The Top Ten Christmas Movies

It's that time of year once again. Time to deck the halls, shop till you drop, visit family and friends and otherwise make merry. As hectic as the Holidays can be, Three Movie Buffs suggests setting aside a few hours here and there to sit back, drink some eggnog, and enjoy some classic Christmas movies.

Here are our choices for the ten best Christmas movies of all time.

1. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) – Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings, and every time this movie is watched, you can’t help but get a little bit of the Christmas Spirit.

2. A Christmas Story (1983) – No other movie has ever shown Christmas from a child’s point of view as well as this movie does. When you’re little, that perfect Christmas gift is all that matters in the world and Ralphie understands that with his lust for that Red Ryder BB Gun with the compass in the stock.

3. The Polar Express (2004) - The most recent movie on the list is also the most visually captivating of the group. If this vision of the North Pole doesn't magically conjure childhood memories then you have irrevocably lost all sense of childhood wonder. My only complaint is that Santa's mittens should have been green.

4. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - In a simpler time, before malls, a child wants desperately to believe in Santa Claus. Watching this movie opens a little part in all of us that shows that Christmas is simply a matter of believing in what is right in front of your face.

5. The Grinch (2000) - Jim Carrey is absolutely perfect in the title role. The song 'Where are you Christmas' (with lyrics by that other Carey, Mariah) is the best new Christmas song in years.

6. Jingle All the Way (1996) - Arnold Schwarzenegger exemplifies the frustrated parent at Christmas. How many parents have saved money, driven across town, battled crowds and poor attitudes, from over worked store clerks, just to get a toy for their child that will probably be forgotten or broken within a month? It's funny watching him do it anyway.

7. Bad Santa (2003) - Its language is mature, but at its heart is the same old Christmas message about being happy at the holidays, sober or drunk.

8. Scrooge (1951) – Charles Dickens' story of the three ghosts visiting the old miser has been retold literally dozens and dozens of times in varying formats, but only this version starring Alastair Sim truly captures the feel of the original novel.

9. While You Were Sleeping (1995) – When it comes right down to it, no matter what your beliefs, Christmas is about family, as Sandra Bullock discovers when she is adopted by her "fiancé’s" family in this funny and romantic Christmas comedy.

10. Christmas Vacation (1989) - A modern irreverent Christmas classic that shows the power of family at Christmas time, even when that family is the Griswolds.