With Christmas right around the corner, one can’t help but think back to all those special moments that make the holidays such a great time of year. Great holiday movies are a big part of that experience and Christmas just doesn’t seem like Christmas unless we go through the time honored ritual of watching our favorite Christmas movie. There are some classics that everyone loves, but for each individual there is usually one movie that holds the distinction of being synonymous with Christmas. With that in mind, here is our list of the best and worst Christmas movies of all time.

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” There isn’t a household in America that doesn’t have the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” playing on the TV in the background come Christmas day. George Bailey and his realization that it is indeed a ‘wonderful life,’ after witnessing what it would be like if he had never been born, has become a staple in the holiday season.

Staring the precocious Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn, as the consummate Kris Kringle, “Miracle on 34th St.” is also a Christmas classic. A close third is the timeless classic, “A Christmas Carol,” the 1951 version staring Alistair Sims, not the two dozen dreadful, made for TV remakes since. The haunting, visual imagery of Scrooge’s travels with the ghosts of Christmas past and future are unforgettable. A cautionary tale to take the bah humbug out of us all.

Christmas is a holiday that is especially fun for kids, mostly because there are presents involved, but there is also a whimsy and goodheartedness that overtakes everyone around this time of year. One cannot make a list of Christmas films without paying special attention to the field of animation.

An easy first place here goes to “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.” Based on the popular song that preceded it, “Rudolph” follows the exploits of not only our favorite sleigh puller, but Hermey the dentist wannabe and Yukon Cornelius.
Other honorable mentions go out to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” you know, the good one, not the one staring Jim Carey.

As idealized as some of the early classics were, more modern holiday films addressed the stress and strain that this time of year can sometimes take on even the most sound and even tempered of us. No one illustrates this point better than poor Clark W. Griswald played by Chevy Chase in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” Anyone who has ever endeavored to string Christmas lights on their house knows the frustration that one malfunctioning bulb can have on a days worth of work. Fellow SNL alumni, Bill Murray jumps into this category with his take on a modern day Ebenezer in “Scrooged.” Murray’s smirking and jaded disbelief in the spirit of the holiday is hilarious, not only because of his great skill as a comedic actor but also because in his over the top characterization, we often see glimpses of our own special holiday meltdowns.

No one can out do the smarmy, seething rage of Denis Leary in “The Ref.” When paired with the likes of Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, it’s like being in the back seat, watching your parents argue on the way to grandma’s house.

The most realistic illustration of family life during the holidays has to be “A Christmas Story.” After all, who can’t relate to Ralphie’s request for that Red Ryder BB gun? Another for this category is the dark portrayal of Jolly ol’ St. Nick by none other than everyone’s favorite drunken loser, hill-Billy Bob Thornton in “Bad Santa.” This film is the world record holder for a Christmas movie using the F-word, 147 times in the theatrical release and 170 on the unrated DVD. If you laughed at this movie, you’re going to hell ... see you there.

Now, on to the worst Christmas movies of all time. These are the socks and underwear of holiday films. I will exclude all sequels and remakes, because that is just too easy. “Santa Clause 3” and “Home Alone 4” you know who you are. Usually the number one spot on everyone’s list is the (1964) classic stinker, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” Aside from the obvious storyline problems alluded to in the title, it has the production values of a ‘70s porn film.
“Fred Claus” may unseat the king of all crappy Christmas films for this one reason, it didn’t have to suck. If you’re making “Santa and the Martians,” I assume you know you’re making a horrible film as soon as you get the script. “Fred Claus,” on the other hand, starred Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti. How do you screw that up, really? At one point, the working title for this movie was changed to “Joe Claus,” but I guess Fred was just so much more hilarious that they wisely opted to change it back, or perhaps the “Joe Dirt” people didn’t want their reputation besmirched.

Tim Allen gets an honorable mention for the “Santa Clause” franchise and his brilliant work in “Christmas with the Kranks.” Does he have an I only make shi**y holiday movies clause in his contract? Speaking of painful to watch, let us not forget “Deck the Halls” with Mathew Broderick and Danny DeVito, and the excruciating “Surviving Christmas” with Ben Affleck and a bearded Tony Soprano. Now I’m getting depressed. Perhaps “Earnest Saves Christmas?” Sadly, no.

Some would include the Schwarzenegger/Sinbad masterpiece “Jingle All the Way” but I’m going for another gargantuan actor whose talent is only surpassed by his flamboyant bombast and brightly colored do-rag. Finishing up my list of the worst Christmas movies of all time is the 1996 film “Santa with Muscles.”

This waste of time stars the master thespian and ex pro wrestler, Hulk Hogan as an evil millionaire, who after getting amnesia, awakes to believe that he is Santa Claus. This side splitting, festive holiday fare is why the terrorists hate us.

I’m sure I have missed a few of your favorite or least favorite Christmas films, but hopefully this nostalgic trip down memory lane made you feel as warm and cheery inside as a big mug of Christmas cider, sitting in front of a crackling fire, surrounded by the ones you love. Merry Christmas everyone!