/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/national-lampoons-christmas-vacation.jpg"> 10. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Chevy Chase is at the top of his game in this sight-gag-and-one-liner-laden homage to the love/hate event that is the family Christmas. Where, besides this list, is there a place big enough for a movie with Yule laughs this huge? As Clark Griswold would say, “Bend over and I’ll show you.”
9. Babes in Toyland (1934) Mother Goose rhymes come to life in this ’34 classic (reissued in ’52 as ‘March of the Wooden Soldiers’) starring comedy legends Laurel and Hardy as gut-bustingly bumbling toymakers out to save Toyland from the nefarious Barnaby. And if tricking him into a same-sex wedding is what it takes, so much the better.
8. Home Alone (1990) It made Macaulay Culkin the biggest child star on the planet, reigned at the box office for 12 straight weeks and grossed $533 million worldwide, but the best thing about this holiday staple is watching an 8-year-old kid toss burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern a good old-fashioned Christmas beat-down.
7. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) Arnold Schwarzenegger was so enamored with this classic he directed his own TV version in 1992. True story. But for the love of Sinbad, stick to the original, a serene screwball comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck as a food writer who misleads her readers in adorably forgivable ways.
6. Elf (2003) Frank Ricard. Ron Burgundy. Ricky Bobby. They’re all unforgettable Will Ferrell personas, but the role he might be remembered for most in 50 years is Buddy the Elf (what’s your favorite color?) from ’03′s instant holiday classic. This non-stop laugher exemplifies all-ages entertainment.
5. White Christmas(1954) Aren’t we all dreaming of a ‘White Christmas’? The movie starring Bing “Mr. Christmas” Crosby and Danny Kaye is as charming as the tune, with all the elements to warm the heart: Two GIs come home from WWII, fall in love with singing-and-dancing sisters and help their general with his failing Vermont inn. Awww.
4. Scrooged (1988) Only Bill Murray could so expertly walk the fine line between pathos and hilarity, as he does playing miserly TV exec Frank Cross. Complete with a taxi-driving Ghost of Christmas Past and a (literally) ball-busting Ghost of Christmas Present, this Dickens send-up is so offbeat and fun, Yule love it!
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) If this ’47 classic doesn’t make you a Santa believer, nothing (especially the ’94 remake) will. It’s dark stuff for a Christmas flick — Kris Kringle is put on trail to determine if he’s legally insane — but the endgame (in which the US Postal Service saves the day!) is utterly heartwarming.
2. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) A tale of depression and almost-suicide doesn’t exactly scream “Christmas classic” — which is probably why Frank Capra’s flick flopped at the box office. But more than 30 years later, it endures as a beloved testament to everything Christmas embodies: family, friends and the joy of life.
1. A Christmas Story (1983) There’s nary a scene to forget in this near-perfect nostalgic look at where Americana and Christmastime meet. The story of a young boy’s epic quest to get his hands on a Red Ryder BB gun provides the hilarious backdrop for a timeless tale rife with family hijinks, frozen tongues and, of course, sex-oozing leg lamps.
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