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Christmas movies are among the most broad and controversial of movie genres. This genre ranges with classics like The Polar Express, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. But, there are also the flat out horrible movies that include every Hallmark movie ever, A Christmas Story 2, and Home Alone 3. While there are so many amazing Christmas movies that hold so much meaning and nostalgia, it seems like only a couple stand above the rest.

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

This movie is one of four in the National Lampoon series. This is one of the funniest and most relatable movies of all time. Watching Clark attempt to keep both his wife’s family and his own is hilarious. The pure chaos that ensues is not only really entertaining to watch, but also very relatable when it comes to the holiday season. Cousin Eddie is also the most comical character in this, brining along his RV, two cross-eyed kids, and big rabid dog. Christmas Vacation deserves its spot among some of the best and most quotable Christmas movies ever.

4. Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street is definitely one of the most heartwarming movies on this list. It goes through a story of the actual Santa Claus who gets a job acting as Santa at a  Macy’s where he sets out to prove he is the actual Santa to a divorced mother and her little girl. Santa ends up going to court for hitting a man and people claiming he was insane. He then gets pardoned after they use the “evidence” of kids sending their Christmas cards to him. It is even better to know that when filming the movie, Susan Walker, the woman who played the little girl, actually believed that Edmund Gwenn was the real Santa Claus.

3. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Everything about A Charlie Brown Christmas is entertaining. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to understand that this movie holds a deeper meaning than just a nice movie that talks about Christmas. This movie discusses the issues in commercialism in Christmas and talks about the real meaning of Christmas. Linus’s dialogue in the auditorium after they get the tree and everyone is complaining about it is beautiful. He tells the story of Christ’s birth and how that’s really the only thing that matters during the holidays. This movie also discusses the growing pains and sadness everyone goes through when getting older during Christmas. Charlie Brown is constantly talking about the confusion and sadness the Holidays are suddenly bringing him. He finally breaks when he takes the tree with him from the auditorium, he puts it down and it seemingly breaks as the weak tree falls over. He leaves and comes back a short time later where all of his friends have fixed it with “love” and also realizes that the true meaning of Christmas he was searching for was with him all along, his friends and family.

2. A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story is this high up pretty much purely on nostalgia. I can remember ever since I was a kid turning on TBS and having the 24 hour A Christmas Story marathon going. A Christmas Story is another movie that follows a young boy who struggles his way through Christmas to get the one gift he wants, a BB gun. While it isn’t as deep as A Charlie Brown Christmas or as funny as National Lampoons, it is one of the most heartwarming movies ever. Everything from the music to the way it was filmed is beautiful and makes it timeless.

1. It’s a Wonderful Life

( Spoiler)

It’s a Wonderful Life is not only a great tale about Christmas, but a great lesson about life. It follows a man named George Bailey through his childhood and his adult life where he is one of the most generous and forgiving men in town. Bailey inherits his fathers bank after he dies even though he wanted to travel the world. Throughout his whole life Bailey is pushed around and swindled but he never changes. He always stays selfless and even builds a small town for the poor. Bailey ends up getting into some trouble and results in him wishing he would never be born. An angel shows him what his life would be like and what a great impact on everyone he has made. Bailey then ends up back at his home and everything works out, thanks to the generosity of those who he had once helped in their time of need. I feel like this movie expresses two very important rules in life, treat others how you want to be treated, and always be selfless. I regret not watching this movie earlier even though it is a little long.