I’ve never been able to fathom the current fascination with It’s a Wonderful Life. It wasn’t always regarded as a “classic,” in fact it wasn’t regarded much at all…except by the FBI who condemned it as “subversive” (apparently nasty business-tycoon characters were “a common trick used by Communists,” according to J. Edgar’s boys). No, it pretty much languished in oblivion until the fateful day somebody let it lapse into public domain. After that it appeared on PBS and basic cable ad infinitum, indoctrinating generations into believing that it was the be-all and end-all of Xmas movies. For those of us who have not been taken over by the pod-people, however, it became yet another of those “emperor’s new clothes” features of modern life, and each time it trundles to its inevitable conclusion when a bell rings and the kid says “That means an angel just got his wings!”, we people of sense are reaching for the insulin.

And, no, I’m not a “bah, humbug” Scrooge-type; there are decent Christmas films out there, films that manage to convey something of the Christmas spirit without leaving you drenched in saccharine. And so, for those of us who would just once like to see Jimmy Stewart shove Clarence aside and do a swan dive into the murky waters, here’s The Mediadrome’s list of the top ten Christmas movies:

10. White Christmas (1954)
Okay, so this one is pretty saccharine, but on the other hand it has that great “Sisters” number from Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby, so it gets to sneak onto the list. Also, Paramount managed to combine Christmas and old soldiers, getting two sentimental targets in one fell swoop, and you’ve got to give them some credit for that.

9. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988)
I’ve always preferred Rowan Atkinson in caustic Blackadder mode and in this outing he actually manages to find an original take on Dickens’ hoary tale. Here Scrooge starts out nice and it's only after the ghost of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) has shown him how truly rotten people are, that he turns into a character more befitting his Blackadder heritage.

8. A Wish for Wings That Work (1991)
This Bloom County animated tale has Opus the penguin yearning for real wings. It features such great characters as a pig that thinks it’s a rhinoceros, a cross-dressing cockroach and, of course, Bill the Cat.

7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton's take on Christmas is a wonderland of ghoulish images. Not least of which is Sandy Claws chained to a device that is designed to plummet him into…well, not Candyland. It cops out in few places, though, with overly sentimental guff, but overall it makes a refreshing change from Frosty and other glutinous stop-motion efforts.

6. Gremlins (1984)
What a great Christmas present. A strange little creature that makes a cool pet…so long as you don’t give it any water or feed it after midnight. Oh, and bright lights are pretty much not recommended as well. How much fun is this movie? As soon as you hear the warnings you know that they’ll all be ignored, which is the whole point, after all.

5. A Christmas Carol (1951)
This story has been retold on film so many times that it’s easy to forget that the original Dickens tale was actually a powerful piece of storytelling. It’s been set in the present, in the future, with a female Scrooge, with a diva Scrooge, you name it, they’ve tried it. But the fact remains that Dickens got it right the first time. This is the best version by far and stars the marvelous Alastair Sim as a Scrooge who really does seem redeemed (as opposed to those Scrooges who just appear to reform because they’re afraid of what the future holds – an easy trap to fall into with this story).

4. Die Hard (1988)
Most people forget that Die Hard is set at Christmas. Bruce Willis’ John McClane travels from New York to LA to spend the holiday with his estranged wife and kids. Then the incomparable Alan Rickman shows up to throw a spanner into the works. In spite of all its action, violence and humor, this is another tale of redemption and a great Xmas flick.

3. The Thin Man (1934)
Ostensibly a detective story set in New York at Christmas, this first and best of the Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy, but you knew that) films is all about them and their pixilated, witty way of moving through life. From their massive martini intake, hangovers, fabulous apartment, cute dog and colorful Runyonesque friends (yes, I know the original story was written by Hammett, but there’s so much more of Runyon in this version) to the rapid fire dialogue, The Thin Man is a Christmas present that is always fresh no matter how many times you unwrap it.

2. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Okay, so Jim Carrey managed to look quite a lot like the Seuss character. But why? Why would you remake a tale that was told to perfection in this marvelous Chuck Jones cartoon? And how could anyone presume to best Boris Karloff as the green guy himself?

1. A Christmas Story (1983)
Without question the sine qua non of Christmas movies. Based on Jean Shepherd’s story, the film tells the tale of Ralphie, who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, in spite of the fact that every single adult he encounters is convinced that he’ll “put his eye out”. The period Christmas of Shepherd’s story is timeless, and as Shepherd himself narrates the doomed quest of Ralphie and we meet his friends, neighbors, teachers and family (and what a great, weird family!) we all find something that we recognize from our own Christmases past.

And that’s the list. Was your favorite on it? No? Then send us your personal fave at What Are You Nuts? This Is the Best Christmas Movie! and our team of over-qualified movie mavens will decide if you’re right, or if you’re just another sad puppy craving for a syrup-infused sentimental wallow. (And don’t even think about submitting Rudolph!)