The Best Holiday Movies Ever

No matter how Grinch-like we can get around the holidays (especially during that final, grueling trip to the mall), a good holiday-themed movie will get us in the mood again. And why not? They’re all about love, family and the spirit of giving. And SPOILER ALERT: They all have happy endings! Here are some of the best.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

The most popular holiday movie of all time is also one of the darkest. Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, a broken-hearted banker intent on killing himself on Christmas Eve because he believes his life has been a failure. Then his guardian angel, Clarence, shows him otherwise. George is an imperfect hero, liable to fits of temper and frustration, but all the more believable for that. And the ending, while affirming the value of love among family and friends, doesn’t deny that it can be a cold world out there.

Love Actually (2003) It’s Christmastime in contemporary London, and eight couples - yes, eight - are making their way through the different stages of love: the first meeting, the first kiss, the proposal, the breakup, the heartbreak. Director Richard Curtis, who also made “Notting Hill” and Bridget Jones’ Diary,” has a deft way with glossy London comedies. The stellar cast includes Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Maybe it’s that acting that makes “Love Actually” stand out from other multi-star holiday movies like “New Year’s Eve.”

Home Alone (1990) Not every holiday movie is sugary or sentimental. But “Home Alone” does have a sweet touch due to nine-year-old Macaulay Culkin s portrayal of Kevin McCallister, who’s accidentally left behind as his family heads for a Christmas vacation in Paris. Kevin gets to eat all the pizza and ice cream he wants, but the fun really starts when two klutzy burglars show up and Kevin battles to keep them out of the house. Somehow, you know he’ll win. It’s Christmas, after all.

Miracle On 34th Street (1947) Does Santa Claus really exist? And if so, is he working at Macy’s? It’s possible. A man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is hired to play Santa at the famed Manhattan department store and though he’s doing a spectacular job, keeps insisting that he really is the man from the North Pole. That makes his employers, including special-events director Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), kind of nervous. Eventually, Kris must go to court to prove to a dubious prosecutor that he really is Santa Claus. With Natalie Wood, then eight years old, in her first star role.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) Kermit the Frog as the lowly clerk Bob Cratchit? Believe it or not, it works. Jim Hensons rowdy posse stays faithful to the classic Charles Dickens tale of greed, ghosts and redemption. Kermits plaintive voice is actually perfect for Bob, who wants the day off so he can spend Christmas with his family. And his wife Emily, played by Miss Piggy, has the shrill, aggrieved tone of a woman who really wishes that her huband would stand up for himself once in a while. Michael Caine makes for a very intimidating Scrooge, if only because hes so much bigger than the Muppets. And then theres Beaker, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Bean Bunny. God bless them, every one.

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) Barbara Stanwyck is Elizabeth Lane, the Martha Stewart of her day. She has a perfect husband, a perfect baby and a perfect house in Connecticut where the fire is always crackling. Well, not really. Miss Lane has a boyfriend, lives in Manhattan and gets her famous recipes from her friend, a grumpy chef. When her publisher and a handsome unmarried war hero come to the country house her boyfriend owns, shes got to come up with a dinner and a baby really fast. Plus, she has to convince the war hero that she's not really married. Stanwyck, whos played a lot of fearsome gals, turns in a charming, uproarious performance. With another fearsome actor, Sydney Greenstreet, as an overbearing publisher.

White Christmas (1954) Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are two ex-servicemen who have made it as a song-and-dance act. They fall in love with two sisters and follow them to a Vermont inn that turns out to be owned by the guys’ former commanding officer. He’s in bad financial shape, so the four entertainers decided to (guess what?) put on a show. There isn’t any big drama here; just a series of Irving Berlin’s instantly memorable songs “White Christmas,” “Blue Skies” and “Sisters” sung by Crosby, Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. (The other sister, actress Vera-Ellen, had her voice dubbed.) Best scene: When the stars, dressed in red velvet and white fur, take to the stage to sing the best holiday song ever.