Top 5 Holiday Movies

'Tis the season...to watch amazing holiday movies. There is just something about the holiday season that brings a tremendous amount of joy into everyone's lives, and something that helps, is watching movies that capture that same emotion. No matter what life throws at you, you can always count on these holiday movies to make you laugh, make you cry, and help you find that joy that seems to get thrown on the back burner until Christmas time.

The other night, Meggie and I curled up with hot chocolate and our wonderful Bugsy (our beautiful black lab) and watched, what I consider the best holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life. This movie brings nothing but joy and happiness when you watch it...and it will continue to do that forever. It's a timeless movie which will probably be considered the 'Feel-Good-Movie-of-All-Time.' So, without further ado, I give you my Top 5 Holiday Movies (in order).

1. It's A Wonderful Life - What more can I say about this movie that I haven't said already? This movie is a classic example of a timeless movie...a movie that stands the trial of time. 'What do you want Mary? Do you want the moon?'
2. A Christmas Story - 'You'll shoot your eye out!' If there's one line in a movie that every little boy thinks of (especially when you try to convince your parents to buy you a BB gun), it is this one. This movie captures everything you would want in a holiday movie. It shows you not only the kid's perspective on Christmas, it shows you the parent's perspective too. Every little kid goes through what these kids go through. Neighborhood bullies, tongues stuck to frozen flag poles, a Dad that knows how to fix everything, and of course, dropping your first curse word in front of your parents (Tyler Durden says, 'Use Soap').
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - This is the Caddyshack of holiday movies. It is stupid, but absolutely hilarious. It is a tradition in the Abendschein family to watch this movie every Christmas. Clark Griswald captures the typical 'American Dad' that wants his family to have a wonderful Christmas. 20,000 lights on the house...check. Family members catching on fire...check. SWAT teams raiding the house...check. Oh, and of course, a metal sled covered with non stick spray...check.
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Charlie Brown goes out to try to find the true meaning of Christmas, and he does...spending time with family and friends. Every time I look at a Christmas tree now, I think of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It is tiny, ugly, and not decorated very well. However, that does not matter...it was made with love, and that is all that counts.
5. Mickey Mouse's Christmas Carol - Three very funny skits before the main movie. The first one is Donald Duck and his three nephews, battling it out with an epic snowball fight. The second one is Mickey Mouse and Pluto decorating the tree...with no help from Chip and Dale. The third (my favorite) is Goofy trying to learn how to ski. Finally, the main movie is Mickey Mouse and the gang acting out the timeless tale, A Christmas Carol. At only 20 minutes, it is an absolute classic. If you don't shed a tear for Tiny Tim at the end of this, check to make sure your heart is still beating.