Perhaps it’s no accident that a movie about finding the miraculous in the ordinary is being released during this Holy Week of Passover and Easter. No, I am not talking about the recent DVD release of the religious drama “The Nativity,” but that inspirational family charmer “Charlotte’s Web,” now available on DVD this week.

While “Charlotte’s Web” is not a flawless film–the awful animation of Charlotte creeped me out and too much of the book’s content was sacrificed for bathroom humor in the script–its messages of loyalty, sacrifice, and miracles, not to mention feminism–are impossible to resist. In Charlotte’s world everyone has value and a unique contribution to make to his fellow man–or fellow rat or pig, as the case may be.

And as Charlotte so bravely yet quietly demonstrates, sacrifice isn’t really sacrifice at all when you truly love someone. It’s hard to think of a better message to reflect on as we head towards Good Friday.

So while some may follow time-honored traditions of watching classics like “The Sound of Music” or “The Ten Commandments” this week, I think adding a viewing of “Charlotte’s Web” as a new holiday movie viewing tradition is a great idea.