Top Ten Christmas Movies or Shows of All Time

Since it's the most wonderful time of the year, here is my take on the Top Ten Christmas movies for this festive time of the year.

10. White Christmas - Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye - This is one of my mother's favorite movies. I remember every year as a kid that my mom would watch this movie and it would irritate me to death. However, as I get older, I find the songs are a little catchier and the story is pretty good. However, this is a once every 5 years movie for me. I still think it's a good holiday movie.

9. Home Alone - Yes, even thought Macaulay Culkin is absolutely irritating and this movie was way too much overplayed when it first came out, it's still a pretty cool movie. The traps setup for Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern still make me laugh. Now my kids like to watch this movie which means it's being recycled around our house.

8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Both the original cartoon and the new version with Jim Carrey. I used to love the cartoon version of this every year as a kid! I always loved Boris Karloff singing "You're a mean one, Mister Grinch." Classic stuff. The Jim Carrey version takes a much different slant. I am normally not a huge fan of Carrey, but this is one of the few I like. It's my wife's favorite Christmas movie. It's recorded on my dvr and we watch it a couple of times every year.

7. Santa Clause 1,2,3 - Another of my family's favorites. We just watched number 3 last night as a family. The story line was not quite as good as the first two, but it was still pretty funny. Good idea of what the North Pole is like. Also, neat that the Santa changes to different guys over the years. Tim Allen makes a pretty rosy Santa.

6. A Christmas Carol (1951) - The classic black and white version of Charles Dickens' classic. Usually comes on late at night or on the obscure channels on Christmas eve or Christmas day. The Christmas ghosts are pretty scary and the old man that does Scrooge is downright perfect. By far the best version of this remade and remade tale.

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas - The first animated Peanuts strip made for television. Who can ever forget that puny little tree that Charlie Brown tries to decorate. A classic that we watch every year. Even with all the high tech cartoons and shows, this one still keeps my kids attention.

4. A Christmas Story - Little Ralphie and the Red Rider BB Gun. You'll shoot your eye out. Fudge. The leg lamp. All these things and more make this a classic that never gets old. It will come on at least 10 times on Christmas day and you know that at least once you will find yourself stopping to watch it.

3. The Year Without A Santa Claus - Without a doubt, one of my all-time favorites. This animated classic by Rankin Bass is usually only seen on ABC Family nowadays, but this is a must see for two reasons - The Miser Brothers! These two sons of Mother Nature steal the show! It took me several years to find this show after my childhood. I always have felt like Heat Miser bore a strange resemblance to current president of Southwestern Seminary Paige Patterson.

2. It's a Wonderful Life - Another of my Mom's favorites. I know that a year has never gone by that I have not seen part of this movie. You, like I, can quote multiple lines from this movie. It's full of classics. "Merry Christmas you old building and loan!", "Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.", "I'm an angel, second class.". Jimmy Stewart created one of the greatest characters in all of Hollywood history in George Bailey. You've seen this movie a hundred times and you still find yourself moved at the end each and every time.

1. Christmas Vacation - 'Nuff said. Clark Griswold and his family embark on a holiday season of disasters and mayhem. Cousin Eddie and his dog Snot. The house lit up with thousands of lights. The pledge of allegiance for grace. The squirrel that jumps out of the tree. Thousands of laughs. This is my dad's all-time favorite Christmas movie and probably mine too. Stupid humor never gets old or goes out of style. You need to rent this one for sure!

Now I know that there are many more great shows that could make this list. you may agree with some and disagree with many, but these are my viewing choices. I know that most of these movies have absolutely nothing to do with the incarnation and the real reason for Christmas. It's just entertainment. However, if you want to have a few laughs and see some great shows this Christmas, try these on for size.