Christmas in the movies

by Megan Laubershimer

The first time the magic of the movies combined with the spirit of the holidays, a feeling of cheer spread through movie-goers and Christmas fanantics alike that would impress even the big man in red. From that time on, no Christmas song, tradition, or tale was safe from the power of the silver screen, and while Christmas movies have come and gone, the top ten Christmas movies of all time stand tall in the spirit of the holidays.

Ten: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. A story about a woman who inherits a world of chaos when she takes over her Church's Christmas Pageant. With the roudy Herdman kids and one disaster after another, she's determined to make it the best pageant ever.

Nine: Christmas with the Kranks. A light-hearted comedy based on the short novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, it's the story of a couple who decide to skip Christmas and go on a cruise, much to the disdain of their fanatic Christmas-loving neighbors.

Eight: Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation. This roudy holiday romp tells the story of a man who's outrageous family comes to his home for the holidays and the wild mishaps that occur.

Seven: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Despite being made in 1964, this classic has a place in the hearts of many as the story of an underdog who goes on to save the day as Santa's favorite reindeer.

Six: The Year Without a Santa Claus. Another classic holiday special, in claymation, and it has two of the most memorable characters in any Christmas movie: the Miser Brothers, Heat and Cold.

Five: The Polar Express. Based on the classic children's book, it tells about a boy who finds that while "seeing is believing", sometimes the most important things in life are those we can't see.

Four: White Christmas. A romantic comedy full of music and laughs, this movie is about two army buddies and the escapades they run into as they follow two women to a Vermont lodge for a Christmas show.

Three: The Santa Clause. Tim Allen's portrayal as an ordinary man who accidentaly becomes the new Santa Claus after startling the old one off the roof is a favorite among kids and adults alike.

Two: Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Whether it be the older, animated version or Jim Carrey's hilarious new tale, this clever story is about one young girl and one bitter old Grinch's discovery of the true meaning of Christmas.

One: A Christmas Story. This number one classic of holiday spirit is the story of Ralphie, a young boy who only wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas but can't convince his parents, or Santa, to buy one.

So from "you'll shoot your eye out, kid" to "inside a snowflake like the one on your sleeve, there happened a story you must see to believe", these holiday moves bring the spirit of Christmas right into our homes.