Take a tale from a beloved children’s author, add in one of the best film directors in the world, mix in the antics of a talented comedic icon and you have the 2000 live-action film “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”.

If you’re at all familiar with the story itself, you know it revolves around The Grinch and his loathing of Christmas and anything that has to do with it. He hates it so much that he decides to take it away from his neighbors The Whos, so they can’t have Christmas either. This movie plays out the story well but what I like most about it is how Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) is curious enough to learn about The Grinch (Jim Carrey) and why he is like he is. And she’s not afraid of him like her adult counterparts. And in the end she becomes his friend.

Hilarious hijinks ensue after Cindy nominates The Grinch as the town’s Holiday Cheermeister, much to the dismay of his former bully and current mayor of Whoville, Augustus MayWho (Jeffrey Tambor). Once MayWho presents The Grinch with an electric razor and then proposes to Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranski), a girl from The Grinch’s past who never laughed at him in school and whom The Grinch has a crush on, The Grinch loses it (rightfully so) and goes amok on Whoville and all the Whos before fleeing back to Mount Crumpit.

Once home, The Grinch seeks revenge on the Whos. You pretty much know what happens from here. He tosses some antlers on his dog Max’s head, dresses as Santa and descends upon the town to take away their Christmas cheer. But the ending is a bit different than the cartoon because Cindy is involved and The Grinch saves her. They return to the town together and The Grinch is remorseful. Martha realizes that MayWho is really a buffoon and declares her love for The Grinch.

All is well that ends well in Whoville.

As silly as it seems, this 1980 Hanna-Barbera classic is one of my favorites. After all, who doesn’t love Yogi Bear and Company?

In this film Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy travel to Jellystone Lodge for Christmas. They are told by Ranger Smith that the lodge owner, Sophie Throckmorton, is going to close down the lodge after Christmas because a resident troublemaking hermit named Herman has been causing problems for people who visit. And she’s sick of his shit. So Ranger Smith instructs the gang that they have to do everything in their power to keep her happy. And that means to especially keep Yogi and Boo-Boo, who are hibernating, away from the lodge.

No sooner does he say that, Yogi and Boo-Boo wake up and go to the lodge to discover their first Christmas. Mrs. Throckmorton is enamored with Yogi and his talents, much to her snooty nephew Snively’s dismay.

To help cause trouble himself, Snively befriends Herman. Each time the duo tries to ensue problems, Yogi seems to thwart them.

In the end Snively and Herman are forgiven for their misgivings and everyone ends up having a great Christmas and the lodge is saved. And Yogi and Boo-Boo are brought back to their cave to continue hibernation.

I’m not sure how often this one is still shown on TV during the season but if you enjoy a good cartoon and are able to catch it, do so. It’s certainly worth a few laughs.

“Santa Claus: The Movie” is a classic holiday film that has captured the hearts of audiences for decades. Released in 1985, the movie tells the tale of how Santa Claus came to be, and the journey of a toymaker who becomes his helper.

The film opens up introducing us to a woodworker named Claus (David Huddleston) who, along with his wife Anya (Judy Cornwell) and their two reindeer, Donner and Blitzen, delivering handmade toys to children in a village on Christmas Eve. When they leave, they get lost in a blizzard and are rescued by elves who take them to their workshop to live.

The following Christmas Eve Claus is renamed Santa Claus and it’s explained to him that he has all the time in the world to deliver toys to children all over the world. During one of his trips, Santa befriends Joe, a cynical homeless boy in NYC. Joe also befriends Cornelia, a well-to-do little girl who lives with her nanny and rich uncle B.Z. (John Lithgow), the cheap, unethical owner of B.Z. Toy Company.

As time goes on Santa realizes he needs an official assistant and holds a contest among the elves to see who it will be. The winner turns out to be Patch (Dudley Moore), who created a machine to speed up production. Unbeknownst to Patch, the machine is not working properly and a lot of the toys being produced have something wrong with them. When toys begin coming back to the North Pole as they are worthless and broken, Patch’s role as assistant is removed. Feeling bad, Patch runs away from the North Pole.

He goes to New York where he finds work with B.Z. Toys and lends his toy making abilities to the mean B.Z. Cornelia, living with her uncle, overhears his plans to destroy Santa. Joe is kidnapped by B.Z. and Cornelia learns of exploding candy canes that Patch has created which make people fly. She tells Santa and in the end, he saves the day, as well as Patch and Joe. B.Z. ends up flying off into space somewhere, never to return. Joe and Cornelia agree to live with Santa and the elves at the North Pole.

Although the film received negative feedback, it’s still considered a cult classic by many, myself included. Again, it’s a film I saw in the theater when I was a teen so it’s always been a big part of my past.

There’s nothing quite like the awkwardness of meeting your boyfriend’s family for the first time. Especially when that first time is Christmas.

In this 2005 family comedy-drama, the awkwardness revolves around Meredith Morton (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), a high-maintenance, uptight New York businesswoman who is dating Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney). And Everett is bringing her home to meet the family and has possible intentions of asking for her hand in marriage.

The rest of the Stone family includes matriarch Sybil (Diane Keaton), a strong-willed cancer survivor who has just learned her cancer has returned and patriarch Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) and their other children, eldest daughter Susannah (Elizabeth Reaser), youngest son Thad (Tyrone Giordano), Ben (Luke Wilson) and youngest child Amy (Rachel McAdams). So no wonder Meredith is overwhelmed and feeling awkward. Of course her personality doesn’t help. She’s already kicked Amy out of her bedroom, forcing her to sleep on the couch, simply because she doesn’t feel comfortable sleeping with Everett under his parent’s roof.

Meanwhile, Everett is trying to convince his mother Sybil to give him his grandmother’s ring so he can present it to Meredith. Sybil refuses and flat out tells him not to marry her. And you can feel the tension between Meredith and Everett and you wonder why they’re even together. Meredith and Everett eventually end up moving to the local inn for the remainder of their stay. And on top of that, Meredith has decided to invite her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to the Stone’s for moral support. As if that is going to make matters any better. Plus you already know Ben has the hots for Meredith from just the way he looks at her. And you know Everett is interested in Julie from the way he looks at her when he picks her up from the bus she has arrived on.

Following a very stressful and uncomfortable conversation at the dinner table, Meredith takes off and crashes Everett’s car in the driveway. Ben goes out to investigate and the next thing we know, the two of them are sitting in a local bar getting drunk. While doing so, they encounter Brad, an EMT and old boyfriend of Amy’s. Meredith invites him over to the Stone’s house for Christmas breakfast the next day.

Fast forward to Christmas morning (the day after Meredith and Ben spent time in the bar) and Meredith finds herself in Ben’s bed. A lot is assumed and mistaken between Meredith, Ben and Everett. Everett has Julie try on his grandmother’s ring and she can’t get it off. Meredith makes it clear to Everett that she won’t marry him and he states he wasn’t going to ask her. So that opens things up for her and Ben. Julie leaves in a hurry and Everett follows her, catching her just before she gets on the bus. She asks him if they can get together at New Year’s.

Fast forward a year later and everyone has returned to the Stone house for Christmas once again. It’s quite clear that Sybil has passed as everyone arrives and we only see Kelly. Thad and his partner Patrick have a baby boy, Susannah has another child, Amy is with Brad, Meredith is with Ben and in walk Everett and Julie. It’s a touching ending as the camera focuses on a picture of Sybil on the wall that Meredith has presented to her the year before.