Positivity: It’s a Wonderful Life in Seneca Falls, NY This Time of Year

The townspeople believe it was the inspiration for the Frank Capra classic:

SO, What IS IT THAT MAKES life wonderful?

SENECA FALLS — Every year around this time, the village transforms into the mythical hamlet of Bedford Falls, the scene of the 1946 Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Folks from miles around descend on Seneca Falls to indulge in the chili cook-off, have Christmas cards stamped with a Bedford Falls postmark and rub elbows with perennial guest Karolyn Grimes, whose portrayal of young Zuzu Bailey still warms the heart.

Visitors and locals alike say the spirit of the film is alive and well in the village, and just walking the streets or enjoying a cup of coffee in ZuZu’s Cafe Saturday afternoon gave some pause to reflect on what it is, exactly, that makes life wonderful.

“The story itself has a neat moral,” said Maggie Young, of Moscow, Pa., as she and her husband, Bob, sat at one of the round tables in ZuZu’s. “It just reminds people how precious life is and how to live your life.”

The Youngs, who “just love” the movie, made the trek to Seneca Falls — believed by many to be Frank Capra’s inspiration for the fictional home of earnest George Bailey and evil Henry Potter — to surround themselves in the warm atmosphere of the film.

Like Bailey found out, Bob Young said it’s people that make life worth living.

“I think that you reflect more and more on times spent with family and friends, you think back on all the memories made with them,” he said.

He and his wife agreed that they enjoy “the positive outlook found in people.”

“I think that, at the end of things, the generosity of people shines through,” Bob Young said.

Michael Petrella and Will Withers, friends from Cortland, exchanged their ideas on what make life worth living while waiting in line for Grimes’ autograph at the other end of ZuZu’s.

“Just being alive is enough, but there are a lot of things, like friends, family, the holidays,” Withers said. “I guess friendship is the main thing, no matter where you are, if you’re surrounded by the right people you will have a good time.”

Meeting new people and having different experiences do the trick for Petrella.

“I appreciate the differences from place to place and from people to people,” he said, while struggling with the plastic wrap on an “It’s a Wonderful Life” DVD. “No matter if it’s a big city or a small town, you can gain a new perspective from seeing new places.”

Petrella was born and raised in Cortland, but he said he often takes trips to Seneca Falls and other surrounding towns for a change of scenery. Recently, he spent the day in Skaneateles for that village’s Dickens Christmas celebration.

Family, friends and her menagerie of pets make Walworth resident Dianne Schwarz’s life wonderful, she said, as she and her husband, Gunther, waited behind Withers and Petrella in line.

“We have four cats, one Irish setter, two hamsters, four mice and two rats, one of which is named Zuzu,” she said, as Gunther Schwarz flashed an exasperated smile.

Gunther Schwarz, originally from Stuttgart, Germany, said he appreciates the changes of season in New York and all the historical sites and buildings. His wife seized on that point.

“One of the most wonderful things in life is walking down the cobblestone streets in a small town in Germany with the snow falling and with ancient castles in the background,” she said.

At Temperance Tavern, owners and recent arrivals Jack and Kathy Pross said that being in Seneca Falls makes their lives wonderful.

“It feels like people are really friends, there’s a genuineness about people here,” Jack Pross said, stopping to cajole passersby into sampling the Tavern’s entrance in the chili contest. “People walk past the window and give us the thumbs up and they stop in to tell us how happy they are to have us here.”

The Prosses moved here from New Hampshire precisely because of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” he said. They fell in love with the movie’s friendly atmosphere and are pleased that the village is just as pleasant in real life, he said.

At the end of the bar, friends Johanna and Frank Kenney, of Hillsborough, N.H., shared the Prosses enthusiasm for the movie.

Johanna Kenney said that it makes her think of all the things she’s thankful for.

“It’s really just family and friends, what else can you say?,” she said. “Money helps, but having good people around you is awesome.”

She turned back to the TV, where the movie of the hour was playing, and then snapped back to say, “And the New England Patriots! They really make life wonderful!”

Between signing autographs for a small legion of fans, Karolyn Grimes summed up her idea of what makes life wonderful: “Faith, family and friends,” she said.