As Americans prepare to celebrate Christmas and begin the new year, it’s worth reflecting on what the country lost and gained in 2025.

Here is a book, a movie, and a song to enjoy before the year’s end.

A Book to Read: Alasdair MacIntyre’s ‘After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory’

Alasdair MacIntyre died on May 21, 2025, but his 1981 book “After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory” may live forever.

Published by the University of Notre Dame Press, it is likely MacIntyre’s most well-known work among the public, and rightfully so. In it, the Scottish-American philosopher provides his assessment of where modern morality goes wrong and what ethical system can hope to save it.

MacIntyre’s critical assessment of the West comes as one who was a consummate insider. For decades he graced the halls of America’s revered educational institutions, including Vanderbilt, Duke, and the Catholic bastion that is Notre Dame.

This work shows that philosophy can provide a path toward the restoration of American prosperity.

A Movie to Watch: ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)

I was not expecting to enjoy Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” as much as I did.

This director is known for his unsettling subject material, including the disturbing “Pan’s Labyrinth” and the monster flick “The Shape of Water,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2018 but has since been mostly forgotten.

What surprised me most about the film was its unapologetic Christian themes.

For one thing, there were the visuals. Days after viewing the film on Netflix, I still can’t shake the eponymous Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s mother bedecked in crimson red with a cross necklace before she dies in childbirth. And then there were the overt biblical references like Frankenstein’s creature reading Genesis and subsequently asking his creator for a companion like Adam’s Eve.

The movie also refreshingly concludes on a note of forgiveness and hope.

Time will tell if this surprisingly sober diagnosis of man’s spiritual state is just a Hollywood one-off or part of a longer-term trend that revives America’s love affair with the Christian faith.

A Song to Listen to: ‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue’ by Toby Keith

While the legendary singer and songwriter has an enviable dozen tunes worth listening to, it is this patriotic anthem that he may be most remembered for decades from now.

And listening to the song keeps Keith’s legacy alive, as next February will mark the two-year anniversary of the singer’s death.

Originally composed for the service men and women on USO tours after 9/11, Keith had initially thought against recording the song in studio. But when he sang a rendition of it before top Pentagon leaders, the Marine Corps. commandant told the songwriter to record the song to boost public morale in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

This year saw the U.S. military boost recruitment, conduct successful strikes against Iran, and begin to revolutionize how it procures advanced military technologies. I can think of no better way to celebrate those accomplishments.

The post A Book, a Movie, and a Song to Finish 2025 Strong appeared first on The Daily Signal.