Two months out of the year it is deemed appropriate to watch Christmas movies. While this movie has certainly made a number of mid-summer debut’s in the DVD player, I pretend that my patience extends until the first of November. I just adore Diane Keaton’s brilliant banter and the uncomfortably perfect New Yorker portrayal by SJP. To put it succinctly, the family is dysfunctional; yet the movie is so redemptively beautiful and painfully honest I cannot help but lend a piece of my heart to every viewing. Coming from a family of seven, The Family Stone makes me pine year-round for the holiday gatherings of my own bantering tribe.