As I watched this movie today, I was struck by how many Christmas movies center around messed up families. Families can be less than perfect year-round, but with the stress and lofty expectations of the holidays, relationships can quickly deteriorate. This movie was filled with lessons for parenting and family relationships, I think.
1. Sarcasm is not funny- at all! Some people think because they add a touch of humor that it’s okay to be unkind and it’s not.
2. As a parent, there are many things you can influence in your children’s lives. Who they choose to fall in love with and/or marry is not one of them. It’s best to stay out of it!
3. We need to let people make their own choices and deal with the consequences, even if it means they are going to get hurt. This is especially challenging with our kids, but parents must let their children experience pain and hurt.
4. A major cause of disappointment is when we set our expectations for how someone is going to live their life, and then the person chooses to live their life differently than what we had hoped. We need to be very careful with how we set expectations for other people’s lives.
5. It’s vital to apologize when you’ve messed up, regardless of how painful it is or how unaccepting the recipient is. The apology is within our control and we need to own the hurt we caused and say we’re sorry.
