I’ve watched the movie Miracle on 34th Street a probably billion times so far this holiday season.

I find it to be such an inspiring story of faith being restored; a renewed faith in the magic that coming together and working for a common cause can bring. Kris Kringle’s words ring true for me:

“I’m not just a whimsical figure who wears a charming suit and affects a jolly demeanor…I’m a symbol. I’m a symbol of the human ability to be able to suppress the selfish and hateful tendencies that rule the major part of our lives. If you can’t believe, if you can’t accept anything on faith, then you’re doomed for a life dominated by doubt.”

If you can’t believe, if you can’t accept anything on faith, then you’re doomed for a life dominated by doubt.

What seemed to separate the community in the beginning of the movie—believing or not believing in Santa Claus—actually brought them together in the end, as each character had the opportunity to do their own personal soul searching.

Along with renewing their faith in something bigger than themselves, they had the chance to observe where they stored their own hidden biases and discovered the interconnectedness and power of coming together as a collective. And that’s the magic of the holiday season.

As I was watching, I began to see the similarities in the movie and the current state of our nation. Many of us are feeling the pull of divisiveness after the past election: It’s “us against them,” whichever side you resonate with—the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s Feud relived.

Like in the movie, wouldn’t it be grand if this holiday season, we too could begin feeling the magic that coming together and working for the common good can bring as we leave behind the mindsets that “we’re right and they’re wrong,” “they’re stupid and we’re smart,” and “they know nothing and we know everything!”

And in the new year, we could begin to appreciate the value in every person, knowing that we all have special gifts to share that are unique to us as individuals and that we’re the only one with our own special brand of magic that the world is waiting for us to contribute for the greater good.

I believe that this will only happen when we begin to communicate with each other openly and honestly. That’s when enlightenment will happen on both sides of the fence and we, as people and as a nation (and as a world) can evolve, locking arms and moving forward with a restored faith in humanity.

Like in the movie Miracle on 34th Street, wouldn’t it be pure magic if we could all restore our faith in the gifts of each other, begin collaborating as a team, working together, embracing our differences, and celebrate what still makes America spectacular— it’s people and our diversity, whether it be our ages our viewpoints or our nationalities.

Let us all unite around this wish for a wonderful, peace-filled, and enlightened New Year.

Author: Pati Hope

Image: Youtube

Editor: Callie Rushton