goTriad.com

When Julia Eanes moved to Greensboro in 2004 , she left behind her old life in Martinsville, Va., and embarked on a journey to build herself a new one.

Newly divorced, she came to Greensboro not knowing anyone. With that also came a loss of her holiday rituals.

“All my past Christmas traditions vanished with my move,” she said. “To lose those traditions is hard.”

But one December evening that year, something changed.

A lover of black and white movies, Eanes found herself nestled in the plush, red seats at the historic Carolina Theatre, where they were showing the holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“I went by myself, and it was so enjoyable for me,” she said. “I totally forgot about what I was going through. I guess it gave me the boost I needed to go into Christmas with a different life.”

Since then, Eanes has seen the movie every year at the theater. It’s become her annual tradition. Over the years, she has even recruited some of her relatives to see the film with her.

“That has been part of my new life. A new life, a new tradition,” she says.

The screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life” has been an annual event at the Carolina Theatre for about 10 years and has inspired people like Eanes to make the showing a tradition in their families. And the audience keeps growing.

Last year, about 1,300 people attended “It’s a Wonderful Life,” compared to 200 to 300 patrons in the early 2000s , according to Meagan Kopp , director of marketing and public relations at the Carolina Theatre . The demand for the movie prompted the theater to add matinees of the film this year.

Due to popular demand, the theater is also adding a matinee of “White Christmas,” which drew about 850 patrons last year. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it, too, may become an annual holiday tradition.

“There’s something about seeing the classics in an historic theater that seems to bring everyone together,” Kopp said. “Plenty of people have built the films into their Christmas rituals. You see young families, multi-generational families, college kids. You name it, they’re here to see the holiday movies.”

And for people like Eanes, it’s that community feeling and Christmas spirit that keeps her coming back every year.

“It made me feel that Christmas spirit that I missed along the way,” she said. “It was just amazing to see everyone come together and watch that movie. It made me feel like… it was going to be a good Christmas. That’s what keeps me coming back.”

I experienced that same feeling when my husband and I saw “White Christmas” at the theater last year. It was our first time seeing it on the big screen (and the second time I’ve seen the film, period). Snuggled in our chairs with boxes of popcorn, we were just beaming as we looked at everyone around us laughing together.

It’s a feeling almost impossible to describe. I hesitate to be cliché and call it “warm and fuzzy,” but as we left the theater that night arm-in-arm, both wishing it would snow, everything about our evening felt magical.

It seems everyone has a story behind their tradition. For Jon Maxwell and his wife, Caroline, “It’s a Wonderful Life” became a “can’t-miss” tradition for them 10 years ago when they first saw the film on the big screen — commercial free and uncut.

“We were truly amazed,” said Maxwell of Greensboro. “We saw things we never saw before. Many of the times we’ve seen it, it was on television. You’re not getting the full screen images, but more importantly, just about every production on television is edited so you’re not getting the entire film. It’s an entirely different experience.”

The couple even has their favorite seats in the balcony. “Plus you get a chance to go get a bite before or dessert after,” he says. It’s simple traditions like this that Maxwell finds meaningful.

“I think it’s important to stop and take a deep breath and appreciate the important holiday seasons and the rhythms of the holidays. I think 'It’s a Wonderful Life’ is one of the key experiences that we identify with the holiday season. It is a holiday film, but it’s much more as well. It makes you appreciate the choices we have in this country. It’s a wonderful lesson.”

Contact Carla Kucinski Seward at 373-7319 or carla@gotriad.com

Newsletter

Learn More

topCars

featured ads

TriadMarketplace.com