Christmas movies fill our hearts with sweet memories, laughs, and a healthy dose of holiday spirit. Upon watching some of my favorites this season, I realized that deep within the plots of hot cocoa dates and tree decorating are some valuable career and financial takeaways. Here's some of what I learned while watching:
Elf
Lesson: The Importance of Work-Life Balance
Buddy, a man raised as an elf in the North Pole, travels by foot and iceberg to meet his workaholic father, Walter Hobbs, in New York City. Upon their meeting and seeing Buddy's joy, happiness, and adoration for the sweet things in life (mainly sugar), Walter realizes that he's let his professional life consume his personal life. Buddy proves to Walter how important it is to care for your family and friends even through tribulations- like walking through the Lincoln Tunnel.
Home Alone
Lesson: Protect Your Assets
Home Alone follows the adventures of Kevin McCallister, a young boy who's been accidentally left behind while his family travels abroad. Forced to fend for himself, he sets up a series of tactics to scare aware two burglars that constantly target the family's home while the rest of the McCallisters are away. While these antics may be a stretch for your everyday life, creating a savings fund and managing it well can help when unexpected mishaps occur. The film shows us how important it is to protect what you have and to have a plan for when things go wrong.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Lesson: Don't Spend Your Money Until You Have It
Just when you think things couldn't get worse at the Griswold family Christmas, Clark Griswold, a clumsy idealist hosting his family for the holidays, receives a subscription to the "Jelly of the Month Club" instead of the big Christmas bonus he was expecting. The bigger problem is that he'd already put down a deposit to build a swimming pool in his backyard. Clark's investment of a pool wasn't feasible for what he actually had in the bank.
Who knew that beneath all of the fun and cheer lied some career and financial wisdom? I am so excited for this holiday season. My entire outfit in the picture above is from The Palm Tree Boutique. Currently, they are doing 12 days of promotions where everyday they have a sale or giveaway. You can find all of their cute clothes, gifts, and accessories here.
-mms