UncategorizedThe Family Stone December 10, 2012Have y’all seen The Family Stone? I said during our Giveaway last week that this was my favorite Christmas movie. We watched it last night and I just had to talk a little bit about it today. This movie is about a family celebrating Christmas together. All five children are grown and come home for the holiday, one with a significant other for the family to meet. First of all, with my love of all things home, this movie gets me the minute that the “kids” returning home pull into the driveway of this lovely New England home. Do you see my obsession? Then throughout the movie, I love watching the story unfold in this gorgeous setting. It is such a beautiful, but cozy place. Is this home exactly my style? No, but it looks lived in and enjoyed by this family. That’s what really gets me about it. Nothing is perfect about it and that is so appealing. Here’s a few of my favorite shots from the movie. These aren’t all great, but they’re the best I could find. You need to go watch the movie to really enjoy the house! The foyer: The living room: Oh, built in bookcases…I love you. The dining room: The kitchen: Do you sense the lived in, cozy vibe? So perfect for a family Christmas. But my love for this movie goes far beyond the beautiful home and even the humor that it has. There is something so appealing to me about this large family that comes home to celebrate the holiday. This has been my favorite Christmas movie for a while, but I really didn’t put together why it was so appealing until last night. This movie portrays the Gospel. Now if you’ve seen the movie, you’re probably going, “What???” On the surface, you don’t see many Christmas themes there. But look a little closer… This is a movie about a family who loves each other more than anything and continually show each other unconditional love. An outsider comes in (in the form of Sarah Jessica Parker), who let’s be honest, isn’t that likeable in the beginning. Although there is some initial aversion to her, they end up adopting her and her sister into their family with open arms within a matter of days. So, unconditional love regardless of what we do and adoption into the family. Are you seeing it now? This is why we celebrate Christmas…we couldn’t be shown unconditional love or be adopted into the family of God without the birth of Jesus. Isn’t it amazing how you can find Jesus in the most unexpected places? I don’t want to give too much away, but the ending of the movie is HUGE for me in this regard. It really makes you contemplate how you’re living, what legacy we will leave behind, and where we’re headed when this is all over. Because as the movie shows, our life here can be gone in a blink. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it, you must. *** Going along with the themes of what Christmas is really about, do any of you do Advent? I never have in the past, but we started it this year and it’s something we want to continue with our children. It’s amazing how lighting the Advent candles, spending some time praying, and reading the verses day by day as a family focuses you on the reason for the season. I know some of you mentioned this in your favorite traditions last week and I would LOVE to hear more about what you do. Since this is our first year and I just found a link to the verses, we’re still developing this tradition. Merry, merry Christmas!
Sharon w says December 10, 2012 at 2:46 pm Thanks for the movie idea! I am always looking for new Christmas movies that have a ‘Christian’ theme. I will be hunting it down 🙂 Reply
Kelly - Talk of the House says December 10, 2012 at 9:19 pm I would have never thought of the analogy, but it is a good one. The ending IS huge in the movie…be ready to cry. I don’t have any advent ideas, but will be checking back here to see if others have posted some. Love that movie. Thank you for sharing the pics from it. Reply
Carol says December 31, 2012 at 12:31 pm The Family Stone is one of my favorite movies. I come from a small family as does my husband. I always wanted a large family to have large Christmas gatherings. We did Advent each day when the kids were little. I don’t know why or when we stopped. It was probably when our first went off to college and we weren’t together the entire month. Wishing you a wonderful new year. Reply