Esther Smith (Judy Garland) sits beside her little sister, Tootie (Margaret O’Brien), in the soft moonlight, singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” It’s the first time the world ever heard the song. And it isn’t a dazzling, performative musical number, but a quiet moment when all hope seems lost and the future feels dark and uncertain.

Set in 1903 St. Louis, the year before the highly anticipated Louisiana Purchase Exposition at the World’s Fair, the film follows the Smiths, a close-knit, middle-class family whose year unfolds through the changing seasons, each filled with laughter, mischief, and music. Summer brims with warmth, unity, and more than a few glances toward the boy next door. Autumn ushers in changes, humor, and a bit of sibling chaos. But when winter arrives, Mr. Smith makes a chilling announcement: The family will make a sudden move to New York, threatening to uproot everything they hold dear.

Though only one sequence takes place at Christmastime, it becomes the film’s emotional and spiritual center. On the night of Christmas Eve, Esther comforts Tootie with the song that crystallizes the story’s deeper themes of hope, endurance, and love. The family faces uncertainty together, choosing joy over despair and finding light in one another when life turns dim. 

Advent and Christmas, the end of the secular year and the beginning of the liturgical year, mark both an ending and a beginning. It is through this lens that the family’s joys and struggles are reframed as renewal. It’s a season of waiting and longing for what’s stable and true, even as life shifts around us. Like the Smiths, we’re invited to meet change with good humor, charity, and grace.

Nostalgic and sentimental, but never saccharine, Meet Me in St. Louis captures the beauty of ordinary family life and the quiet courage it takes to keep singing when the future is uncertain. Full of wonderful performances and fun musical numbers, “Meet Me in St. Louis” is a great film to enjoy for adults and children alike.

• Run time: 1h 53m

• 1944, color.

• Family/Musical. | Rating: G

• Parental advisory: Not much. The Halloween sequence from Tootie’s perspective is atmospheric and eerie, and the children jokingly refer to “killing” the neighbors. But it’s purely old-fashioned dark humor, quickly resolved with laughter and warmth.

Trivia

After the film’s release, Judy Garland performed “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” for American troops during World War II, moving many to tears. Director Vincente Minnelli went on to marry Garland the following year.