Courtesy of Warner Bros.
It is that time of year again when the snow begins to fall, the temperature drops, and all you want is to be inside by the fire with a good old holiday movie. As we count down the days until Winter Break, we have our own film countdown to help you get into the spirit of the holiday season.

 10.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas: A classic tale, and a rather uncomfortable one. We have both seen it at least a couple of times, and we both agree that it is not the fave movie to help you get into the holiday spirit. Jim Carey’s version of the nasty Grinch was well played. However, as an antagonist turned hero teaching kids not to be greedy, his portrayal was hidden behind his scary demeanor and features. Baby Grinch, I mean seriously? Looked like a Gremlin. We still watch it every year due to tradition and its good message. We all love seeing his heart grow three sizes and hearing Cindy Lou Who’s plea for a good Christmas when she believes the Grinch is Santa Claus. Overall, this movie made the top 10 but will forever be a movie we somewhat suffer through.

 9. A Year without Santa Claus: The thought of a year without Santa Claus is unnerving for kids all around the world but luckily, it is only just a movie. The 1974 stop-motion special documents a year where Santa actually considers skipping Christmas because he thinks no one believes in him anymore. Mrs. Claus and two of his elves, Jingle and Jangle, set out to change his mind. A touching sentiment but our favorite characters was the Miser Brothers, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. If there is one reason to watch this movie, it is to hear The Snow Miser/Heat Miser song. A cute animated film for the kids, but not so much a holiday hit.

 8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: An old favorite and probably the MVP of this list. It happens to be the longest-running Christmas special in history. But sadly, it has found its way close to the bottom of our top 10. Everyone loves Rudolph, and his little red nose. We love seeing how he accepts himself and finds his way to the head of Santa’s sleigh. Thank goodness for that crappy weather. And not to mention, the catchy song that everyone sings no matter what they celebrate. With his entourage of Hermey the Dentist and Yukon the Lumberjack, Rudolph saves Christmas and gets the girl. Clarice and Rudolph…OTP.

 7. The Santa Clause: Who doesn’t love Tim Allen? Or at least his son Charlie? Or even Neil with his needlepoint sweaters? Scott Calvin’s epic adventure of how he got roped into being Santa Claus was something we all enjoyed watching as little kids, and we cannot help but see it through when it pops on our television screen. However, looking back on the film, it carries some pretty heavy material. When his ex-wife tries to take his son away from him because of the transformation into Santa Claus, or when the police are actually searching for Santa Claus because he was now a mentally unstable kidnapper. I mean…Santa Claus?

 6. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: Another animated, stop-motion film starring none other than Fred Astaire as the narrator. This movie goes back in time to show audiences how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus, and how Christmas came to be the celebration it is today. With an ill-tempered ruler, Burgermeister Meisterburger, outlawing all toys in the gloomy city of Sombertown, Santa serves as a vigilante delivering toys to all of the kids. A nice prequel to our favorite holiday to see the foundation of the big man himself, as well as his family, wife, and helpers.

 5. Home Alone: Show of hands, how many of you stood in front of your bathroom mirror, placed your hands on your cheeks, and screamed like Kevin McCallister? Come on…we know you did. This movie is a classic, a must-watch for the holiday season. Despite the sketchy storyline, a child being left alone on Christmas with two-thieves lurking about, the film was still able to be fun, comedic, and exciting. Kevin’s antics combined with the dim-witted ‘Wet Bandits’ and the notion of ‘being home for Christmas’ has made for a great, family holiday film.  

 4. The Polar Express: Hot Chocolate was given a new meaning after this movie. A very visually pleasing, upbeat, exciting, and wholesome movie about a boy who takes a train ride to the North Pole. Released in 2004, this movie was our generation’s fresh revival of Christmas. This movie was actually freaking awesome if you think about it. The animation was kid-friendly and a game changer. It looked like a live-action film. You were enjoying a two-hour rollercoaster ride that when it ended, you had a new belief in not only Santa Claus but the wonders of life.

 3. Elf: When you first saw this movie, a lot of it probably flew over your head. But as it became a tradition and you got older, you found it funnier than the time before. Surprisingly, a Will Ferrell comedy where he plays a human orphan who thinks he is an elf and then travels to New York City to find his biological father who is a holiday scrooge, has turned out to be a funny and light-hearted tradition to get into the holiday spirit.

 2. Love Actually: You will be shocked to know that this phenomenon is not our #1 but our runner-up. That is due to the rated-R trait as well as the fact that not everyone loves- well, love. For those of us that are susceptible to the power of the blinding human emotion, Love Actually is a favorite and a must-see around the holidays. The characters are well-developed throughout the movie which is amazing considering the large cast. The soundtrack does its job in making you experience every emotion, and each storyline is beautiful and guaranteed to give you the feels as they all come together in the end, tied up in a nice little bow. Not only will you love one story, but you will love all of them and you will come out of it with a new philosophy, “that love actually is all around.”

 1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: For our top holiday film, this 1989 classic is the absolute, have-to-see movie of the season, and every season hereafter. Clark Griswold sets out to have the perfect family Christmas, so obviously it is not going to go as planned. This guy sets his expectations way too high and you would think he had learned something by now. Oh well, that just means another good movie for us. The Griswold family has always given us a great two-hour break from our own crazy families to laugh at another one, oddly enough helping us to appreciate our own.