Everyone has their own preferences for how to celebrate the month or so leading up to Christmas. Whether ice skating under the tree in New York, or stringing lights across palm trees in California, there is something for everyone to capture the festive nature of the season. But for me, nothing gets me quite as excited as the best movie on earth, Love Actually. Here’s why:

Obviously, the star-studded cast. Hugh Grant, Kiera Knightly, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, to name just a few … the list goes on and on! Although we don’t get to see as much of each character as we’d like – because there are just so many stories to tell – each actor puts on such a great performance that it’s almost unbelievable how attached we get in just a few scenes. I mean, couldn’t you see Hugh Grant as the next prime minister? Watch out David Cameron.

The characters are so interestingly intertwined in each other’s lives.Love Actually was one of the first films to put together such an all-star group of actors, whose characters lives overlap in surprising ways. This idea has been replicated a number of times (in films like He’s Just Not That Into You and New Year’s Eve), but none lives up to this original standard. Plus, they selection of characters is so interesting! From the Prime Minister himself, to an elderly rock star, to a small boy in search of true love, they do manage to keep us on our toes.

Not every ending is filled with happiness and sunshine. One of my favorite things about this movie is that beneath its smiling exterior are stories filled with pain and heartbreak, as well as so much joy. This might seem strange – I mean who doesn’t want to cry after Carl and Sarah’s love is doomed – but I think it serves as a great reminder of the ups and downs in life. Despite the various heartbreaks that we might endure, there is so much love in the world, from so many different kinds of people. And this thought is what we must cling to that and remember how important and valuable it is. (And I’ve always been a sucker for a good old tragic love story.)