i can safely say that while the day has been rough, "The Holiday" more than made up for it.
The movie plays on the idea of exchanging an apartment, a take on the classical reality tv show to trade places with someone you've never even met.... exchange homes and live the life of someone else, essentially 'trading places'. Amanda (Cameron Diaz), who owns a production house involved with the creative development of movie trailers, trades places with Iris (Kate Winslet), an editor and both discover a way to live that they never dreamt possible.

Honestly, i can't quite say what makes this film so wonderful. I guess it touches something inside you that makes you feel like the wildest dreams can happen and we don't all have to be utterly miserable this Christmas.

And this is what i walk away with.. other than a great appreciation for the beautiful scenery of the idyllic cottage in England and the picture of running towards what you really want, rather than having to hide and pretend you'd rather have something else.

* Sometimes, you just need to do what is totally crazy and go on a whim. Make the decision for yourself.. do what you know is best.. and go for it. The more you think about it.. the more you're going to whimp out. Go for it and take a risk.. and you would have gained far more.

* You never really know if it's going to be a good thing until you're in too deep. This is the case for most relationships but if you'd never tried, how would you know if it was going to be a mistake? CAlling it 'wrong' from the start means that you're setting yourself up for it to be a failure.

* Simply because you're the most neurotic, strange, idiosyncratic pig out there who has gone through tons of failed relationships doesn't mean the next one will turn out to be a disaster. Similarly, while you may know and think you're utterly pessimisstic and a realist, your other half just might have enough idealism to make it work!

* You don't know what you yourself are capable of. Really.
And you can literally change someone else's life. It just takes a little heart.

With that, i leave you to please watch the movie. It's brilliant in so many ways and will leave you feeling refreshed, happy and, like me, that bit more hopeful that life will present you a dream if only you dare to imagine it.