"Nine years before Bob Clark directed the beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story, the filmmaker produced a somewhat less cheery take on the Yuletide season—Black Christmas, which was released  in 1974, making it one of the first slasher movies. It follows a group of young female college students who are being harassed by a stalker who makes lewd, menacing phone calls to the women's sorority house, phone calls that are being made from a location that even a horror ignoramus will guess within 20 seconds. But despite being somewhat predictable thanks to its widespread influence (the laughable incompetence of a local police department is another common trope), the film delivers solid scares and builds toward a dark twist ending that's genuinely haunting." —Cooper Levey-Baker, editor in chief

“I know everyone’s seen 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life a zillion times, and I admit I sometimes slip in and out of the first hour or so when rewatching. But it still never fails to grab me in the heart once Jimmy Stewart’s desperate George Bailey has been granted his wish by guardian angel Clarence that George had never been born…and then we see the unfolding of what that wish means, to him, his family, and his town. Director Frank Capra had no peers when it came to touching those emotional chords and showing us what really matters in life. BTW, did you ever seen the Saturday Night Live skit with Dana Carvey as a vengeful George setting out after the miserly Mr. Potter? Also a classic.”—Kay Kipling, arts editor

"I didn't watch a ton of holiday movies as a kid, aside from the stop-motion Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas (both perfect, IMO). So part of my adulthood has been spent catching up on classic Christmas films like Die Hard (yes, it's a Christmas movie), The Muppet Christmas Carol and Elf (sorry, that one's a big old pass for me). A few years ago, my husband introduced me to 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and now we watch it every Christmas and quote it year-round. Written by John Hughes, it stars Chevy Chase at his insane best as Clark Griswold, who's attempting to host his entire family for Christmas while simultaneously stringing so many lights on his house that you can see it from space. Beverly D'Angelo is perfect as Clark's loving-yet-wary wife, and it's fun to see a young Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki at the beginning of their careers as the Griswold kids. But it's Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Margo and Nicholas Guest as her husband, Todd, the Griswolds' fed-up neighbors, who we quote the most. 'And why is the carpet all wet, Todd?' 'I don't know, Margo!' To put it in its own parlance, this film's a beaut." —Megan McDonald, managing editor

"Bad Santa (2003) dismantles the clichés of holiday films, delivering a sleigh ride to dysfunction. At its core is Willie T. Soke, played by Billy Bob Thornton. Willie is a washed-up, foul-mouthed alcoholic whose seasonal gig as a mall Santa serves as a cover for his real job: robbing department stores with his pint-sized partner, Marcus. But their annual heist takes turns when a lonely, naive boy decides to adopt Willie as a father figure. Thornton delivers charm and vulgarity in equal measure, while Tony Cox and Brett Kelly are the foils, providing wit and clueless innocence. The storyline revels in a refusal to play nice, with moments of bleak hilarity that somehow sneak in a small ember of holiday spirit. But beware, Bad Santa is probably not what you’d call family-friendly. It’s dark and profane, with loads of crude language, adult themes and situations that would make even the Grinch blush. While its core story has glimmers of redemption, the delivery is anything but conventional. Personally, I appreciate the film’s act of rebellion against the tinsel-clad tyranny of traditional holiday films. For those with a taste for the twisted, this anti-Christmas classic is served best to adults sipping on spiked eggnog." —Kim Doleatto, associate editor/real estate editor

"I get so into made-for-tv Christmas movies that I have a favorite writer: John Ducey. His film A Hollywood Christmas chronicles a Christmas movie director’s battle with big Hollywood studio executives to maintain her niche movie division, in which love is the winning formula. It’s gloriously self-knowing and downright meta, especially as the director’s assistant calls out how each 'real-life' scene of the film the audience is watching unfolds. But if you’re not feeling that this year, Ducey’s I Believe in Santa is equally delightful. It's about an adult man—played by Ducey—who, as the title states, unironically believes in Santa. Ducey is a genius and I won’t accept any arguments to the contrary." —Lauren Jackson, associate editor/food editor