It’s almost Christmas, which means it’s time to watch The Holiday and fantasise about living in Kate Winslet’s cosy, dreamy Surrey cottage. An annual watch-party of this holiday gem (pun absolutely intended) is always a cathartic and heartwarming experience capable of turning even the Grinch-iest moods into pure eggnog-flavoured, saccharine joy, but the 2006 Nancy Meyers classic is also much more than meets the eye. 

For obvious reasons (read: Jude Law’s deadly curls + glasses + turtleneck combo) the Cameron-Diaz-moves-to-Surrey has always been a big hit, as well as my own personal favourite, but on my latest rewatch, what stood out to me the most was actually Kate Winslet’s crying-mess-to-powerhouse-woman narrative arc. Winslet’s Iris is a heartbroken woman on a mission to fall out of love with her ex-boyfriend and colleague, Jasper, who recently got engaged to the woman he cheated on her with. Ouch. 
 

In the past, I might have felt too frustrated by Iris’ inability to kick Jasper to the curb -–he’s a prime example of a deeply unlikeable character, and I never really understood what Iris saw in him or why she kept answering his weird emails and calls–– to sympathise with her. But her storyline is one of transformative power and long-waited actualization, and once you get over wanting to yell “Get away from her!” at Jasper anytime he’s on screen, Kate Winslet’s performance is a joy to watch. 
 

She goes from someone with low self worth and a pinch of self-loathing to an enthusiastic and life-loving go-getter dancing around the Christmas tree surrounded by loved ones. You can pinpoint the exact moment things start to turn around for Iris, and that’s when she decides to --you guessed it-- raise her standards. 

Let’s take a look at why that matters, and how you, too, can have your Nancy-Meyers-approved upgrade by following a few simple steps.