Welcome to 5 Favorites. Each week, I will put together a list of my 5 favorites (films, performances, whatever strikes my fancy) along with commentary on a given topic each week, usually in relation to a specific film releasing that week.

A day late and a dollar short, I’m giving you my ultimate list of favorite holiday movies. It’s a tough list to create simply because there have been decades of movies set during the holiday season. I went mostly with films I enjoyed.

While these may not be the all-time best Christmas movies or everyone’s agreement on the best, these five are among my favorites. Here they are in order of release.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

In spite of having a mediocre box office run upon release, this perennial holiday classic is still recognized as one of the greatest films in cinema history and certainly Frank Capra’s most legendary. The story is of a depressed father who prepares to commit suicide only for his guardian angel to step in and show him what life would be like if he were no longer in it.

Starring James Stewart as the father and Henry Travers as Clarence the guardian angel, this seminal film rightly deserves its reputation. While I grew up with the opportunity to see the film annually during the Christmas season, it wasn’t until later in life that I finally saw it and thankfully I did as the film has more emotional heft the older you get. The original premise, terrific performances, and superb direction have kept this perennial classic a mainstay for a reason.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Most of us who have reached adulthood recognize that the idea of Santa Claus is a myth intended to keep children well behaved in fear of losing out on mysterious free gifts every year. That disillusionment is the foundation of Miracle on 34th Street as a Macy’s store Santa claims to be the real Kris Kringle and must convince a judge that he’s not crazy. It’s a film meant to renew the audience’s faith in the goodness that Santa Claus represents even if he is or is not real.

A quaint and emotionally charged drama, Miracle on 34th Street is another film I didn’t catch until my adulthood and carries more weight as a result. While I have pushed back against the Santa concept for years, the genuine goodness and passion that infuses the film is infectious. Edmund Gwenn is terrific as Kris Kringle and Maureen O’Hara adds strength and passion to her performance.

Gremlins (1984)

While the debate rages about Die Hard being a Christmas movie or not, another film that others might question its quintessential Christmas messaging is Gremlins, the Christmas-set horror film about a mysterious fluffy creature and the dangers of getting it wet and feeding it after midnight.

There’s a subtle messaging here about children growing up too fast that fits perfectly into the holiday season. Gremlins is set at Christmastime, but that holiday is at the heart of what the film is about unlike Die Hard. The key difference here is that Gremlins doesn’t feel like it could exist without its setting whereas Die Hard could easily fit into any other holiday or even none at all. What makes Gremlins so enjoyable is an affable cast and a unique premise that provides scares and thrills in creative and exciting ways.

Scrooged (1988)

Sometimes you could use a good laugh on Christmas and while the classic Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol has been filmed a number of times, Scrooged is probably the funniest of all of them, which is a pretty easy task since the large majority of its predecessors were filmed as dramas.

Bill Murray plays a selfish TV producer forcing his crew to work on Christmas Eve and is visited by ghosts who try to help him regain his Christmas spirit. The film is incredibly funny and thought-provoking even if it wasn’t fully appreciated in its time.

Carol (2019)

One of the pinnacles of queer cinema takes places around Christmastime. Cate Blanchett takes on the titular role, a wealthy woman searching for a present for her daughter and instead falls in love with the clerk who helps her out. Rooney Mara is that clerk, an aspiring photographer who becomes enchanted with the mysterious Carol.

With gorgeous, unparalleled photography by Edward Lachman, this Todd Haynes film is essential viewing for anyone who enjoys Christmas films. The tale of forbidden love takes myriad twists and turns and while it doesn’t have the heartwarming, life-affirming conclusion that many other Christmas works have, its a beautiful piece of filmmaking with stellar performances.