Stacked on top of the TV, ready for holiday viewing. Classics old and new, we look forward to spending the next few weeks with the Griswolds, Ralphie, Clarence, Scrooge, and all the gang. Make some popcorn, hot chocolate, and gather round for some good old holiday fun!
Humorist Jean Shepard's nostalgic view of Christmastime in Indiana during the 1940s is a holiday classic. Nine-year-old Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas and wages an all-out campaign to convince his reluctant parents (Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon) that the toy is safe. Meanwhile, as Ralphie prepares for the big day, his brother has a strange relationship with food, and his dad fights the never-ending furnace battle. 1983
It's a wonderful film. Frank Capra's inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born. 1946
Families suck. That's the opinion of 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), whose family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on vacation. In no time, Kevin makes the most of the situation, watching forbidden flicks and pigging out on junk food. But when a pair of bungling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory -- by planting booby traps galore! 1990
When Santa falls down drunk in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, reluctant Macy's supervisor Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara) offers the job to a bearded Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) purporting to be the real Santa! During the Christmas season, he shares a flat with Doris's neighbor (John Payne), who has eyes for Doris. Kris hopes to unite the two while winning over Doris's skeptical 6-year-old daughter (Natalie Wood). 1947
Cold-hearted TV exec Bill Murray is about to discover the true meaning of Christmas -- the hard way. This wild, woolly spin on Dickens's A Christmas Carol sees Murray visited by three high-spirited spirits … and while there are laughs aplenty, Murray's reformation and redemption are immensely powerful. With hilarious support from John Forsythe, Karen Allen, Carol Kane and others, Scrooged is a modern Christmas classic. 1988
Deck the halls with boughs of laughter -- the Griswolds are back! Clark (Chevy Chase), Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo) and the kids (Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki) gear up for the holidays in this installment of the "Vacation" series. As per usual, all the good intentions in the world can't save the family from disaster...or Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid, who practically steals the show). 1989
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play war buddies turned entertainers who fall for a pair of sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen). The boys follow the girls to a resort, which is owned by their former commanding officer, and he's in danger of losing the place. What better reason to stage a show than to keep the resort out of hock? 1954
