comes from), the home hearths blazing, has a value and a courageousness that at that time needed to be recognized. If hope dies at home it will not survive on the battlefield. But the reactionary, revolutionary, liberal in me can't help but look for some agenda, some kind neutering of open dialog and questioning of authority inherent in the idea that those at home should just keep the candles lit and dinners warm. At this point in time it was the reverse of what it is now, the public wanted answers for why our nation was unwilling to join the fight. Now we seem to always be fighting. To my few and lovely readers  my christmas wish for us all is peace on earth and a brief moment of feeling what George Bailey discovered. Merry Christmas you wonderful old building and loan.