"Merry Christmas, You Wonderful Old Building and Loan!"

For some reason, many people dislike It's A Wonderful Life, calling it sentimental or saccharine. Whenever I hear this, I wonder if we're watching the same movie. Despair and suicide at Christmas time are not as uncommon as they should be, and while they could be treated sentimentally, director Frank Capra does anything but. Maybe it's the final scene (which I won't give away) that people are objecting to. In which case, I have to wonder if our world is as saturated in cynicism as my grandfather seems to think. This ending isn't a common occurrence certainly, but it's genuine and realistic. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is truly a great man (in a way that we're ALL called to be great) and this is why he deserves this ending. Anyways, I'll let someone else (who really gets it) explain why this is a great movie. (Article contains spoilers!) It's A Wonderful Life is not only my favourite Christmas film, but one of my favourite movies of all time.

I scrapped the idea of making food with this. Eggnog is what's called for and plenty of it. Traditionally, eggnog is spiked with rum and while that's good, brandy is better and bourbon is best. Try all 3 and decide for yourself which you like.

SPIRITED EGGNOG



6 egg yolks
6 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
rum, brandy or bourbon to taste (optional)

Beat the egg yolks with 2 cups of the milk and then pour them into a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as steam starts to rise from the liquid, remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Pour in the remaining 4 cups of milk and the nutmeg and mix well. You could stir in the alcohol at this point, but I usually leave it out so kids can partake as well, and let people mix the booze into their own glass. Garnish each glass with a dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of nutmeg. Merry Christmas!