MAIN Home Life Holidays Christmas Christmas Movies

They're the movies you can watch - over and over - every holiday season come what may ...

Check out our Top Ten picks for the most memorable Christmas movies of all time with links & resources to historical background info, behind the scenes film notes, quotes, clips or trailers :

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Did Macy's just hire the real Santa Claus? Hearts young and old still melt as Maureen O'Hara (and a very young Natalie Wood) finally see that "faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."

A Christmas Story (1983) - Ralphie schemes and dreams his way to his one and only Christmas wish, the official Red Ryder air rifle.

White Christmas 1954 - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney star in a classic throwback to 1940's musicals with songs by Irving Berlin. With snowfall right on cue...

A Christmas Carol 1951 - The all-time best version of the Dickens classic starring Alister Sim as Scrooge and a definite must for any holiday DVD collection.

The Bishop's Wife (1947) - Cary Grant as an angel sent down to earth to teach the bishop (David Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young) a thing or two about marriage.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Tim Burton's original stop-motion masterpiece about a bunch of ghouls who just don't get Christmas("...and they call him Sandy Claws!")

The Santa Clause (1994) - Comedian Tim Allen's only successful big screen performance to date as a hapless divorced dad begins to put on weight and grows a long white beard ...

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) - The best of the bunch from the National Lampoon franchise which follows the holiday misadventures of the Griswald family, complete with attack squirrel. Not suitable for all ages, but the raunch factor gives it its kick.

Polar Express (2004) - On track to becoming a Christmas classic with Tom Hanks as the conductor on the early morning run to the North Pole, "where dreams become real."

More classic Christmas movies around the Web:

Christmas Movies - A comprehensive list of Christmas classics with related resources.

Best Christmas Movies of All Time - A good survey over three pages listing popular and current favorites with plot synopsis and related resources.

also see -> Christmas TV Movies & Specials