I was listening to the radio the other night and I heard the song, “Tin Man,” by America. There is a lyric in that song that says, “Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn’t already have.” Aside from being a mess grammatically, the message grabbed me. The reference, of course, is to “The Wizard of Oz.” I’ve probably seen the movie three dozen times, but I enjoy it just as much every time. Why do I continue to like it so much?

The characters are wonderful. There are classic heroes and classic villains and many in between. I really like the Wizard. He’s basically trying to keep people thinking that he deserves to be doing what he’s doing even though, to use his words, “I’m a good man, I’m just a very bad wizard.” Who of us has not felt like the man behind the curtain, just waiting to be exposed as a fraud.

I love Dorothy’s three companions, the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion. Each is a character in search of the quality that he perceives will make him whole. Each already has that quality in abundance. It just takes the events that are thrust upon them to live up to their potential. As a teacher, I try every day to give my students something they already have—the courage, heart and intelligence to succeed.

And, of course, I love Dorothy. When this movie was made in 1939, women were seldom the heroines of movies, at least not without a leading man to rescue them from danger. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy saves herself. She throws the water on the wicked witch and melts her. She really is the best of all her friends. She is loving, smart and courageous. She is a dreamer who ends up with her feet, heels clicking, firmly on the ground.

This holiday season, try to give a really valuable gift to those you love. Let them know how much you appreciate the gifts they already have.