Best Christmas Movies

'Tis the season where all of our holiday classics come back to life either on DVD, television or for the really cherished relics - the VCR. It's personally not truly Christmas for me unless I see certain films this time of year. Like looking at lights or decorating the tree, viewing(s) of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "A Christmas Story" are a tradition I have to take part in. Without further ado, here is a list of my personal Top 5 Christmas movies:

1.) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

No matter how many times I see Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) rant about his "brainless ,dickless, hopeless" boss I can't help but crack up. This John Hughes' classic really illustrates that no matter how much we try to make every Christmas the idealized, Norman Rockwell-inspired holiday, we often fall short. This film also shows that that's ok, and you can still have a great time being less than perfect. From crazy cousin Eddie to the snoddy neighbors (one of which played by pre-Seinfeld Julia Louis-Dreyfus), this movie piles on the holiday disasters with hilarious consequences.

2.) A Christmas Story (1983)

Never have the words "you'll shoot you're eye out" ever caused such a frenzy. The prophecy of doom that accompanied the inclusion of a Red Rider B-B gun on little Ralphie Parker's (Peter Billingsley) Christmas list fueled one of the funniest Christmas films ever made. What makes this film such a holiday staple is it's midwestern-based values and familiarity. It has a uniquely American feel to it that transcends generations and takes all of us back to the time when we too wrote letters to Santa Claus and could barely sleep a wink on December 24th. Based on the material from short stories by Jean Shepherd, TBS now airs 24 hours straight of "A Christmas Story" on December 24-25th.

3.) Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

Mickey Mouse plays Bob Cratchit in Disney's animated version of the Charles Dickens' classic. Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed by the aptly named Scrooge McDuck, and the usual cast of characters fill in the other roles admirably. One reason I rank this film so highly is that it actually does a good job of depicting real emotion. At the end of Scrooge's visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future, he falls into his own crypt. The flames emanating from his coffin, coupled with his own struggle to maintain grasp of the root that prevents him from tumbling into it, create a very powerful scene for an animated film. Also, for some reason, I find the way Tiny Tim is depicted in this film more sympathy-inducing than in other adaptations. Disney presents Tiny Tim as a child who has a fighting chance but will not survive in his current economic situation, which is very difficult to evoke in an animated feature.

4.) White Christmas (1954)

This oldie is a classic simply because of Bing Crosby's timeless song of the same name. It is campy at times, as are most movies in the musical genre. Crosby and Danny Kaye's performance however is very good and something about this film just reeks of winter days, Christmas trees, stockings and goodwill towards man. I find that it serves as a Christmas pep rally of sorts.

5.) Bad Santa (2003)

Ok....so it's not really a "Christmas" movie. It is actually a very vulgar movie that earns every bit of it's R-rating. I can say as well that if I do not see this movie around Christmastime that's ok; it's just as enjoyable in June. However, it is hilarious and Billy Bob Thornton is the ultimate curmudgeon as Willie, the drunken, horny mall santa on a crime binge. Beyond all of the swearing and poor morals exhibited by almost all of the characters in the film, it is actually a movie with a good heart behind the crusty exterior. Willie befriends a young boy named Thurman Murman (portrayed by Brett Kelly and credited only as "The Kid") who is bullied and hardly has any guidance from home. Seeing an opportunity to take advantage Thurman, Willie moves in with him as a hideout of sorts until he and his compandre Marcus can rob the mall where they work behind the guise of Santa and his elf. Through it all Willie becomes attached and protective of Thurman and grows to be a sort of father-figure for the boy. This movie really morphs into a real-life story of the Grinch in that Willie came into town to live a lie, steal and get out but winds up staying and finding a home.

Honorable mentions for me include your typical holiday classics such as "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Home Alone" but those listed above really put me in the holiday spirit (except for "Bad Santa", which just makes me laugh).