Things I Learned About Love from Watching “The Holiday”
If you want a movie that reaches into your heart and pummels a lesson into it, then The Holiday should be on your date night watch list!
Romantic movies make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They make us feel like anything is possible, because it is! If you happen to love romantic movies like I do, you probably believe in true love like I do, because you know it's out there.
If you're a cynic, one who only watches romantic movies for comedic value, laughing at the idea of true love and monogamy, that's okay. I still encourage you to read this article. Just know that when you do find yourself in love, because you will, it'll be even more fun for us true love believers to say we told you so!
The Holiday is by far my favorite romantic movie, which is saying a lot. I've seen Love Actually, Casablanca, The Way They Were, When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Out Of Africa, and basically every other romantic movie ever made, thanks to my entertainment industry background.
I wish I could tell you exactly why I favor The Holiday above all the others, but I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I know it's not the soundtrack, I can hardly recall a song. It's not because I'm a huge fan of Jack Black, I've not really liked any of the movies he's been in since.
What I do know is that I just love this movie, and it taught me several things about love, which I've shared with you below, so keep reading.
Love lessons from The Holiday
Even if it's not the holiday season, you'll still learn a whole bunch of things about relationships, assumptions and finding love in unexpected places.
#1 You can't expect love to come looking for you. If you want love, you have to put yourself and what you want out into the universe, and make it known. Or make yourself at least more available for opportunity. You have to let the universe know what you want, because otherwise how else would you expect it to find you?
#2 You can't help who you fall in love with. Just like you don't get to pick your family, you also can't help whom you fall for. If you happen to fall for someone who isn't “good” for you, that's okay. You can't help it, because the heart wants what it wants, and only when your heart gets broken, do you realize that just because you can't necessarily pick who you fall for, you can look for certain red flags, or characteristics to help you navigate your feelings and emotions a little better.
#3 Your relationship with your married boss probably won't work out. If you have a secret relationship with your boss, who is married or engaged, then whatever kind of relationship you think you are in isn't a real one. And it's probably not going to end up with you two getting married, having kids, and the whole white picket fence. If you believe that you and your engaged or married boss are meant to be together, I'm sorry to inform you, but that's not likely.
#4 You really are supposed to be the leading lady in your own life. In The Holiday, Kate Winslet's character is told that she is supposed to be the leading lady in her own life, and there couldn't be more truth to that. You only get one life, and it's vital you know just how valuable and important it is to put yourself first. Don't live life for another person, and don't feel the need to do things to impress other people. This is your story, and you get to write it.
#5 It's okay to have a random hookup. Having a one-night stand doesn't make you a whore. It makes you a human. The Holiday taught me that it is more than okay to go on a vacation by yourself, get drunk, meet a sexy guy, and have sex with him with the belief that you'll never see him again. It's also okay to see them again, and even fall in love with them. The rules are there are no rules, and you have to trust your intuition.
#6 When two people really love each other, they make it work. When it comes to true love, and being with the right person, you will do whatever it takes to be with them. In The Holiday, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz's characters fall in love, and although they live thousands and thousands of miles apart, they end up making it work. She realizes she can't go back to Los Angeles, because her heart is where he is, and he realizes he can't let her get on the plane, because he can't imagine a second without her.
This doesn't mean that long distance relationships don't and can't work, because they can, of course. It just means that when you do really love someone, you make sure they know, and you'll do whatever you can to make you two work, both when you're apart and when you're together.
#7 Have a meet cute moment, or don't. The Holiday taught me what a meet cute is, and by definition, a meet cute is actually a scene in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time in a way that is considered adorable, entertaining, or amusing. It could also be thought of as falling in love at first sight. We all want these romantic moments in life, and if you get them, you're lucky!
If you don't have a meet cute moment, that's okay too. What the Holiday also taught me is that meet cute moments are usually only found in movies, and so now I don't feel so left out.
Love is the universal language. It's a feeling everyone can relate to and understand. When two people are in love, it radiates off them into the universe without having to say a word. The Holiday is one example of this, and to me it's a most perfect one.
I love how real this film is, and how it shows the different ways we tend to deal with broken hearts, and putting them back together. For example, I know tons of girls who have fallen for guys who were no good for them. And I know first-hand what it feels like to be cheated on. I don't know what it's like to fall in love with a boss, but I'm sure someone out there reading this right now probably does.
The Holiday is an honest example of what we all do when it comes to looking for love, finding it, and trying to hold onto it. Have you learned anything else from watching The Holiday? Let us know in the comments below!
