Classic holiday must-watch festive flicks
Create a memorable movie marathon with these classic holiday picks. Just like fresh-baked gingerbread, holiday movies make the festive season special. From Scrooge to Kris Kringle, Hollywood's all-time best flicks fill any family gathering with true holiday spirit. Impress your guests with a private screening of these 10 holiday favourites.
 It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
Since it's debut six decades ago, Frank Capra's black-and-white classic has charmed audiences with its hopeful message that every person on this earth has something good to offer. Starring Jimmy Stewart as a hard-working little guy who gets sidetracked from his dreams and wishes he'd never been born, this everyday Joe finds the true meaning of Christmas thanks to a bumbling angel out to earn his wings.
A Christmas Carol
(1938)
Many movie versions have been done of this famous Charles Dickens' tale.
But this black-and-white classic started it all. Curl up with a good blanket and a roomful of friends and watch as penny-pinching Scrooge finds the Christmas spirit thanks to three ghostly messengers.
Miracle on 34th Street
(1947)
This Oscar winner is hard to beat for spreading the holiday cheer. A charming old man named Kris Kringle works as a Santa Claus at New York's famed Macy's department store. But unlike other "pretend" Santas, this one says he's the real deal and goes to court to prove it. Thanks to a little girl and a trusty lawyer, even miserly meanies end up rooting for this gentle old gent.
A Christmas Story
(1983)
Told from a young boy's perspective during the 1940s, this holiday classic captures the innocent childhood wonder of the season as it finds an average family in the middle of an Indiana winter.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
(1989)
No matter how wild your family gets during a holiday party, their antics will pale next to those of the Griswold family and their relatives in this Chevy Chase classic.
Home Alone
(1990)
Macaulay Culkin stars in this holiday hoot about an eight-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family flies to France for Christmas.
Outwitting burglars as they enter his booby-trapped home, this mini-mastermind sends the thugs on the run and gives twisted new meaning to the spirit of Christmas giving.
The Nighmare Before Christmas
(1993)
Tim Burton's animated gem about ghouls and goblins hobnobbing with Santa is a perfect pick for kids from nine to 90. The first movie to be fully animated using stop-motion techniques, Burton's fanciful blend of cool ghouls gives a scary new twist to a merry season.
The Santa Clause
(1994)
After the real Santa meets his tragic end, family guy Tim Allen becomes contractually bound to fill the big guy's shoes and suit and save Christmas.
Elf
(2003)
In this quirky flick from director Jon Favreau, an elf (Will Farrell) travels to New York City to find his true identity. With his dorky moves and glazed chicken gazes, the keener in green puts everything he's got into his mission and makes the elf suit, fashioned after those worn in the cartoon classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, look good.
Bad Santa
(2003)
Not exactly your traditional holiday tale, this twisted gem showcases Billy Bob Thornton as a miserable crook who poses as Santa and robs department stores on Christmas Eve. With his well-worn mug and well-used expletives, Thornton's Santa isn't cute and cuddly. But what he lacks in charm he makes up for in big laughs.
- Constance Droganes
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