Last year, I didn’t do a Christmas Movies List, so I am going to try to make up for lost time. Certain films are just my staples. Some you have probably seen numerous times, as there are hundreds of Christmas movies, ranging from Gremlins to Home Alone. Anyway, grab some eggnog or hot chocolate, some of those delicious cookies, your favorite blanket, and take a peek!

1. The Muppet Christmas Carol – The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). Other Muppets — Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, and Sam the Eagle — weave in and out of the story, while Scrooge receives visits from spirits of three Christmases — past, present, and future. They show him the error of his self-serving ways, but the miserable old man seems to be past any hope of redemption and happiness. 1992 | 1h 25m| G.

2. The Preacher’s Wife – Reverend Henry Biggs (Courtney B. Vance) is the pastor of a small, struggling African American Baptist church in a poverty-stricken neighborhood of New York City. Membership is declining, Henry is pulled in a hundred directions by his parishioners’ needs, and the church’s finances are in trouble. Henry is under intense pressure from real estate developer Joe Hamilton (Gregory Hines) to sell the church’s property so that Hamilton can build luxury condominiums on the site. Henry has also become neglectful of his wife, Julia (Whitney Houston), and his son, Jeremiah (Justin Pierre Edmund). Henry prays to God for help, which comes in the form of Dudley (Denzel Washington), a witty and debonair angel. Dudley tells Henry that he is an angel sent by God to help him, but Henry is deeply suspicious of Dudley. Julia, however, is instantly charmed by the handsome and unflappable angel. A remake of the original `The Bishop’s Wife‘ of 1948, except with beautiful vocals. 1996 | 2h 4m | PG

3. Red One – MORA (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) is a clandestine, multilateral military organization that protects a secret peace treaty between humans and mythological creatures. Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), head of Santa Claus’s security detail, plans to retire after one last Christmas run, having become disillusioned with people’s increasingly toxic behavior, exemplified by the growth of Santa’s Naughty List. On Christmas Eve, an unidentified black ops team breaks into the North Pole complex and kidnaps Santa ( J. K. Simmons), who is held by a mysterious woman in a vault that siphons his magic, rendering him unconscious. 2024| 123 min | PG-13.

4. This Christmas – It is the holiday season, and the Whitfields are celebrating together. The matriarch, Shirley Ann “Ma’Dere” Whitfield (Loretta Devine), and her boyfriend, Joe (Delroy Lindo) got joined by her six children: eldest child, Quentin, Jr. (Idris Elba) a musician who is always on the go and has not been home in 4 years, much like their father (Shirley’s ex-husband) who abandoned them; eldest daughter, Lisa (Regina King), a housewife, her cheating husband, Malcolm Moore (Laz Alonso) and their two kids Tori & Keshon; the uppity one, Kelli (Sharon Leal), a Harvard grad visiting from New York; Claude (Columbus Short), a U.S. Marine; baby girl, Melanie “Mel” (Lauren London), seven-year college student accompanied by her boyfriend, Devan (Keith Robinson); and the youngest of the bunch, Michael “Baby” (Chris Brown), a photographer and aspiring musician. 2007 | 119 m | PG-13

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas – On their way to join their friends’ ice skating on a frozen pond, Charlie Brown confesses to Linus Van Pelt that, despite all the things he likes about the Christmas season, he is still depressed, concluding he does not know the true meaning of Christmas anymore. After Linus’ reproach and a put-down from Violet, he visits Lucy Van Pelt’s psychiatric booth and tells her his problem. Concluding that he needs to double down on Christmas involvement, she suggests he direct the group’s annual Christmas play, and he accepts. Another iconic Christmas Classic—a must for your Christmas movie collections. 1965 | 25 m| G

6. It’s A Wonderful Life – George Bailey (James Stewart) has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all – and it’s Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), who then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all his good deeds over the years. This is an iconic holiday classic that reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas, and even though we might not see it—no good deed goes unnoticed, especially by the One who really matters. 1946| 2h 10m |PG

7. Home Alone – The McCallister family prepares to spend Christmas in Paris, gathering at Kate and Peter’s home in Winnetka, a Chicago suburb, on the night before their departure. Kate and Peter’s youngest son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), is ridiculed by his siblings and cousins due to his immaturity. Kevin inadvertently ruins the family dinner after a scuffle with his oldest brother, Buzz (Devin Ratray), resulting in Kate (Catherine O’Hara) sending him up to the attic. Frustrated with Kate for allowing the rest of the family to pick on him, Kevin wishes that his family would disappear. During the night, heavy winds caused a power outage, disabling the alarm clocks and resulting in the family oversleeping. In the confusion and rush to get to the airport, Kevin is accidentally left behind. 1990 | 1h 43m | PG

8. The Polar Express – A young boy (Josh Hutcherson) who has grown sceptical of Santa Claus is shocked to see a train stop outside his window on Christmas Eve, destined for the North Pole. When he accepts an invitation from the conductor (Tom Hanks) to climb on board, he embarks on a white-knuckle ride to Santa’s headquarters, where he makes fast friends and learns an invaluable lesson about the true spirit of Christmas. 2004 | 1h 39m | G

9. The First Snow of Fraggle Rock – For Fraggle fans old and new, this special follows Gobo as he searches for inspiration for a new holiday song. When there’s no snow in Fraggle Rock to get his creative juices flowing, he goes to “outer space,” aka the human world, to see if that’ll help. Does it work? Either way, the special features musical artist Lele Pons for a duet. 2025 | 34 m | G

10. Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol – This is the fourth installment of the Prep & Landing series, about the elite group of elves that acts as Santa’s advance team. (After the original, there’s Operation: Secret Santa and Naughty vs. Nice.) After creating a mess during their most recent outing, Wayne tells Lanny that he is issuing the Snowball Protocol (i.e. do not mention what happened to anyone). When they return to base, Magee tells the two that Santa wants to see them, concerning them. Lanny is called in first and leaves, having told Santa something. When Wayne is called in, Santa tells him that Lanny had informed him of some kind of secret. Trying to deter him from learning about their recent mishap, Wayne recalls two previous incidents he and Lanny were involved in. 2025 |

Many more films can be seen because thousands can be streamed. This is just a few from my favorites list. Merry Christmas and happy streaming!