Warning: this article contains spoilers. 

I have arrived in many airports in my life and sat in various plane seats since I was a child. Growing up with most of my family on the East Coast, my family and I made great use of LAX. To this day, airports have always brought a sense of joy to me.

I remember landing in New York, and as soon as the plane hit the ground, my mouth curled up in a smile as I grew more excited to see my grandma and grandpa, anticipating our reunion as we got off the plane.

More recently, I recall my first time traveling alone on a plane, going to visit my best friends from college last summer. We frantically scurried around the airport trying to find each other after landing. I remember the second we all locked eyes and bolted for each other, attacking one another with hugs. 

The airport fosters community and makes you really thankful for your loved ones. Maybe it is because there are thousands of people every day coming in and out of the airport, meeting loved ones or leaving them; the airport tends to make you reflect on moments you have shared with those people and appreciate their presence in your life. 

This brings me to the main point of this article: the best Christmas movie is “Love Actually.” 

Despite all of the chaos and negativity infiltrating our world and affecting our everyday lives, there is one thing that uplifts and creates meaning in our world: love.

This movie elicits a new sense of emotion, encouraging viewers to embrace all kinds of love in their lives. 

Whether it is your best friend, your family members or your significant other, the holiday season offers an opportunity to remind those around you that you care for them.

Some of my favorite scenes in the movie include the scene where the character of the prime minister confesses his love for his newest household staff, Natalie, or when 11-year old Sam chases his crush through the airport hoping to catch her before her flight takes off, and most of all, the heartwarming final scene of all the families in the airport showing the main characters reuniting with their loved ones. To quote the film:  ‘Love is all around.’

Love Actually is certainly not without its flaws. This film reinforces unhealthy beauty standards through the criticism and ridicule of Natalie’s body. Furthermore, it poorly represents the ethnic community of London at the time by following only white characters’ lives, and the storyline involving Colin going to the U.S. with the one goal of hooking up with a bunch of American girls is definitely questionable. Nonetheless, this movie brings warmth, joy, and light to this holiday season. 

Sometimes in this world, it is hard to continue believing in love, happiness, and fulfillment. But I believe “Love Actually” brings those feelings to light and may even make you believe in love in this season of joy. 

What I especially admire about this movie lies in the storyline that features several different characters and their individual lives that are miraculously interconnected by family and love. 

For many in the social media community, the most emotionally captivating storyline revolves around the relationship involving the characters of Harry and his wife, Karen. Harry cheats on Karen, and on Christmas Eve, she discovers his betrayal, retreating to her bedroom to play the Joni Mitchel CD Harry bought her instead of the beautiful necklace she expected from him. This scene illustrates Karen’s willpower as she silently wipes her tears and composes herself to brace her family again in the living room, acting as though all is well. 

This raw performance captures a common experience that many women have faced since the beginning of time: sacrificing personal well-being to keep the family stable. This storyline further highlights the story’s non-romantic forms of love and pain portrayed during the holiday season. 

The storylines remind the viewer that while the world may seem beyond our reach and vast at times, it is smaller than we think and connections are strong. 

“Love Actually” is rich in storylines illustrating how friends and family possess the ability to uplift us even in the darkest of times. For example, Daniel and Sam’s relationship underlines the ability for family to guide you through grief, Sarah’s relationship with her brother reveals her commitment to his well-being even if it requires sacrificing her own happiness and the infamous airport montage emphasizes the continuous cycle of life — full of immense amounts of hellos and goodbyes, all rooting from an endless devotion to your loved ones. 

I urge you to watch this movie with an open mind and go into this holiday season reminding those around you that you love them.